If more than half the web runs on a content management system, then the majority of technical SEO standards are being positively shaped before an SEO even starts work on it. That’s the lens I took into the 2025 Web Almanac SEO chapter (for clarity, I co-authored the 2025 Web Almanac SEO chapter referenced in this article).
Rather than asking how individual optimization decisions influence performance, I wanted to understand something more fundamental: How much of the web’s technical SEO baseline is determined by CMS defaults and the ecosystems around them.
SEO often feels intensely hands-on – perhaps too much so. We debate canonical logic, structured data implementation, crawl control, and metadata configuration as if each site were a bespoke engineering project. But when 50%+ of pages in the HTTP Archive dataset sit on CMS platforms, those platforms become the invisible standard-setters. Their defaults, constraints, and feature rollouts quietly define what “normal” looks like at scale.
This piece explores that influence using 2025 Web Almanac and HTTP Archive data, specifically:
- How CMS adoption trends track with core technical SEO signals.
- Where plugin ecosystems appear to shape implementation patterns.
- And how emerging standards like llms.txt are spreading as a result.
The question is not whether SEOs matter. It’s whether we’ve been underestimating who sets the baseline for the modern web.
The Backbone Of Web Design
The 2025 CMS chapter of the Web Almanac saw a milestone hit with CMS adoption; over 50% of pages are on CMSs. In case you were unsold on how much of the web is carried by CMSs, over 50% of 16 million websites is a significant amount.
With regard to which CMSs are the most popular, this again may not be surprising, but it is worth reflecting on with regard to which has the most impact.
WordPress is still the most used CMS, by a long way, even if it has dropped marginally in the 2024 data. Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, and Joomla trail a long way behind, but they still have a significant impact, especially Shopify, on ecommerce specifically.
SEO Functions That Ship As Defaults In CMS Platforms
CMS platform defaults are important, this – I believe – is that a lot of basic technical SEO standards are either default setups or for the relatively small number of websites that have dedicated SEOs or people who at least build to/work with SEO best practice.
When we talk about “best practice,” we’re on slightly shaky ground for some, as there isn’t a universal, prescriptive view on this one, but I would consider:
- Descriptive “SEO-friendly” URLs.
- Editable title and meta description.
- XML sitemaps.
- Canonical tags.
- Meta robots directive changing.
- Structured data – at least a basic level.
- Robots.txt editing.
Of the main CMS platforms, here is what they – self-reportedly – have as “default.” Note: For some platforms – like…
Source link
Disclaimer
We strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all of our reporting and coverage. We blogs.grocliq.com want to be transparent with our readers about any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in our work. It’s possible that some of the investors we feature may have connections to other businesses, including competitors or companies we write about. However, we want to assure our readers that this will not have any impact on the integrity or impartiality of our reporting. We are committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news and information to our audience, and we will continue to uphold our ethics and principles in all of our work. Thank you for your trust and support.
Website Upgradation is going on for any glitch kindly connect at [email protected]
