How does headless e-commerce technology affect an online store's position in Google search results?

Headless e-commerce CMS vs. traditional CMS systems - the differences

CMS is a content management system. With the traditional approach, the 3 main layers of a website (i.e. database, front-end and back-end) are interconnected. Thus, a classic CMS provides integrated functions for the presentation and management of site content. This affects the reduced possibilities for personalization of the site's appearance or its flexibility in terms of adaptation to specific types of devices.

With headless commerce technology, the front-end is separated from the back-end and the database. Communication between the layers here is done via APIs, or application programming interfaces. What does this change?

Headless solutions make it so that the back-end layer, where information is stored, does not affect what the end user sees on the site. The idea of headless makes it possible to create a separate, CMS-independent application for presenting content on the site.

As a result:

• You can make changes to the back-end while not affecting the front-end, which is what the user sees. This makes it much easier to modify and implement any changes to the site.

• It becomes possible to create several front-ends. In this way, it is possible to create different front-ends, maximally adapted to specific devices (e.g. tablets, computers, TVs or smartphones).

• The programmer gains almost complete freedom in choosing the technology with which he will create an online store front. This makes it easier to find a specialist who will implement the necessary updates faster and more efficiently than a Full-Stack Developer.

• The use of APIs makes it easier to integrate with external applications (e.g. for payment or courier services), which is sometimes difficult with traditional e-commerce systems.

In addition, Headless allows you to optimize your online store for SEO much more effectively. What does this mean?

How does the choice of headless technology in e-commerce affect SEO efforts?

With headless it is possible to optimize the site code much more effectively. From the experience gained from working on headless commerce platforms, we can say that virtually nothing is impossible with this technology.

This approach allows developers to control the code almost 100%, so:

get rid of all unnecessary and looping queries;

use technologies that will speed up the loading of the site on the user side.

With headless, therefore, there is an improvement in site performance, which has a direct impact on SEO.

A common problem reported by our clients is that sites created with SPA (Single Page Applications) architecture do not index in Google. This is a myth. Google has confirmed that it indexes sites created with this technology in-house and using dedicated tools.

We always use Server Side Rendering in our projects. What does it consist of? The application displays to the user a ready-to-use, already rendered page, "doing the work" of the browser. This guarantees that the page we create will be correctly indexed by any tool.

In the case of headless commerce, the use of SPA technology brings a number of benefits to the end user. We are talking about faster loading of the page or the ability to browse it freely even without a stable connection. This has a positive impact on search engine optimization of the site.

Headless technology will provide your business with many more benefits. Which ones? You will find them below!

Increased site speed

Among the most important advantages of headless technology, it is imperative to mention its impact on site performance, which is one of the key factors considered by Google. In headless CMS, the developer gains tools with which he can realistically improve the speed of the site. What improves this parameter?

The use of the browser's memory to perform some tasks. Such a script generates fewer database queries and increases the responsiveness of the site.

Using APIs - resource sharing in traditional systems often leads to server overload. Downloading content via APIs offsets this problem and improves store performance.

Poor performance is one of the most common causes of declining positions in browser search results. Google does not want to promote sites that do not provide a user experience for the viewer. In the case of e-commerce, user experience (UX) is a particularly important factor, which also has a direct impact on store conversion and business profitability.

Better optimization for specific device types

Monolithic systems can offer a single front-end, which later needs to be adapted to other hardware. By using headless commerce, it becomes possible to create dedicated fronts for each device on which your online store will be displayed.

In the world of e-commerce, the "mobile first" trend is constantly growing, according to which websites should be designed primarily with mobile devices in mind. The ability to create several front-ends definitely makes this easier and allows you to customize the look and functions of your store to suit the needs of the users of a particular hardware every time. This is another of the factors taken into account by Google when positioning the site.

PWAs (Progresive Web Apps) are also worth mentioning. They work similarly to websites, but more efficiently (on any type of device and even with a poor connection). They also give the possibility to display some content offline and create mobile applications.

Combined with the headless concept, you can build a PWA-standard store. It will provide the site with flexibility and the audience with the maximum positive experience of browsing the available content.

Site architecture for easy indexing

With the headless concept, you gain more control over the technical aspects of the site, crucial for improving its search engine position. Among these are:

URLs with friendly structure;

metadata;

HTTPS;

XML site map.

In a headless-designed site, for example, you can introduce solutions that automatically create structured URLs and create tools for more efficient metadata management.

Easier testing of several different solutions simultaneously

You can also use the ability to create several fronts for one store to test different methods, functions and solutions that affect the effectiveness of your e-commerce.

This gives you a chance to adapt your sales platform to the customer's purchase path, improve the user interface and try out new sales channels. Your e-commerce business thus not only gains new tools to improve the quality of your service, but also allows you to more quickly find effective methods to improve your store's position in Google search.