How to choose an SEO-optimized Prestashop theme?
All Prestashop themes come with a series of modules through which more or less useful functionalities can be accessed. So, first of all, you need to define the functional scope of the website you're creating. When the time comes to choose a theme, you'll need to select the one that best meets your needs. Although there's nothing to prevent you from deactivating or even uninstalling modules once the theme has been installed, side effects can occur that affect other modules (see the overrides).
Parenthesis aside, the choice of theme is also based on certain criteria such as the level of the developer, the translations and language of support, the version of the theme and its compatibility with the version of Prestashop, and so on. Let's assume that a theme is compatible from Prestashop 1.5 to Prestashop 1.7, and ask ourselves: was this theme developed x years ago and then simply updated as the solution and technologies evolved? Wouldn't it be better to choose a theme developed exclusively for the version of Prestashop you're using?
Prestashop theme demo sites can also be tested using tools such as Google's PageSpeed Insight, GT Metrix and others. It's important not to miss out on these tests in order to anticipate the SEO performance of the theme you choose. Starting out with a theme that flashes red in one of these tools is a recipe for failure from the outset. Today, all available themes are responsiveHowever, it is essential to validate mobile compatibility precisely, taking into account display, ergonomics, speed, etc.
Last but not least, theme developers are not necessarily aware of certain fundamental SEO points. Title structure is the most striking example. Very few themes comply with the most basic rules: a page must have at least one title. <h1>a <h1> tag must not be empty, a <hn> must only be followed by a <h(n+1)> and the first tag on a page must be a <h1>etc.
What are the best Prestashop SEO modules available on addons?
In reality, the question is less about the best Prestashop SEO modules than about the modules that are essential for natural referencing. The robots.txt file is generated by the solution itself, so there's no need for a module. This is not the case for the sitemap.xml file, for example. Other functionalities, such as 301 redirects, are offered via add-on modules. Finally, it's not an SEO module per se, but Google analytics must be installed to track, understand and analyze natural traffic, among other things.
Essential Prestashop SEO modules :
- sitemap.xml ;
- 301, 302 redirects, etc.
- Google analytics.
Recommended Prestashop SEO modules :
To take search engine optimization a step further, the following features are clearly of interest. They enable you to implement well-known SEO techniques and manage them more easily. For greater efficiency, it is of course essential to master these techniques...
- Managing ,
and tags; - Canonical management ;
- Image compression ;
- Management of noindex, nofollow ;
- Cache management ;
- Internal linking ;
- Content spinning module ;
- Critical Path CSS Manager module.
How to set up your Prestashop site to improve SEO?
Prestashop allows you to act on site configuration without necessarily using modules. Generating the robots.txt file, setting URL parameters, SSL, compilation, cache management and image compression are all SEO aspects that need to be worked on before the site goes live. URL settings should be made once before launch, and not again afterwards.
Generate robots.txt
This simple action can be performed via the "SEO & URL" tab in the store settings. Simply click on the button at the bottom of the page.
Set page URLs
In the same tab, the "URL Format" section lets you set the parameters for the elements present in page URLs. These elements should never be modified on a site in production.
Enable SSL
Make sure your store supports the https protocol! You can activate SSL in the "General settings" tab of your store settings.
Compilation and cache management
This section is also very sensitive, and can be found in the "Performance" tab of the advanced settings. The standard setting for a production site is to use the cache and recompile files only when they have been modified.
Image compression
The image generation options are located in the Appearance tab and allow you to adjust compression for Jpeg and PNG formats. The weight of images is often responsible for slower loading times. Optimizing image size and quality is therefore a very important criterion.
Conclusion
In addition, checking the structure of titles on each page template, microdata on product sheets and the presence of breadcrumbs is also necessary to meet SEO requirements. Good management of 404 pages, or pages not found, is also important. The http 404 response and page customization (language and template) must be validated before going online!
This article is not exhaustive, but covers most of the fundamental aspects of Prestashop SEO. The choice of theme and modules at the outset, their settings and the checks to be carried out before launch will determine the site's performance.