Page titles and descriptions
Simple fields, helpful templates and previews so every important page can be presented clearly in search results.
Requirement← Developer SEO
Custom CMS SEO consultancy
Build the SEO controls your platform actually needs.
SEO support for bespoke content management systems, covering the controls editors need and the safeguards that help every published page work properly in search.
CMSContentSEO settingsRedirects
Page settingsReady to publish
✓SEO checks passedRequired fields and URL rules are valid.
A custom CMS should make the correct action the easy action.
Editors should not need to remember technical SEO rules whenever they publish a page. The CMS should provide reliable defaults, explain important choices and prevent mistakes that could hide content from search.
Core platform capabilities
Build SEO into the CMS itself.
We turn search requirements into practical controls and safeguards that your editors can use and your developers can maintain.
Content management
Give editors clear page structures, required fields and publishing checks so useful content stays complete and consistent.
RequirementInternal linking
Make it easy to connect related pages through navigation, breadcrumbs and contextual links that visitors and search engines can follow.
RequirementURL management
Clear rules for creating page addresses and handling them safely when a published page is renamed or moved.
RequirementPreferred pages and indexing
Safe defaults that tell search engines which version of a page to use and which pages should stay out of search results.
RequirementRedirect management
Central creation, validation, import and reporting for permanent and temporary redirects.
RequirementSitemaps and page discovery
Automatically keep the right public pages in the sitemap so search engines can find current content.
RequirementStructured data
Generate the extra page information search engines use from reliable CMS fields and visible content.
RequirementEditorial safeguards
Protect the site without slowing editors down.
The CMS should guide people away from changes that could remove pages from search or break existing URLs. Clear checks and permissions reduce mistakes without making publishing difficult.
1Required fields
Block publication when essential values are missing.
2Unique routes
Prevent duplicate or conflicting public URLs.
3Safe defaults
Generate consistent output when editors do not override it.
4Role control
Limit high-risk index and canonical changes to approved users.
5Change history
Record URL, redirect and index-setting updates.
URL lifecycle
Plan what happens after a page changes.
Publishing is not the end of the workflow. The CMS needs predictable behaviour when pages are renamed, moved, unpublished, restored or replaced.
CreateUnique route reserved
→PublishMetadata and sitemap update
→MoveRedirect created automatically
→RemoveCorrect status and cleanup
Requirements for the platform
A clear roadmap for your team.
Each recommendation explains what the CMS needs to do, how people should use it, what could go wrong and how to confirm the finished feature works.
Platform requirements
A prioritised plan for the SEO controls, safe defaults and automated output the CMS needs.
Field and workflow design
Labels, help text, validation, permissions and publishing rules that editors can use confidently.
Template contracts
Expected output for metadata, headings, links, schema, canonicals, status codes and error states.
QA acceptance plan
Test cases for platform features, content templates, migrations and future CMS releases.
Acceptance testing
Test the control and its final output.
A field appearing in the CMS does not prove that it works. Each feature is tested from editor action through stored data to the rendered page.
- AdminControl behaves correctly
- DataValue saves and validates
- PageTemplate renders the rule
- SearchOutput is crawlable and valid
Problems we regularly find
Common Custom CMS SEO problems
These issues are not inevitable, but they are easy to miss when a site is being built or changed quickly.
Editors can create conflicting signals
The interface allows incompatible canonical, robots, redirect or publication choices without useful warnings.
SEO fields exist but do not work
Values save in the CMS but are missing, malformed or duplicated in the rendered page.
Templates lack safe defaults
New content launches without usable titles, descriptions, headings or structured navigation unless every field is completed manually.
Platform changes are not regression-tested
A release quietly alters URLs, metadata output, sitemaps or crawl behaviour across many pages.
Custom CMS SEO questions
What product and platform teams ask.
Practical answers for building and improving bespoke publishing systems.
What SEO features should a custom CMS include?+
At minimum, it should support metadata, stable URLs, redirects, canonicals, index controls, crawlable navigation, sitemaps and structured data. The exact requirements depend on the content types and publishing model.
Should editors control every SEO setting?+
No. Editors need useful control, but unrestricted canonical, robots and URL settings can create serious problems. Strong systems combine automated defaults, validation and role-based exceptions.
When should SEO requirements be added to a CMS build?+
Ideally during discovery and architecture, before the content model and admin interface are fixed. Existing systems can still be improved through a gap analysis and prioritised development roadmap.
How do you test custom CMS SEO features?+
We test the admin control, saved data, rendered page and search-facing output together. Each requirement receives clear acceptance criteria so future releases can be checked consistently.
Building something that search needs to understand?
Bring search into the build before launch, or untangle what is already holding a modern website back.
30-minute consultation. No obligation.