MODX

SEO for MODX websites

In MODX, safe SEO work requires knowing the resources, templates, and fields that assemble a page. Optimising a MODX site relies on the resource tree, templates, chunks, and friendly-URL settings.

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Resources and site tree

In MODX, a resource can be a page, container, or route segment. We map the resource tree and each node’s role to avoid competing pages and URL changes without a transition map. Important themes are tied to real sections, not technical resource names.

Templates, TVs, and chunks

MODX content is assembled from templates, TV fields, and chunks. Before altering markup, we identify where headings, descriptions, images, and repeated blocks live. This prevents one template correction from changing dozens of unrelated pages.

Checks by page type

We begin with one service, article, listing, or product page of each type. Then we review HTML, links, breadcrumbs, and editorial input. Bulk changes only follow a clear result on that sample.

What the work includes

SEO for a MODX website covers the resource tree, templates, chunks, and the extras that build pages. The list is refined once we have analysed the templates and extras: optimising a MODX site without a template map is unsafe.

Analysis of the resource tree, containers, and the role of every node in the site structure.
Template, chunk, and TV field review: where title, description, H1, and images live.
Friendly URL setup: friendly aliases, container nesting, and suffixes.
Review of listings rendered by snippets: pagination, sorting, duplicates, and parameters.
Canonical links, robots.txt, sitemap, and error handling configuration.
Extras review: SEO packages, sitemap generators, redirects, and their overlaps.
Caching and rendering review: whether outdated or incomplete pages are served.
Publishing rules: creating a resource, filling TV fields, and checking the URL.

What we need from you

To work with MODX we need manager access and an understanding of who maintains the templates. If documentation for templates or chunks exists, it shortens the analysis considerably.

MODX manager access with rights to resources, templates, chunks, and settings.
A list of installed extras with versions and which ones are used in templates.
Contact details for the developer who maintains templates and snippets.
Access to Yandex Webmaster and Google Search Console to monitor resource indexing.
A list of priority sections and page types where template checks should start.
Constraints: templates that cannot be changed, and planned MODX updates.

What you get

You receive a map of the resource tree and templates showing where each metadata field comes from, configured friendly-URL and canonical rules, and a list of chunk and TV field edits with the expected result described. Settings are implemented on agreement; template edits go to the developer or are done by us. The verification report records the result on a control sample of every page type.

Documents

A map of the resource tree and templates with the source of every metadata field, friendly-URL and canonical rules, a list of chunk and TV field edits, and resource creation rules. The map helps the next developer avoid breaking markup by accident.

Implemented changes

Friendly-URL, TV field, extras, sitemap, and robots.txt settings made in the MODX manager, plus chunk and template edits where we are agreed to carry them out. Chunk edits come with a note on what changed and why.

Verification report

A control sample per template before and after: HTML, metadata, canonicals, response codes. Neighbouring pages that use a changed chunk are included in the sample separately. The sample is kept so the check can be repeated after updates.

How the work is organised

Step 1
We study the MODX version, installed extras, resource tree, templates, and TV fields, and establish where every page element comes from.
Step 2
We review published pages per template: URLs, metadata, listings, duplicates, caching, and rendering.
Step 3
We agree the structure, friendly-URL rules, metadata sources for every template, and the list of chunk edits.
Step 4
We implement changes on one page of each type and check HTML, links, breadcrumbs, and editorial input.
Step 5
We roll the rules out across the site, clear the cache, hand over publishing rules, and verify the result in reports.

Scope and estimate

The scope of SEO for a MODX website is driven by the number of templates and TV fields, resource tree depth, the state of extras, and how clear the output logic is without a developer. Template and snippet edits and a redirect map for structural changes are considered separately. The task list is fixed after the initial review. Sites on MODX Evolution or with outdated extras are estimated separately because of compatibility limits.

Discuss the task

Frequently asked questions

Can the current architecture be kept?

Yes, when the resource tree and routes help users find needed sections. Relationships and duplicates are assessed before suggesting a rebuild for formal reasons.

How are TV fields changed at scale?

First identify templates and pages using the field and test on representative URLs. Bulk changes follow only after display and editorial input are checked.

How long does SEO for a MODX site take?

It depends on template count, resource tree depth, and the state of extras. Friendly-URL and metadata setup is faster than reworking templates where output logic is spread across dozens of chunks. The work sequence is agreed after the review. If one developer built the templates and no documentation exists, the analysis takes longer.

Is a MODX developer needed?

Not for resource, TV field, friendly-URL, and extras settings. A developer is needed to edit templates, snippets, or listing output logic. We prepare tasks naming the specific chunk and the expected result. If there is no developer, we make chunk edits ourselves after agreement and testing on a staging copy.

How does MODX differ from other CMSs for SEO?

MODX imposes almost no structure: URLs, metadata, and markup depend on how templates are assembled. This gives freedom but requires a map; without one, a single chunk fix changes dozens of pages. That is why work starts with template analysis, not bulk edits. The template map is handed to you so future changes do not require a repeat analysis.

How is the result verified?

After release we check HTML, metadata, and canonical links on a control sample per template, verify the sitemap, redirects, and indexing in Webmaster and Search Console. For chunk edits we also check neighbouring pages that use the same template. After clearing the MODX cache we recheck that pages serve current markup.