Can you do Search Engine Optimization (SEO) without WordPress? The answer is ‘Yes’
Google allows you to rank any website you want, regardless of the platform on which the website is developed.
The thing is, good SEO isn’t about the platform you use. It is all about learning how search engines operate and providing them with what they need.
Being an agency that specializes in organic SEO, we know that SEO without WordPress is possible.
That being said, ranking a non-WordPress website can be a different ball game because you don’t have the luxury of using SEO plugins like on WordPress.
Let’s get started on how to do SEO without WordPress.
1) Choosing The Right Platform
Here is the deal when it comes to selecting the right platform for SEO:
- Note that any platform can be SEO-friendly if one knows what he or she is doing
- The key is to know the basics of SEO, and not to rely on SEO plugins
Let me remind you that there are all kinds of websites, and even the custom-coded ones are ranking in Search Engine Results (SERPs).
So it is safe to say all platforms are great for SEO, the only thing that should matter is how your website builder fits with every step of your design and development process.
That being said, here are the most common website builders other than WordPress for SEO:
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Webflow
- Joomla
- Shopify (For e-commerce stores)
You can consider the SEO features of a platform once it fits rightly into your website development needs.
The bottom line? Your platform is just the beginning. It is what you create on top of it that counts when it comes to SEO.
Now, let’s proceed to the real meat of SEO because no matter which platform you are using, the following tips are going to be game-changers.
2) Technical SEO for a Non-WordPress Website
Technical SEO is the most crucial part of a non-WordPress website because, in WordPress, you have an SEO plugin for everything.
However, for a website that is not built on WordPress, most of the work in technical SEO foundation is done during the development of the website.
If you miss something during that phase and make your website live, then it will be very difficult to make technical SEO right.
To optimize your website like a pro, the basic foundation is essential. Here is how to make it solid:
a) Website Page Speed
Picture this: You are at a drive-thru and you are waiting for your burger for what seems like eternity. Angry, you head to the next joint. That is exactly what happens when your website is slow!
Page speed is the time it takes for your web pages to load. It matters because:
- Google loves it (For both mobile and desktop)
- Users are more likely to leave slow sites like a flash.
Pro Tip: You can use Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to check your page speed. Ideally, the load time should be less than 3 seconds.
b) Mobile Responsiveness
It’s 2025, folks. If your site is not mobile-friendly, then you are optimizing for failure.
Mobile responsiveness is the ability of your website to look and function properly on any device. It matters because:
- Google uses mobile-first indexing
- More than 50% of the web traffic is mobile and this percentage is increasing every year.
To ensure that your site is mobile-friendly, you can use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. If you are not passing, then it is high time that you redesign your website.
c) Robots.txt
Think of robots. txt as the bouncer for your website. It instructs the search engine crawlers where they are allowed to go and where they are not allowed to go.
Best practices for Robots.txt file:
- Keep it simple – only block what’s necessary
- Use it to hide pages that are not relevant (Like log-in pages)
- Always allow essential pages and resources to crawl.
Here’s a basic example:
Copy
User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/
Allow: /
Sitemap: https://www.yoursite.com/sitemap.xml
Here’s how a non-WordPress website can create a Robots.txt file:
- Create the file: Create a plain text file named robots.txt.
- Add rules: Add instructions for your web robots file. Instructions like user-agent, disallow, allow, crawl-delay, and sitemap.
- Upload the file: Place your file in the root directory of your site.
- Test the file: Check your file with the robots. txt Tester tool in the Google Search Console.
As a reminder, poorly configured robots. txt can lock your whole site. We have witnessed it and believe us, it is not a pretty sight!
d) Sitemaps
Sitemap is like a map of your website to the search engines. It assists crawlers in finding out and understanding your content structure. Thus helping with your website structure and navigation.
Best practices for Sitemaps:
- Include all important pages
- Update it regularly
- Submit it to Google Search Console
For non-WordPress websites, if your platform doesn’t assist you in creating an XML sitemap. There are many XML Sitemaps Generators available on the internet and you can use any of them.
Make sure you include images, videos, and blogs along with other landing pages and update them regularly.
e) HTTPS Protocol
HTTPS is like a security guard for your website. It secures the transfer of data between browsers and servers.
Why it matters:
- Builds trust with users
- Required for some functionalities (like for geolocations)
Switching to HTTPS is a no-brainer. Just make sure to:
- Redirect all the HTTP pages to use HTTPS
- Update internal links
- Check for mixed content issues
f) Canonical Tags
Canonical tags are your secret weapon against duplicate content. They inform the search engines which among the two versions of a page is the original one.
For instance, HTTP pages that are redirected to HTTPS can be easily identified as duplicate pages by search engines.
Best practices for canonical tags:
- Use them for similar or duplicate pages
- Ensure they redirect to the preferred URL
Here’s what it looks like:
htmlCopy<link rel=”canonical” href=”https://www.yoursite.com/preferred-page/” />
For non-WordPress websites, you can go to the page’s HTML and then insert the code in the head section.
g) Schema Markup
Schema markup is like providing the search engine with a summary of the content that you want it to rank.
It assists them to comprehend your pages better and can result in rich snippets in the search results.
Best practices for Schema Markup:
- Choose the correct schema type for your content
- Test your markup with Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool
- Do not overdo it – stick to the most important schema
Read this article to understand how to add schema markup to your website.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is technical SEO done without WordPress.
This might sound a bit complicated at first, but believe us, once you start doing it, you’ll be optimizing websites like a pro in no time.
Just to remind you, the platform does not do the SEO – it is you who do it.
3) On-Page SEO Without WordPress
Having a WordPress site helps with many on-page SEO tasks because of plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, (or) all-in-one SEO
For non-WordPress websites, if you have knowledge about HTML tags and can insert them manually, then even you can create SEO-friendly pages and posts.
For optimizing on-page SEO for a non-WordPress website this is what you need:
a) Keyword Research
Having a WordPress website doesn’t impact your keyword research because most of your research is done using SEO tools outside of your platform.
However, it is one of the first things that you do before finalizing your SEO optimization strategy. It would help if you learned to do it effectively.
Here’s a guide on effective keyword research
b) Heading Tags
H1, H2, and H3 – They are important, and in terms of SEO, here are a few things you can look at:
- One H1 tag per page is recommended (and it is often your main heading) that includes your main keyword
- Sprinkle your secondary keywords and variations in H2s and H3s
- Do not overuse keywords – this is a big no-no in SEO writing
Pro Tip: Think of your headings like a table of contents. They should give readers (and Google) a clear picture of what’s covered on the page.
No matter which platform you need, writing and assigning headings tags shouldn’t be a headache.
c) Meta Title
Meta titles are the titles that appear on SERPs and in most cases, this could be your H1’s if you decide so.
The meta titles are 50–60 characters long, or about 580 pixels in length. Using WordPress you add your meta titles.
But if your non-WordPress platform does not allow you to create different meta titles separately, then you have to write a good H1 that can be displayed as your meta title.
d) Meta Description
The meta description should be between 120 and 158 characters. (This is just a range)
For a non-WordPress website, normally, search engines take the first to three lines of your content as meta description.
If you can’t add meta descriptions for each page, then optimize the first lines. They can be your meta descriptions.
Note: Meta tags are different from meta titles and meta descriptions (which we discuss right now) and mostly they have little to no impact on your SEO.
e) Image Alt Text
Image Alt text is important for accessibility and it also provides you with another opportunity to tell search engines that your content is relevant.
The common practice for good image alt text is:
- Describing the image accurately
- Including your target keyword if it fits naturally
The best practice to optimize your image alt text is to rename the image files with your keyword.
This way whenever you upload those images on your platform, your CMS (Content Management System) automatically will consider the file/folder name as the Image alt text.
f) Permalinks of a Page
URLs are a crucial indicator to help search engines identify and match your page with the keywords.
The best practices for permalinks are:-
- Clean and descriptive URL
- Keeping it short and simple
- Including your primary keyword
- Using hyphens to separate words (not underscores)
g) Internal Linking
In your content or web pages, internal links assist the readers to move from one page to the other and also assist the search engines in crawling your content. Hence making it important for on-site crawling.
This can be done without a plugin. However, for internal linking keep these practices in mind:
- Link to other relevant and valuable pages on your site
- Use descriptive anchor text
- Do not over-optimize anchor texts and links – be natural
You should have understood by now that on-page SEO is not about the platform. It is about the knowledge and the ability to use it correctly and properly.
The strategies and techniques described in this section are sufficient to win at on-page SEO with a Non-WordPress website
Note: Check this case study how we improved this website’s rankings and generate 200k+ monthly traffic using on-page SEO techniques
4) Off Page SEO
Off-page SEO is the process where websites go out there and attempt to create their reputation in front of the search engines.
Here, reputation is everything, just like in high school.
To establish that reputation, you have to get backlinks that can convey signals to search engines.
The latest Google updates say link building isn’t a top 3 ranking factor. But, for most keywords, the SERP results tell a different story.
So, let’s dive into what matters for off-page SEO, and I promise to keep this short.
There are only a few types of backlinks that matter:
a) Guest posts: They are content/blogs created on someone’s website. The purpose is to get visibility to their audience and a good link to your website.
b) Link Insertions: Here, you have to look for the relevant content on the internet that already exists and then get your link placed. It is more easy to scale than guest posts.
c) Connectively (Known as HARO): HARO is where you give your expert opinion on a reporter’s question and receive a backlink for your input
d) Digital PR: Digital PR is a variation of the conventional PR that takes place in digital magazines. You make viral content, infographics, or studies. Then, you give them to journalists so that they can mention your valuable content in their magazines.
e) Social Signals: They are not the direct ranking factors and most likely will not have a significant impact on your website. However, they can boost your visibility if you’re on a new site. Links from social media are natural and build trust with Google.
Note that, for off-page SEO website platform is irrelevant because most off-page SEO is all about what happens beyond your website.
Wrap up
We hope this article encouraged you to do SEO without WordPress.
Here’s the truth: It is important to note that SEO success is not about the platform, it is about the grind.
Remember our journey? We’ve covered it all:
- Choosing the right platform (spoiler: any platform can be a winner)
- Technical SEO (non-WordPress sites need a solid foundation)
- On-page optimization (Good SEO knowledge with implementation can help you win)
- Off-page strategies (Your site’s reputation matters irrespective of whether it’s WordPress or not)
As we mentioned, Optimizing WordPress websites for SEO is a lot easier because of its plugins.
However, SEO without WordPress is a little tricker but it pushes you to understand what you’re doing. That knowledge is power.
Therefore, whether you are rocking Shopify, Squarespace, or a site you built yourself while following YouTube tutorials, you are good to go. Achieving SEO success is now possible with every single aspect being within your complete reach.