--- title: "SEO" description: "Éclair CMS SEO is built in: live analysis, structured data, sitemap, 301 redirects, IndexNow and Search Console, with no plugin to install." url: "https://eclaircms.org/en/documentation/seo" lang: "en" author: "Thierry Gustin" published: "2026-10-30" updated: "2026-10-30" --- # SEO > **Key takeaways** — Éclair builds in all the SEO you need, with no plugin: live analysis with a score out of 100, JSON-LD structured data, a sitemap with images and hreflang, an RSS feed, a 1200×630 share image, automatic 301 redirects, IndexNow and Google Search Console verification. One URL per piece of content prevents duplicate content. Éclair CMS SEO is built in: there’s no plugin to choose, configure or update. Every piece of published content gets its tags, its structured data, its place in the sitemap and its share image. As you write, the Analysis tab gives you a score out of 100 and a concrete tip for each point to improve. ## What does Éclair CMS SEO cover without a plugin? From the moment you install it, your site has: - **clean URLs** and an automatic 301 redirect whenever an address changes - **an SEO title, a meta description and a live Google preview** in the editor, with counters - complete **JSON-LD structured data**, generated for every page - an **XML sitemap** with images and `hreflang`, a **robots.txt** file and a full **RSS feed** - **Open Graph and Twitter Cards**, with a 1200×630 share image generated automatically - **breadcrumbs and canonical URLs** on every page - **IndexNow** to notify Bing and other compatible engines every time you publish - pages served from a **static cache**, a plus for speed and Core Web Vitals ## How do you read the editor’s SEO analysis? The **Analysis** tab recalculates your score with every change. Here’s what it checks and the values to aim for: | Check | What to aim for | | --- | --- | | SEO title | 30 to 60 characters: Google cuts it off around 60 | | Meta description | 110 to 160 characters, with a clear promise | | Focus keyphrase | In the title, the meta description, the URL, the introduction and at least one subheading | | Keyphrase density | Between 0.4% and 3%: above that, write more naturally | | Length | 600 words for a post, 250 for a page, 150 for a homepage with a banner or features | | Structure | At least 2 subheadings (H2, H3) | | Images | Alt text for each one | | Internal linking | At least 2 links to your other pages | | Featured image | For posts: shares and Google Discover | | URL | Under 75 characters | Each check is green, orange or red. A page excluded from Google (noindex) is flagged in red, so you don’t forget it after the build phase. > **One page, one intent** — Choose a single focus keyphrase per piece of content: the one your reader would type into Google. Two pages that target the same phrase compete with each other. ## What structured data does Éclair generate? Éclair describes every page to search engines with the [schema.org](https://schema.org) vocabulary, in JSON-LD format: - **WebSite**, with the site’s internal search - **Organization**, **Person** or **LocalBusiness**, depending on what you enter in Settings › SEO › “Who’s behind the site?” (address, opening hours and price range for a local business) - **WebPage**, **AboutPage** or **ContactPage** for pages, **CollectionPage** for the blog and categories - **BlogPosting** for posts, with the author, publication and update dates, and section - **BreadcrumbList** for breadcrumbs, **FAQPage** for each FAQ block, **ProfilePage** for author pages Your social profiles, entered in Settings › SEO, are linked to your site through the `sameAs` property: a trust signal for Google and AI alike. ## Sitemap, robots.txt, RSS feed: what do you need to set up? Nothing: these files, the pillars of technical SEO, are generated on the fly and updated every time you publish. | URL | Contents | | --- | --- | | `/sitemap.xml` | All published pages and posts, with their images and translations | | `/robots.txt` | The rules for search engines and AI bots, with the sitemap link | | `/feed.xml` | The full RSS feed of your posts | The only setting worth touching is the **default share image** (Settings › SEO), used on social media when content has no image. ## How does Éclair prevent duplicate content? Each piece of content has only one URL. Variants are redirected with a 301 to the official URL: `http` to `https`, with or without `www`, trailing slash, uppercase letters, `index.php`. The redirect to the official domain kicks in as soon as the site address is verified, under **Security › Verify the site address**. You set the title format in Settings › SEO, for example “{title} · {site}”. Internal search pages are kept out of the index. ## What happens when a URL changes? If you change the URL of published content, Éclair creates a 301 redirect on its own: no broken links, no lost rankings. The **Redirects** page also lets you add redirects by hand, as 301 (permanent, recommended) or 302 (temporary), and shows how many times each one has been used. It’s the ideal tool for carrying over the old URLs of a WordPress or Wix site: see the [migration method](https://eclaircms.org/blog/migrate-from-wordpress). ## How do you connect Google Search Console, Bing and IndexNow? In **Settings › SEO › Webmaster tools**, paste the `` tag provided by [Google Search Console](https://search.google.com/search-console) (“URL prefix” property, “HTML tag” method) or by Bing Webmaster Tools: Éclair extracts the code on its own. Then check **IndexNow**: every time you publish, Bing, Yandex, Seznam and the other engines that support the [IndexNow](https://www.indexnow.org) protocol are notified immediately. For Google, the sitemap and Search Console do the job. ## Are multilingual sites and typography handled? Yes. Each piece of content has its own language, and the **Translation of…** field links the versions together: Éclair adds the `hreflang` and `x-default` tags automatically. The public site speaks 6 languages: French, Spanish, English, German, Italian and Portuguese. For French content, typography is corrected on display: non-breaking spaces before `: ; ! ?` and inside « » quotes. ## How do you go beyond a good score? A score of 100 guarantees a solid foundation for your Éclair CMS SEO, not the top spot. To keep improving: 1. Organize your blog into **pillar categories**: each one becomes a real page that structures your topic cluster. 2. Link your content together: the editor suggests your pages as you type a link. 3. Update your best posts: the update date is displayed and passed on to search engines. 4. Follow [Google’s SEO Starter Guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide), and work on your visibility in AI too, with the [GEO](https://eclaircms.org/en/documentation/geo) guide. ## Questions about SEO ### Do I need to install an SEO plugin, as on WordPress? No. Title, meta description, structured data, sitemap, redirects and live analysis are built in. There’s nothing to install or update. The [comparison with WordPress](https://eclaircms.org/en/eclair-vs-wordpress) details the differences. ### Can my site stay hidden while I build it? Yes: uncheck “Visible to search engines” in Settings › SEO. Every page is set to noindex and the sitemap empties. Check the box again on launch day. ### Why isn’t my SEO score 100? Open the editor’s Analysis tab: each orange or red point comes with a tip. The most common ones: a missing meta description, fewer than 2 internal links, or the focus keyphrase missing from the subheadings. ### Does Éclair handle redirects from an old site? Yes. The Redirects page accepts 301 and 302 redirects and counts how often each one is used. It’s the recommended way to keep an old site’s rankings.