What printing platform works best with google SEO

[azehnali]

What printing platform works best with google SEO

 

[jwheeler]

"Printing platform" is a very generic term. Do you mean web-to-print software?

 

[azehnali]

a platform like shoplifty or better yet specific to the printing industry like onprintshop or similar

 

[jwheeler]

You're describing web-to-print software/platforms, often abbreviated as W2P. One platform isn't better than another at SEO. I've taken classes on SEO and was quite successful at it for a print shop I used to work at. There are many factors that go into it.

• Embedding keywords on your site
• Having dynamic content (videos)
• The site should regularly updated (Google bots don't like stagnant websites)
• Multiple other sites should point back to your site (Yelp, Facebook, InsiderPages, etc). You need to claim your free business account on these to control the information.
• Encourage your customers to leave positive reviews on popular business review platforms like Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Yelp
• Using Google Ads (formerly Google Adwords)

 

[azehnali]

thanks
its faster to go with one of these guys than to build a site from scratch

 

[jwheeler]

I

thanks
its faster to go with one of these guys than to build a site from scratch

I think you’re missing the point. Of course you should go with a premade platform thats designed for printing. But your question was which is best for SEO. One is not better than another for SEO. That is a separate element that requires additional work beyond setting up the site for your shop.

 

[azehnali]

the reason I asked was I was going to go with a premade platform but was told by multiple people that google doesn't like the premade platforms for seo purpose unless its one like shopify

 

[tngcas]

the reason I asked was I was going to go with a premade platform but was told by multiple people that google doesn't like the premade platforms for seo purpose unless its one like shopify

SEO is more about relevance. IE. If someone is searching for printing and you've "tricked" google into sending customers to your website but the customers immediately bounce away then google loses confidence in your shop for SEO purposes and will stop sending customers there. That's why having everything connected together and updated regularly with content is critical. That's why Jwheeler mentioned all the different things. If customers are just using your website as a "contact" portal and not actually placing orders through it then you'll spend a lot of money on SEO and not gain much in the long run because the other big shops will always outpace you in relevance.

If your website uses a pre-made platform that 100 other websites are already using AND you don't actually attract and serve customers through that website then Google isn't going to rank you very high in the long run no matter what because your trust level in the long run won't be high enough. So you can use a pre-made platform but it needs to be backed up by actual real traffic coming to/from other platforms AND where customers actually successfully complete checkout and/or spend time viewing content. Otherwise you're flushing money down the drain chasing an SEO dreamland.

 

[gregbatch]

I prefer to have a well designed landing page (self-hosted) with all my important information and SEO elements in place. Backlink to that page. Include a blog area to keep things current. Then link to your W2P portal from there. Don't ignore customizing the portal in as many areas that are available, including keywords and description metadata. It's helpful, but all premade platforms (including Shopify) suffer in SEO. Using this method you have complete control of the main page, and you could change W2P platforms and it will never affect your landing page and disrupt SEO. SEO is not dead, but it is difficult to manipulate anymore.

 

[azehnali]

thanks everyone

 

[pauly92]

I prefer to have a well designed landing page (self-hosted) with all my important information and SEO elements in place. Backlink to that page. Include a blog area to keep things current. Then link to your W2P portal from there. Don't ignore customizing the portal in as many areas that are available, including keywords and description metadata. It's helpful, but all premade platforms (including Shopify) suffer in SEO. Using this method you have complete control of the main page, and you could change W2P platforms and it will never affect your landing page and disrupt SEO. SEO is not dead, but it is difficult to manipulate anymore.

While this is ok, you want more than 1 page for good SEO. You want to rank for what you sell, so if it booklets, business cards, etc, you'll want a page for each with specific keywords for the product.

 

[TJPrinter]

A bit off your SEO topic, but it’s really hard to compete for traffic with the big online guys. Lots you can do for SEO like others have stated, but I have found that if I concentrate on the local market and use what I already know how to do well, direct mail, I can direct new and existing customers to use my web shop. Direct mail would be costlier if I wasn’t in the printing business, but hey we are, so best to take advantage of it.

 

[gregbatch]

While this is ok, you want more than 1 page for good SEO. You want to rank for what you sell, so if it booklets, business cards, etc, you'll want a page for each with specific keywords for the product.

Of course. That reference was a simple response to outline a method. When I refer to a landing page, that includes product specific pages in addition to the main page. Thank you for clarifying that for the benefit of all who are not familiar with the term or purpose.