Forem: Sajjad akbari

Unlock Deep On-Page SEO Insights with This Powerful Python Library 🔍🐍

Sajjad akbari — Fri, 23 May 2025 21:24:43 +0000

Of course! Here is the professionally rewritten and enhanced version of the article, presented in English. This version maintains the improved structure, clarity, and comprehensive detail from the Persian rewrite, tailored for an international developer audience.

Hey developer community! 👋

I'm Sajjad Akbari, and I'm thrilled to share a project I've been passionately working on: Seokar, an enterprise-grade Python library designed for comprehensive on-page SEO analysis. As developers, we build amazing web applications and websites, but sometimes, we overlook a crucial aspect that dictates their reach and visibility: Search Engine Optimization (SEO). While off-page SEO involves external factors, on-page SEO is entirely within our control—it's about optimizing the content and HTML source code of individual web pages.

Seokar is built from the ground up to empower developers, SEO professionals, and digital marketers to gain deep, actionable insights into the on-page health of any web page. It moves beyond basic checks, offering a detailed audit across a multitude of factors that search engines like Google consider when ranking content.

You can find more about me and my work on my website: sajjadakbari.ir

Let's dive into what Seokar is, why it matters, and how you can start using it today.

Why On-Page SEO Matters (Especially for Developers)

As developers, our primary focus is often on functionality, performance, security, and user experience from a technical standpoint. And rightly so! However, if a search engine can't understand what your page is about, or if critical technical elements are missing or misconfigured, even the most beautifully crafted application or insightful content might never be discovered by the vast majority of internet users who rely on search.

On-page SEO is the bridge between your technical implementation and search engine understanding. It involves ensuring elements like these are optimized:

Titles and Descriptions: How your page appears in search results (the first impression!).
Headings: Structuring your content logically for readability and highlighting key topics.
Content Quality & Relevance: Providing value that matches user intent.
Images & Media: Making sure search engines and users understand your visuals.
Internal & External Links: Guiding users and search engines through related content.
Structured Data: Providing explicit clues about the content type (e.g., recipes, products, articles) for rich results.
Mobile-Friendliness & Speed: Core user experience factors that are also ranking signals.

Manually checking all these factors for even a single page can be tedious and error-prone. Doing it for a whole site is nearly impossible without automation. This is where Seokar comes in. It automates this complex audit process, giving you a structured, detailed report you can act upon.

Introducing Seokar: Your Python SEO Audit Companion

Seokar is designed to be an enterprise-grade tool, meaning it's built with robustness, performance, and extensibility in mind. It's not just a script; it's a library you can integrate into your workflows, monitoring systems, CI/CD pipelines, or build custom SEO tools upon.

Here's a snapshot of why you should choose Seokar:

Seokar - Comprehensive On-Page SEO Analysis Library 🐍

✅ Comprehensive SEO Audit (100+ Factors): We're talking about a deep dive into the HTML, analyzing everything from meta tags and heading structure to image alt text, link attributes, and even the presence of structured data.
✅ Actionable Insights: Seokar doesn't just list issues; it provides clear, prioritized recommendations based on industry best practices and common SEO pitfalls.
✅ Performance Optimized: Built with efficiency in mind, utilizing intelligent caching and modern Python features for fast analysis, even on large pages.
✅ Modern Python: Developed using features like Type Hints and Dataclasses, focusing on memory efficiency to create a clean, maintainable, and high-performance codebase.
✅ Customizable Rules: SEO isn't one-size-fits-all. You can adapt thresholds and parameters to align with your specific SEO strategy or client requirements.

Seokar is more than a checker; it's a diagnostic tool that helps you understand the current state of a page's optimization and provides a roadmap for improvement.

Getting Started: Installation

Getting Seokar up and running is straightforward, thanks to pip.

If you just want to use the library:

pip install seokar --upgrade

This command fetches the latest version from PyPI and installs it. The --upgrade flag ensures you get the most recent features and bug fixes.

If you're interested in contributing to the project or want to run the latest development version directly from the source:

git clone https://github.com/sajjadeakbari/seokar.git
cd seokar
pip install -e .[dev]

This clones the repository, navigates into the directory, and installs the library in editable mode (-e) along with development dependencies (.[dev]), which include testing and linting tools. This setup is ideal for anyone wanting to contribute code or run tests locally.

Quick Dive: Analyzing Your First Page

Using Seokar is designed to be intuitive. You instantiate the Seokar class by providing either the raw HTML content or a URL. Optionally, you can provide a target keyword for a more specific content optimization analysis.

Here’s how to analyze a page directly from a URL:

from seokar import Seokar

# Analyze directly from a URL
# Seokar will fetch the HTML content internally
analyzer = Seokar(url="https://example.com")

# Run the analysis and get the report
report = analyzer.analyze()

# Print some key findings
print(f"Analysis Report for: {report['basic_seo']['url']}")
print(f"SEO Score: {report['seo_health']['score']}%")
print(f"Total Issues Found: {report['seo_health']['total_issues_count']}")
print(f"Critical Issues: {report['seo_health']['critical_issues_count']}")
print(f"Error Issues: {report['seo_health']['error_issues_count']}")
print(f"Warning Issues: {report['seo_health']['warning_issues_count']}")
print(f"Informational Notes: {report['seo_health']['info_issues_count']}")
print(f"Good Practices Observed: {report['seo_health']['good_practices_count']}")

# You can explore the detailed report dictionary further
# For example, checking the title analysis
# from pprint import pprint
# pprint(report['basic_seo']['title_analysis'])

Or, if you already have the HTML content, you can pass it directly:

from seokar import Seokar
from pprint import pprint

# Assume you have fetched the HTML content elsewhere
html_content = """
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Example Page for SEO Analysis</title>
    <meta name="description" content="This is an example page to demonstrate Seokar analysis.">
    <link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/test-page">
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Welcome to the Test Page</h1>
    <p>This is some content.</p>
    <img src="/image.jpg" alt=""> <!-- Missing alt text! -->
    <a href="https://another-site.com">External Link</a>
</body>
</html>
"""

# Analyze from HTML content, providing the URL for context (optional but recommended)
analyzer = Seokar(
    html_content=html_content,
    url="https://example.com/test-page",
    target_keyword="SEO analysis" # Optional: For content relevance analysis
)

report = analyzer.analyze()

# Use pprint for a more readable display of the nested dictionary
pprint(report)

The analyze() method returns a comprehensive dictionary containing all findings, structured into logical sections like seo_health, basic_seo, content_analysis, etc. This structured output makes it easy to programmatically access specific data points and integrate Seokar into other tools.

Diving Deep: Comprehensive Analysis Capabilities

Seokar combs through your page's HTML, checking for a wide array of on-page SEO factors. Let's elaborate on some key areas it covers:

📌 Core SEO Elements

These are the fundamental building blocks of on-page optimization.

Meta Tags Analysis:
- Title Tag (<title>): Checks for presence, length (too short or too long), and potential keyword usage. The title is arguably the most important on-page element for search engines and user click-through rates (CTR).
- Meta Description (<meta name="description">): Validates presence and optimal length. A compelling meta description, while not a direct ranking factor, heavily influences clicks from search results.
- Robots Meta Tag (<meta name="robots">): Checks for directives like noindex or nofollow, ensuring you're not accidentally blocking search engines from important pages.
- Viewport Meta Tag (<meta name="viewport">): Essential for mobile-friendliness. Seokar confirms its presence to indicate a responsive design.
- Charset Meta Tag (<meta charset="...">): Ensures proper character encoding, preventing display issues.
Canonical & URL Structure:
- Canonical Tag (<link rel="canonical">): Identifies issues like missing canonicals, incorrect URLs, or self-referencing canonicals pointing to the wrong version (e.g., HTTP vs. HTTPS). This is crucial for preventing duplicate content issues.
- URL Analysis: Checks for factors like length, use of stop words, and keyword presence (if a target keyword is provided).
Heading Hierarchy (<h1> to <h6>):
- Validates the presence and uniqueness of the <h1> tag (ideally, one per page).
- Checks for a logical heading structure (e.g., not skipping from <h1> to <h3>).
- Analyzes heading content for keyword relevance and clarity.
Content Optimization:
- Content Length: Checks if the content meets a minimum threshold (configurable). Comprehensive content often ranks better if it's high-quality.
- Readability: Analyzes content complexity using common readability scores.
- Keyword Usage: If a target keyword is provided, it reports on frequency and placement (e.g., in title, headings, body).

🖼️ Media & Links

Images and links play a significant role in user experience and site crawling.

Image SEO (<img>):
- Checks for the presence of the alt attribute on <img> tags. Alt text is essential for accessibility and helps search engines understand image content.
- Scores the quality of alt text if a target keyword is provided.
Link Profile (<a>):
- Analyzes the ratio of internal vs. external links.
- Identifies links with rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc" attributes.
- Examines anchor text for descriptive relevance (avoiding generic text like "click here").
Social Metadata:
- Open Graph Tags (og:): Validates essential tags (title, type, image, url) used by platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.
- Twitter Cards Tags (twitter:): Checks for similar tags specific to Twitter to ensure content shares well.

🏗️ Advanced Markup

Structured Data:
- Detects the presence of structured data via JSON-LD, Microdata, or RDFa.
- Identifies the types of Schema.org markup used (e.g., Article, Product, FAQPage), indicating eligibility for rich search results.
Technical SEO:
- Mobile-Friendliness Indicators: Checks for the viewport tag and other mobile-related configurations.
- Render-Blocking Checks: Can identify <script> or <link> tags that might be render-blocking.

This detailed breakdown shows that Seokar provides a multi-faceted view of a page's on-page health, covering both content and technical elements.

Understanding the Report Structure and Severity

The report from analyzer.analyze() is a nested dictionary designed for clarity. Each finding is assigned a severity level to help you prioritize fixes.

Level	Color	Description	Action Required
CRITICAL	🔴 Red	Urgent issues severely impacting visibility or UX.	Fix immediately. These often block indexing or cause major penalties.
ERROR	🟠 Orange	Significant problems that need to be fixed.	Address soon. These can negatively affect rankings and UX.
WARNING	🟡 Yellow	Potential optimization opportunities.	Review and implement if relevant to your strategy.
INFO	🔵 Blue	Informational notes providing context or data.	No action required.
GOOD	🟢 Green	Confirmed best practices that have been met.	Well done! These aspects are correctly optimized.

This color-coded system helps you focus on what matters most first.

Flexibility Through Configuration

SEO guidelines can vary. Seokar allows you to customize analysis parameters using the SEOConfig object:

from seokar import Seokar, SEOConfig

# Create a custom configuration
custom_config = SEOConfig(
    min_content_length=500,     # Require at least 500 words
    max_title_length=60,        # Enforce a strict title length
    keyword_density_range=(1.5, 4.0), # Allow a slightly higher density
    image_alt_required=True,    # Ensure all images have alt text
    # ... and many other configurable parameters
)

# Instantiate the analyzer with the custom configuration
analyzer = Seokar(
    url="https://example.com/another-page",
    config=custom_config,
    target_keyword="custom configuration"
)

# Run the analysis
report = analyzer.analyze()

# The report will now use the custom thresholds you defined
from pprint import pprint
pprint(report)

This flexibility makes Seokar adaptable to different project requirements and strategies.

Performance Matters

In development and SEO, speed is crucial. We've built Seokar to be performant.

Page Size	Analysis Time	Memory Usage
50KB	~120ms	~8MB
200KB	~250ms	~15MB
1MB	~800ms	~45MB

Note: Benchmarks are indicative and can vary based on hardware and page complexity.

This performance is achieved through efficient parsing, intelligent caching, and modern Python constructs. This makes Seokar suitable for integration into automated workflows without significant overhead.

Contribution: Join the Journey!

Seokar is an open-source project, and its strength will grow with community involvement. Whether you're an SEO expert with ideas for new checks, a Python developer looking to contribute, or someone who finds a bug, your contributions are incredibly welcome!

Please follow these steps to contribute:

Fork the repository: seokar on GitHub
Clone your forked repository.
Create a new branch for your feature or bugfix.
Implement your changes and write corresponding tests.
Run tests locally (pytest) and ensure they all pass.
Format your code using black.
Commit your changes with a clear, descriptive message.
Push your branch to your fork.
Open a Pull Request to the main branch of the original Seokar repository.

License

Seokar is distributed under the permissive MIT License, which allows for broad use and modification. You can read the full license text here: MIT License.

The Road Ahead: Seokar's Ambitious Future

This is just the beginning. We have an exciting roadmap to make Seokar an even more powerful and versatile tool.

🌟 Upcoming Features

Browser Extension: Get Seokar's insights directly in your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) for real-time analysis and quick checks.
Automated Fix Engine: A future goal where Seokar not only identifies issues but also suggests or generates code snippets to fix them.
Multi-Page Crawler Mode: Analyze an entire website, aggregate results, and identify site-wide issues like broken internal links or inconsistent metadata.
AI-Powered Recommendations: Leverage AI for advanced insights like content gap analysis, semantic keyword suggestions, and competitor strategy analysis.

📅 Conceptual Development Timeline

gantt
    title Seokar Development Timeline (Conceptual)
    dateFormat  YYYY-MM-DD
    section Core Enhancements
    Browser Extension Prototyping :active, 2023-10-01, 60d
    Automated Fixes Research      :active, 2023-10-15, 45d
    Automated Fixes Implementation:         2023-11-15, 60d
    Browser Extension Development :         2023-12-01, 90d
    section Advanced Analysis
    Multi-Page Crawler Design   :2024-01-01, 30d
    Multi-Page Crawler Dev      :2024-02-01, 90d
    AI Integration Research     :2024-02-15, 60d
    AI Integration Prototyping  :2024-04-15, 90d

(Note: This Gantt chart is a conceptual representation; actual timelines may vary.)

Connect and Collaborate

Seokar is a community project. Your feedback, ideas, and contributions are what will drive its future.

GitHub: Star the repository, open issues, and submit Pull Requests: https://github.com/sajjadeakbari/seokar
PyPI: View the package page: https://pypi.org/project/seokar/
Contact: Reach out to me directly via email at sajjadakbari.ir@gmail.com or through my website sajjadakbari.ir.

About the Author

Hi again! I'm Sajjad Akbari, the developer behind Seokar. I created this library out of a need for a flexible, powerful, and developer-friendly tool for on-page SEO analysis. I believe in the power of open source and community collaboration to build robust tools.

Conclusion

Seokar is a new and powerful tool in the Python SEO landscape, offering a robust and detailed approach to on-page analysis. It's built with developers in mind, providing a clean API, flexible configuration, and structured output that integrates seamlessly into technical workflows.

Whether you're a developer optimizing your own sites, an agency managing client projects, or an SEO professional looking for an extensible analytical tool, Seokar is designed to meet your needs.

The journey has just begun. I invite you to try Seokar today, explore its capabilities, and join the community to help shape its evolution.

Let's build better, more visible web experiences together!

# Get started in one line!
pip install seokar --upgrade

Looking forward to your feedback and contributions! Thanks for reading

The Mad SEO: Your Manifesto for Unconventional SEO Mastery

Sajjad akbari — Fri, 23 May 2025 21:11:50 +0000

Warning: This is NOT Your Average SEO Book!

Welcome to the world of "The Mad SEO."

You've probably devoured countless **
** and articles, combed through blogs, and perhaps even attended a few courses. So, you're right to ask: "What makes this one different? Is it just the same old stuff repackaged?"

Let me assure you: Absolutely not.

I, Sajjad Akbari, didn't write this book just to add another volume to your shelf or remind you of basic tips. I came to disrupt the game. "The Mad SEO" is unlike anything you've read before. My approach to SEO is fundamentally different, built on three core pillars:

Why "The Mad SEO" Breaks the Mold: Three Core Pillars

Farewell to Repetition: What You've Searched For (But Never Found)!
I detest the 'gurus' peddling overpriced, shallow training. Forget the basic principles found on every free blog. We won't waste your time on superficial concepts or outdated techniques. My assumption is you're here to conquer, not just get basic info. We cut straight to the core – diving into strategies competitors fear to approach. I promise the results will stun you... if you dare to implement them!
The Deep Fusion of Coding and SEO: Beyond Expectation!
Most SEO books, even globally, are written either by SEOs who lack technical depth or by tech experts who miss market nuances and user psychology. But I, Sajjad Akbari, am that Mad SEO who has mastered both worlds! A programmer raised on the precise logic of machines, and an SEO expert who has wrestled Google's algorithms, understands user behavior intimately, and knows how to weave these together into a miracle.

In "The Mad SEO," we don't just see SEO as techniques. We take a precise, technical approach, like a brain surgeon, dissecting the real workings behind strategies. We understand why a method works, how to implement it flawlessly in code, and its impact on user behavior and business growth. This is the essence of constructive 'madness'! We deal with machine logic, user psychology, and business strategy.
Unconventional Strategies: The Audacity Only a 'Madman' Possesses!
The SEO world is full of 'unwritten rules' and 'best practices' many follow blindly. But revolutionary results often come from smartly breaking these norms, exploring untouched, unconventional paths few dare tread. This book unveils strategies forged in years of relentless trial-and-error, calculated risk-taking, sleepless nights, and the creative blend of programming, data analysis, and SEO. These are methods you might initially call 'mad' or 'obsessive', but they are the very secrets that turned online empires from zero to hero. This is the 'secret sauce', the untold truths you felt had to exist but couldn't find anywhere else.

The Mad SEO Alchemist: Your Three Key Roles

These three pillars manifest as three key roles or facets for a "Mad SEO" that we'll cultivate together, transforming you into a true digital alchemist:

The Website Architect (Building for SEO, Consciously)
Blind coding and using templates without deep understanding is over. We'll dissect code, reverse-engineer structures, and build the technical foundations of an unconquerable website from the ground up. Learn to build a site Google loves, users navigate effortlessly, and competitors can only dream of.
The Content Sorcerer (Mastering Google and Users)
Content is king, yes, but not just any content! The real art is capturing Google's attention and captivating users with content that's accurate, deep, engaging, and perfectly optimized. We'll wield words to mesmerize Google's algorithms and hook users so they can't stop reading. We'll create content that isn't just read, but devoured and etched into the reader's mind!
The Explosive Growth Strategist (Hacker Mindset for SEO)
Learn to think like a hacker (the ethical, white-hat kind!) – spot opportunities faster, uncover hidden patterns, and leverage them for explosive growth. We skip typical paths for smart shortcuts, unconventional techniques, and strategies few have thought of or dared to execute. Growth isn't random; it must be engineered and hacked.

More Than a Book: It's a Manifesto, a Movement

"The Mad SEO" isn't a typical guide – it's a manifesto. It's time to stop playing by others' rules and write our own. A manifesto for a generation of SEO specialists who despise being average, who are sick of ordinary results, and who want to create something unforgettable, unrivaled, and spectacular in the digital world.

This book serves as a comprehensive, understandable treasure map for both the newcomer yearning for a solid, deep foundation, and the seasoned professional who thinks they know it all. For the expert, it's packed with challenging ideas, fresh insights, and wake-up calls to shake you out of complacency.

I respect the intelligence, time, and money you invest (even if free, your time is golden!). I promise every page is worth reading, contemplating, and prioritizing over other tasks.

To master Google, sometimes you have to think outside the box – even if you seem a little "mad." This is just the beginning of our journey. Buckle up!

From the Author: They Call Me "Mad." Perhaps They're Right.

Who else spends nights immersed in endless lines of code, wrestles with Google's algorithms, analyzes analytics charts like a seasoned detective, and childishly rejoices over a tiny rank increase in search results? What logic accepts that you can build empires of visitors, powerful brands, and multi-million dollar businesses from scratch, from a raw domain and a few simple web pages?

Yes, I am Sajjad Akbari. The one who has quietly written code for years that now forms the foundation of many successful online businesses in Iran; crafted strategies that have propelled unknown websites to the top of Google results, giving their owners a taste of sweet digital success. Programming was my first love; the deep understanding of machine logic, the joy of creating from nothing, and the power of solving complex problems with a few lines of code. And SEO, the second love; the art of visibility in the vast ocean of the web, the constant challenge of outmaneuvering competitors, and the thrill of converting a casual visitor into a loyal customer and even a brand ambassador. These two worlds are intertwined within me, resulting in a perspective that might differ slightly from conventional views of the digital realm. A perspective some call "madness," but I see as boundless passion for building and optimizing.

The Void in SEO Education: A Market Rife with Noise!

For years, I've observed the SEO training market, sadly filled with repetition, outdated theories, and advice better suited for a museum than real-world implementation. Books and articles are either so basic they're useless to anyone beyond a complete novice, or so complex, vague, and jargon-filled they scare away newcomers from the start. There's a desperate, glaring need for a comprehensive guide, a true treasure map that serves as a lantern for those just starting out, and offers fresh, untold, challenging insights for the seasoned veterans of this field.

"The Mad SEO": An Answer to a Need, or Perhaps, a Rebellion!

"The Mad SEO" is the answer to this need. Or perhaps better put, a rebellion against this chaotic status quo.

This book is not dry academic theory, nor a collection of fleeting black-hat tricks that might work today and bury your site tomorrow. It's the distillation of years of practical experience, relentless real-world testing, painstaking sleepless nights solving technical problems or understanding a new Google update, and of course, the sweet successes whose taste lingers still. This book is the essence of my soul poured into the world of SEO and programming.

I won't sugarcoat things, flatter you, or waste your time with useless, cliché introductions. We go straight to the core – the bare, boneless meat of the subject! Every chapter, every paragraph, every sentence is written with the goal of bringing you one step, just one step, closer to mastery in this complex and fascinating field, giving you the tools to create real, tangible results.

Who This Book Is For (And Who It Isn't)

If you know nothing about SEO and are just starting: This book will take your hand and guide you step-by-step, from initial principles and basic concepts to the most complex techniques and cutting-edge strategies. Its simple language, practical, real-world examples, and logical structure will make every concept clear and digestible. Provided you are willing to put in the work and act!
And if you consider yourself an SEO expert and think you know it all: Be prepared to have many of your beliefs challenged, the rust cleaned from your thinking, and to encounter perspectives and strategies you may never have heard of or dared to try. For you, this book is a wake-up call to step out of your comfort zone and into the world of extraordinary results.

Important Note: This is the constructive, results-oriented "madness" I speak of. If you fear change and prefer sticking to old, safe methods, this book will likely make you uncomfortable!

Why Free? Sharing "Madness," or Perhaps, a Defiance!

You might ask why the result of years of experience, research, trial-and-error, and expertise gained through blood, sweat, and tears, is now being offered to you for free. The answer is simple: If I were to price this knowledge, for every night I spent awake with puffy eyes and a coffee mug beside the monitor, the cost would be so high that few in Iran could afford it. On the other hand, if I priced it low, I would disrespect its true value and likely it would fall into the hands of those who wouldn't appreciate it. So, I decided to choose a third path – the path of "Madness"!

This roadmap, this hidden weapon for conquering Google's peaks and seizing online markets, must be freely available, without barriers, to all who are truly thirsty for learning and progress – whether it's a student with dreams, an entrepreneur wanting to transform their business, or an expert seeking to elevate their knowledge. Let others call this madness, naivety, or even self-promotion; I call it breaking the monopoly of knowledge, injecting a spirit of sharing into the community, and putting power into the hands of the deserving. Perhaps it's also a small defiance against those who hoard knowledge and demand exorbitant prices for basic information!

"The Mad SEO": Beyond a Book, A Mindset, A Movement!

"The Mad SEO" is not just a collection of pages and words; it's a mindset. A bold, innovative, and results-oriented approach to conquering Google and ultimately, conquering online markets. My madness is the boundless love for this dynamic world of zeros and ones that surprises us every day with a new challenge, a new algorithm, and a fresh opportunity. My madness is the courage to break restrictive rules, challenge the status quo, and find new paths to reach the summit, even if that path is harder and riskier. This book is an invitation to join a movement; a movement of SEOs and digital specialists who despise being average.

For the Pioneers, Warriors, and Audacious Minds of the Digital World

This book is written for those who hate being average, being ordinary, being "just good." For those who want to be the best, who want to make history, and who want to leave an unforgettable mark. For those who have the courage to be "mad" for big goals and ambitious dreams. If you are one of these people, welcome to the club!

Global Vision: This is Just the Beginning

I've written every page of this book with the hope and dream that it will be a guide not only in our beloved Iran but throughout the world, and that soon, we will see it translated into different languages, impacting the global digital community. This is not an exaggeration or an unattainable dream – it is a goal. A goal that, with your companionship and support, will undoubtedly be realized.

This is "The Mad SEO."

Begin your journey with an open mind and a passionate heart.

Rest assured, this journey will be worth it.

Sajjad Akbari

Why I Don't Use WordPress Anymore (And What I Built Instead)

Sajjad akbari — Fri, 16 May 2025 15:39:54 +0000

Why I Don't Use WordPress Anymore (And What I Built Instead)

After years of working with WordPress — themes, plugins, updates, and the infamous wp_options table — I decided to walk away.

Not because WordPress is bad, but because I wanted more control, speed, and technical precision than it could offer.

What I Built Instead

I built a custom CMS called Seokar — engineered from the ground up with performance and SEO in mind.

Here's what makes it different:

⚙️ Architecture

Instead of PHP’s monolithic request-response model, Seokar is powered by a lightweight, high-performance stack:

Backend: Go (or Rust) for blazing fast performance and low memory usage.
Frontend: Svelte for precise control with almost zero runtime overhead.

🧠 Database Strategy

No more bottlenecks like wp_options. I use:

Structured relational schemas designed for real-world queries.
Smart caching layers and direct indexing for content-heavy workflows.

🪓 Granular Output Control

Every byte of HTML is mine — no more bloated markup or rogue inline styles.
Perfect JSON-LD schema generated from content types.
Smart internal linking helpers baked right in.

⚡ Performance & SEO Focus

Lazy-loaded assets.
Critical CSS inlined automatically.
API-first content delivery for Jamstack, mobile apps, or direct SSR.

The Journey: Challenges and Rewards

Let’s be honest — building a CMS is not easy.

There were late nights, long debugging sessions, and lots of rethinking.

But the payoff?

Millisecond-level load time optimizations.
SEO features that are usually plugin soup in WordPress — implemented natively.
And peace of mind: minimal attack surface, no surprise plugin updates breaking my layout.

Should You Do This Too?

You might want a custom CMS if:

Performance and technical SEO are business-critical.
Your content structure or workflow is too complex for WordPress to handle well.
You want real control over your platform — no plugin roulette.
You're a developer (or have a team) that can maintain a custom stack.

But stick to WordPress if:

You need a site up ASAP with minimal dev effort.
Your use case is basic: blog, brochure, portfolio.
You rely heavily on the plugin/theme ecosystem.

Final Thoughts

This isn’t a WordPress hate post.

It’s a reflection on evolving needs and building tools that serve them better.

If you’re thinking of breaking out of the mold — I hope my experience helps.

Would love to hear your thoughts, challenges, and what you built in the comments!

Let’s Connect

Built something custom? I wanna see it!
Still loving WordPress? Tell me why.
Thinking of switching? I’d be happy to help or answer questions.

P.S. If this resonated, drop a ❤️ or share. I’m planning follow-ups on how Seokar handles SEO, speed, templating, and more.

From WordPress Pro to Custom CMS Architect: My Journey to Ultimate Web Performance & SEO Control

By Sajjad Akbari — Lead Full-Stack Engineer & SEO Systems Architect

For over a decade, I lived and breathed WordPress. I’ve engineered everything from bespoke themes for Fortune 500 companies to intricate e-commerce platforms processing thousands of transactions. I’ve wrangled complex plugin integrations, optimized server configurations for high-traffic sites, and pushed the boundaries of what WordPress SEO plugins could achieve. WordPress, powering over 43% of the internet (W3Techs, 2023), is an undeniable force, a testament to its accessibility and vast ecosystem.

However, as my projects grew in complexity and the demand for absolute performance and granular SEO control became paramount, I encountered inherent limitations. This isn't a critique of WordPress for its primary audience, but an acknowledgment that for elite-level, performance-critical applications, a different approach was necessary. This journey led me to architect Seokar CMS – a bespoke, hyper-optimized Content Management System built from the ground up for speed, precision SEO, and uncompromising control.

The WordPress Conundrum: When Ubiquity Meets Bottlenecks

WordPress's strength lies in its massive ecosystem. Need a feature? "There's a plugin for that." This is fantastic for rapid deployment and users without deep technical expertise. But this very strength becomes a double-edged sword for demanding projects.

WordPress Aspect	Apparent Strength	Inherent Limitation for High-Performance Needs	Impact on Business/Technical Goals
Plugin Ecosystem	Vast selection for almost any feature imaginable.	Performance overhead, code quality variance, security risks.	Slower load times, increased attack surface, maintenance nightmares.
Theming System	Thousands of themes, easy customization (to a point).	Often bloated, excessive HTTP requests, difficult deep optimization.	Poor Core Web Vitals, higher bounce rates, deviation from design purity.
Database Structure	Flexible `wp_posts`, `wp_postmeta`, `wp_options`.	Can lead to inefficient queries, `wp_options` table bloat.	Slow backend operations, high TTFB, scalability challenges.
Core Update Cycle	Regular updates, large security team.	Backward compatibility can hinder adoption of modern practices.	Forced to work around core limitations rather than innovate freely.
Ease of Use	Low barrier to entry for content creators.	Abstraction layers can obscure technical SEO fine-tuning.	Sub-optimal schema, URL structures, or crawl budget management.

Delving into the Technical Pain Points:

Performance Ceilings & "Plugin Hell":
- Statistic: The average WordPress site has 20-30 active plugins, with some e-commerce or complex sites running 50+ (Kinsta). Each plugin adds PHP execution time, database queries, and often its own CSS/JS assets.
- Impact: Even with aggressive caching (Varnish, Redis), CDNs, and minification, you're often optimizing around the overhead. A 1-second delay in page load can lead to a 7% reduction in conversions (Akamai).
- Example wp_head() output:
```

<link rel='stylesheet' id='plugin-a-css' href='...' type='text/css' media='all' />
<link rel='stylesheet' id='plugin-b-css' href='...' type='text/css' media='all' />
<script type='text/javascript' src='...' id='plugin-a-js'></script>
<script type='text/javascript' src='...' id='plugin-b-js-defer' defer></script>

```
Database Inefficiency & Query Overload:
- The wp_options table, often used for autoloading settings, can grow excessively, slowing down every single page load.
- Complex queries involving multiple meta_query clauses are notoriously slow.
- Observation: It's not uncommon to see 100+ database queries on a poorly optimized WordPress page. Seokar CMS aims for <5 highly optimized queries for typical content pages.
SEO Granularity vs. Plugin Abstraction:
- While plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math are excellent, they provide a generalized solution. Achieving truly bespoke schema markup, hyper-optimized internal linking structures at scale, or dynamic robots.txt rules often requires wrestling with plugin filters or writing fragile custom code.
- Example: Generating highly specific Product schema with dynamic offers, review aggregations, and shippingDetails directly tied to backend inventory logic is far cleaner in a custom system.
Security Vulnerabilities & Attack Surface:
- Statistic: Plugins account for over 55.9% of known WordPress entry points for attacks (WPScan, Patchstack data). While the core is relatively secure, each third-party plugin is a potential liability.
- A minimal, custom codebase inherently reduces the attack surface.
Bloated Code & Development Constraints:
- The WordPress loop, hooks, and filters, while powerful, can lead to code that's harder to reason about and maintain for complex applications.
- True component-based architecture or modern frontend framework integration (beyond simple REST API consumption) can feel "bolted on."

The Catalyst: Why I Ventured Beyond WordPress

My goal wasn't just to build websites, but to craft digital experiences that were technically superior – especially in raw speed, SEO precision, and security. I considered:

Headless WordPress: Better frontend performance, but the backend (WordPress admin and database) limitations often remain. Still reliant on the WordPress ecosystem for many core functionalities.
Static Site Generators (SSGs) like Jekyll, Hugo, Eleventy: Incredible speed, but can be challenging for complex dynamic content, large teams of non-technical editors, or features requiring robust backend logic.
Other Full-Stack Frameworks (Django, Ruby on Rails): Powerful, but often come with their own level of "batteries-included" overhead not tailored specifically for content management and SEO dominance.

None offered the exact blend of absolute control, minimalistic architecture, and deeply integrated, SEO-centric design I envisioned. I needed a system where performance and SEO are not afterthoughts, but foundational pillars.

Introducing Seokar CMS: Engineered for Peak Performance & SEO

Seokar CMS is built on a few core principles, leveraging a modern, high-performance tech stack:

Backend: PHP 8.2+ with a heavily stripped-down, optimized Laravel core (or Node.js with Fastify for certain microservices).
Database: PostgreSQL (chosen for its robustness, advanced features, and performance with complex queries).
Frontend (Optional Integrated): Blade templating with Alpine.js for lightweight interactivity, or fully headless.
Caching: Multi-layered (OpCode, object cache like Redis, edge CDN caching with intelligent tagging/purging).
Search (Optional): Native integration with Elasticsearch or Meilisearch for advanced search capabilities.

Guiding Principles of Seokar CMS:

Principle	Description	Key Technologies/Techniques Employed
Hyper-Optimization for Speed	Every line of code, every database query, every asset is scrutinized for performance. Sub-100ms TTFB target.	Minimalist core, pre-compiled templates, critical CSS, HTTP/3, Brotli, optimized image formats (AVIF, WebP).
Unparalleled SEO Granularity	SEO best practices are baked into the core, not bolted on. Total control over every SEO element.	Programmatic schema, dynamic sitemaps, `hreflang` automation, precise redirect management, log file analysis hooks.
Zero Plugin Bloat	Core functionalities are native. Extensions are tightly integrated, lightweight modules.	Modular architecture, API-first design for extensions.
Fortified Security	Minimal attack surface, modern security practices, dependency scanning.	Strict Content Security Policy (CSP), input sanitization, prepared statements, JWT/Paseto tokens.
Developer-First Ergonomics	Modern tooling, clean APIs, and a clear separation of concerns make development efficient and enjoyable.	CLI tools, Dockerized environments, robust testing suite, clear documentation.
Scalability by Design	Architected to handle high traffic and large datasets efficiently.	Horizontal scaling readiness, stateless application layer, efficient database connection pooling.

High-Level Architecture of Seokar CMS:

graph TD
    A[User Request] --> B{Global CDN / Edge Cache};
    B -- Cache Hit --> C[Serve Content Instantly];
    B -- Cache Miss --> D{Seokar CMS Core};
    D -- Authenticated Request --> E[API Layer (Laravel/Fastify)];
    D -- Public Request --> F[Optimized Content Renderer];
    E --> G[PostgreSQL Database];
    F --> G;
    E --> H{Object Cache (Redis)};
    F --> H;
    G --> E;
    G --> F;
    H --> E;
    H --> F;
    E --> I[Serve JSON/GraphQL API Response];
    F --> J[Serve Optimized HTML];
    J --> B;
    I --> B;

    subgraph "Seokar CMS Application"
        direction LR
        D
        E
        F
        H
    end

    subgraph "Data Persistence"
        direction LR
        G
    end

Deep Dive: Technical Innovations & Advantages of Seokar CMS

Lean Core & Modular Design:
- Unlike WordPress's monolithic wp-load.php which loads a significant portion of the ecosystem on every request, Seokar CMS employs a request-lifecycle that only loads necessary modules.
- Features like Advanced Custom Fields, SEO tools, or Caching are either native or implemented as highly optimized, first-party modules, eliminating the "plugin lottery."

Database Efficiency by Design:

Custom Schema: Instead of the EAV-like wp_postmeta table, Seokar CMS uses a more structured relational schema, often with dedicated tables for specific content types or JSONB fields in PostgreSQL for flexible structured data. This allows for vastly more efficient indexing and querying.

-- Simplified example for an 'article' content type
CREATE TABLE articles (
    id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
    slug VARCHAR(255) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
    title TEXT NOT NULL,
    content JSONB, -- Stores structured content blocks
    seo_meta JSONB, -- Stores title, description, schema hints
    published_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE,
    created_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    updated_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);
CREATE INDEX idx_articles_slug ON articles(slug);
CREATE INDEX idx_articles_published_at ON articles(published_at DESC);

*   **Query Optimization:** Every core query is hand-tuned. No more wrestling with `WP_Query`'s sometimes unpredictable SQL generation.

Programmatic & Context-Aware SEO:

Schema Markup: Generated dynamically based on content type and actual content data, ensuring accuracy and richness.

// Simplified PHP example in Seokar CMS for Schema generation
class ArticleSchemaGenerator {
    public function generate(Article $article): array {
        return [
            '@context' => 'https://schema.org',
            '@type' => 'Article',
            'headline' => $article->getTitle(),
            'datePublished' => $article->getPublishDate()->toIso8601String(),
            'author' => [ /* ... author data ... */ ],
            // ... and much more, contextually relevant data
        ];
    }
}

*   **Automated `hreflang` Management:** For multilingual sites, `hreflang` tags are generated automatically and accurately based on content relationships.
*   **Intelligent Sitemaps:** Dynamic XML sitemaps, including image/video sitemaps, that are always up-to-date and segmented for large sites.

Advanced Caching & Asset Delivery:
- Critical CSS Inlining: Automated.
- Optimized Asset Pipeline: Modern JS/CSS bundling (e.g., Vite or esbuild), tree-shaking, code-splitting.
- Image Optimization: Native support for AVIF/WebP with <img> <picture> fallbacks, lazy loading, and responsive srcset attributes, often integrated with services like Imgix or Cloudinary or a self-hosted Thumbor.
- Edge Caching: Deep integration with CDNs like Cloudflare, Fastly, or AWS CloudFront, using cache tags for granular invalidation.
Security First:
- Minimal External Dependencies: Reduces supply-chain attack risks.
- Strict Content Security Policy (CSP) & HTTP Headers: Generated dynamically for optimal protection.
- Modern Authentication: JWT/Paseto tokens for APIs, secure cookie-based sessions for admin.
- Input Validation & Output Encoding: Applied rigorously throughout.

Quantifiable Impact: The Seokar CMS Difference

Building a CMS is a monumental task. Was it worth it? The data speaks for itself.

Metric	Typical WordPress Site (Optimized)	Seokar CMS (Average)	Improvement	Industry Impact of Metric
TTFB (Time To First Byte)	200ms - 800ms+	< 80ms	Up to 10x+	Core Web Vital, SEO ranking signal
LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)	1.5s - 4.0s	< 1.2s	Up to 3x+	Core Web Vital, User Experience
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)	0.1 - 0.5+	< 0.01	Significant	Core Web Vital, User Annoyance
Lighthouse Performance Score	70 - 90	98 - 100	Up to 30 pts	Overall performance indicator
Database Queries (Typical Page)	30 - 100+	2 - 7	Up to 15x+	Server load, scalability
Page Size (HTML + Critical CSS)	50KB - 200KB+	10KB - 40KB	Up to 5x	Load time, mobile data usage
Security Patching Frequency	High (due to plugin ecosystem)	Low (focused core updates)	Reduced Effort	Lower maintenance, risk

Note: "Typical WordPress Site" assumes good hosting and standard optimization practices (caching plugin, CDN).

Real-World Scenario: E-commerce Product Page

Feature	WordPress + WooCommerce (Typical)	Seokar CMS (Native E-commerce Module)
Schema Markup (`Product`)	Generic, often incomplete via plugins. Hard to customize deeply.	Rich, dynamic, highly specific to product attributes & variants.
Variant Selection Speed	Can involve AJAX calls, page reloads, or clunky JS.	Instant updates via Alpine.js/Vue/React, often pre-fetched data.
Related Products Query	Often inefficient `meta_query` or separate plugin.	Highly optimized direct SQL query or pre-computed recommendations.
Inventory Sync Latency	Can be delayed, relies on WordPress cron or external syncs.	Near real-time via direct database access or event-driven updates.
Checkout Process Performance	Multiple plugin hooks, potential for bottlenecks.	Streamlined, minimal external calls, optimized for conversion.

The Journey: Challenges, Triumphs, and Lessons Learned

Building a custom CMS from scratch is not for the faint of heart. It involved:

Immense Upfront Investment: Thousands of hours in R&D, architecture, development, and testing.
Reinventing Wheels (Carefully): Deciding what to build custom vs. leveraging existing robust libraries (e.g., using Symfony components within Laravel, or a battle-tested routing library).
Ensuring Editor Experience: Creating an intuitive and powerful admin interface that rivals or exceeds WordPress's ease of use for content creators was a significant challenge. We used tools like TipTap for a rich text editor experience.
Long-Term Maintenance Strategy: Planning for core updates, security patches (for the few carefully chosen dependencies), and feature evolution.

The Triumphs:

The sheer joy of seeing Lighthouse scores consistently hit 99-100.
The ability to implement complex, cutting-edge SEO strategies natively without fighting a system.
The peace of mind from a vastly reduced attack surface and full control over the codebase.
The tangible business results for clients: improved rankings, higher conversion rates, and lower bounce rates.

Strategic Decision: Custom CMS vs. WordPress - A Framework

This isn't an "either/or" for the entire web. The choice depends on project specifics.

Factor	WordPress	Custom CMS (like Seokar)	Recommendation
Project Budget	Lower upfront for simple sites	Higher upfront, potentially lower TCO long-term	WP for tight budgets; Custom for mission-critical.
Time to Market (MVP)	Very Fast	Slower (requires core dev)	WP for rapid MVPs.
Performance Needs	Good (with effort)	Exceptional (by design)	Custom if every millisecond counts.
Technical SEO Complexity	Reliant on plugins, can be limiting	Absolute, granular control	Custom for highly competitive niches or complex SEO.
Unique Feature Requirements	Plugin ecosystem, or custom plugin dev	Native implementation	Custom if features are deeply intertwined with core logic.
Team's Technical Skills	Content editors, basic PHP/JS for tweaks	Requires skilled full-stack developers	Match platform to team capabilities.
Security Sensitivity	Requires constant vigilance, many plugins	Smaller attack surface, controlled dependencies	Custom for high-security applications.
Long-term Scalability	Can scale, but often with complex infrastructure	Designed for scalability from the outset	Custom if anticipating massive growth or complex data models.

Who is Seokar CMS (or a similar custom solution) for?

Businesses where site speed and SEO are direct revenue drivers.
High-traffic publishers demanding reliability and performance.
Companies with unique, complex content models or integration needs.
Organizations with a strong focus on security and data integrity.
Development teams who want full control and a modern development workflow.

WordPress remains an excellent choice for:

Blogs, personal websites, and brochure sites.
Small to medium-sized businesses with standard needs.
Projects with limited budgets or requiring very rapid deployment.
Teams without in-house development expertise.

The Future is Purpose-Built & The Craft is Control

WordPress will continue its reign as a versatile platform for the masses. But for the vanguard of web experiences, where performance is non-negotiable and technical SEO is a competitive weapon, the "one-size-fits-all" approach reveals its limitations.

Building Seokar CMS was an odyssey into the heart of web performance and content architecture. It was about reclaiming control, stripping away the unnecessary, and engineering a system that doesn't just do the job, but does it with unparalleled precision, speed, and elegance. The future of high-stakes web development, I believe, lies in such purpose-built solutions.

What are your experiences? Have you hit the ceiling with established platforms, or found innovative ways to push their boundaries? I'd love to hear your thoughts and discuss the evolving landscape of web development and CMS architecture in the comments below.

#CustomCMS #WebPerformance #TechnicalSEO #WordPress #Laravel #PHP #FullStackDevelopment #SeokarCMS