Most companies run their website on one system, their online store on another and their sales, stock and accounting on a third, then spend time and money keeping them in sync. Odoo puts all of it in one database. This guide covers what Odoo 20 offers as a CMS, where it shines, where it does not, and how to move an existing site across.
Key takeaways
- Odoo's Website app is a drag-and-drop CMS with themes, blocks, a blog, forms and multiple languages, all connected to CRM, sales, inventory and accounting.
- Odoo 20 adds an AI Website Assistant, structured data by default, an llms.txt file for AI search and many eCommerce features such as portal returns and preferred delivery dates.
- One database can run several websites with their own domains, menus, products, pricelists, payment providers and even companies.
- The Import Website tool (Enterprise) rebuilds an existing site from its URL, and can bring products from Shopify, WooCommerce or PrestaShop and posts from WordPress or Ghost.
- We run two websites on one Odoo database ourselves; this blog is on one of them.
Why use Odoo as your CMS?
A CMS lets you publish and manage website content without writing code. Odoo does that, but its real advantage is what sits behind the website:
- One database, no sync: a contact form creates a CRM lead, an online order is a sales order, stock on the shop is real stock, and the invoice lands in accounting. No plugins or connectors to keep in step.
- One login and one set of customers: customers can use the same portal for orders, invoices, tickets and documents.
- Built-in apps for the website: blog, forum, eLearning, events, appointments, job postings, live chat and eCommerce are all Odoo apps rather than third-party add-ons.
- Updates handled by Odoo on Odoo Online, so there are no plugin conflicts after an update.
Building pages with the Website Builder
When you install the Website app, a short configurator sets up the site in three steps: describe the purpose of your website, choose a colour palette (or generate one from your logo), and choose a layout. You can also skip it and start from a blank site. After that, everything is edited on the page itself:
- Building blocks (text, images, columns, cards, galleries, forms, pricing tables and more) are dragged onto the page and edited in place.
- Theme options control colours, fonts, buttons, links, headers and footers for the whole site.
- Mobile preview and per-device visibility let you check and adjust how each block looks on phones.
- Translations: each page can be translated, with translated URLs and per-language images in Odoo 20.
- New in Odoo 20: an AI Website Assistant that edits blocks and creates pages, forms and menus, an indicator for AI-changed blocks, banners above the header, breadcrumbs on static pages, an age verification popup and a WhatsApp chat widget.
Content, SEO and AI search
Odoo covers the technical SEO basics out of the box, and Odoo 20 adds features aimed at AI search engines:
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Page SEO | Title, description, keywords and social sharing image for every page and blog post. |
| Sitemap | Generated automatically; in Odoo 20 it lists only indexable URLs. |
| Structured data | Added by default in Odoo 20, so search engines can show rich results. |
| llms.txt | New in Odoo 20: a file that describes your site for AI assistants and answer engines. |
| AI SEO help | Suggestions for improving SEO, plus adaptive images that load the right size per screen. |
| Redirections | Easier to create in Odoo 20, important when you move from another platform. |
| Blog | Redesigned styles, a "Recommended Post" block and notifications for scheduled posts in Odoo 20. |
eCommerce on the same platform
The eCommerce app turns any Odoo website into an online store that shares products, prices, stock and customers with the rest of the system. Highlights in Odoo 20:
- Catalogue: variants with their own images, range filters for numeric attributes, "On Sale" and "In Stock" filters, and categories you can hide from the main shop page.
- Prices: pricelists per website and customer group, a pricelist selector on every page, and tax-included or tax-excluded prices per pricelist for B2C and B2B.
- Checkout: a preferred delivery date, a minimum order quantity per product, donations in the cart and email gift cards.
- After the sale: customers can request returns from their portal, and review requests go out automatically.
- Selling more: automated cross-sell suggestions, AI-assisted product editing and WhatsApp reminders for abandoned carts.
- Simpler setups: eCommerce can now run without the Inventory app, and products can be published or unpublished automatically based on stock.
Multi-website: several sites, one database
One Odoo database can run several websites, for example for separate brands, product lines, countries or audiences. You add one from Website ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings ‣ New Website, giving it a name, a domain, a company (if you have several) and its languages. Each additional website needs at least one domain name, and visitors can switch between sites with the website selector.
| Can differ per website | Notes |
|---|---|
| Domain, theme, pages and menus | Each site has its own design and content. Pages can be moved between sites. |
| Settings | Most website settings are per site; a new site starts with default settings, not a copy of another. |
| Products and categories | Can be restricted to a specific website. |
| Pricelists and discounts | Each pricelist can be assigned to a website. |
| Payment providers | Can be restricted to a specific website. |
| Company | A website can be linked to one company so only that company's data appears on it. |
| Customer accounts | Separate per site, or shared across all sites with "Shared Customer Accounts". |
One thing to know: records created from the website front end appear on all websites by default. To keep something on one site only, set its Website field in the back end.
Our own example: two websites, one Odoo database
This website and our founder's portfolio site run as two websites in the same Odoo database, each with its own domain, design, menus and content, while sharing one set of contacts, leads and apps behind the scenes.
Moving from WordPress, Shopify or WooCommerce
Odoo 20 can rebuild an existing website for you. The Import Website tool (available with an Odoo Enterprise subscription) analyses your current site page by page and recreates it with standard Odoo building blocks, so everything stays editable.
How to import
- Go to Website ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings and click Import Website.
- Enter your current site's URL and keep Import Website enabled.
- For an online store, enable Import Products. Shopify works without extra set-up; WooCommerce asks you to connect and approve; PrestaShop needs an API key with read access to products, categories, combinations, options and images. Other shops are read from their product metadata.
- For a blog, enable Import Blogs. WordPress works without extra set-up; Ghost needs a Content API key.
- Click Import my website. You get a notification with the number of pages, products and posts imported, then refine the result in the editor.
What it brings across, and the limits
- Pages, images, the sitemap, header and footer; product variants come with their SKUs in the Internal Reference field.
- Up to 500 pages by default (more on request to Odoo support), and up to 100,000 products and 100,000 blog posts.
- The result is not an exact replica: expect to adjust layouts, styles and some content.
- Your current site must be publicly reachable and not behind Cloudflare or other anti-bot protection.
- Do not edit the Odoo site while the import runs, and only import a site and content you own. A trial can import up to 10 pages.
Odoo, WordPress or Shopify?
| Odoo | WordPress | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best at | Websites and stores connected to sales, stock and accounting | Content-heavy sites and blogs | Hosted online stores |
| Back office | Full ERP in the same database | Plugins and external tools | Store admin plus apps |
| Extending it | Odoo apps and custom modules | Very large plugin and theme ecosystem | Large app store |
| Several sites | Built-in multi-website in one database | Multisite or separate installs | Usually one store per site |
| Data sync | None needed | Connectors to your ERP | Connectors to your ERP |
Odoo is the strongest choice when your website or store is part of how the business runs: orders, stock, customers and invoices. For a purely editorial site with no link to operations, a dedicated CMS can offer more themes and plugins.
Practical tips from running Odoo websites
- Plan your sites before you build: decide which products, pricelists and payment providers belong to which website, and whether customers share one account.
- Set up domains and redirects early, especially when replacing an existing site, so search rankings carry over.
- Mind website-specific copies: editing a shared page in the Website Builder can create a copy for that website. Later changes to the original then do not show on that site. Check this first when an update does not appear.
- Fill in SEO for every page and post, and use the llms.txt and structured data Odoo 20 provides.
- Test on phones with the mobile preview before publishing.
Frequently asked questions
Can Odoo be used as a CMS?
Yes. Odoo's Website app is a drag-and-drop CMS with themes, building blocks, a blog, forms, multiple languages and SEO tools, and it is connected to Odoo's CRM, sales, inventory and accounting apps in the same database.
Can one Odoo database run several websites?
Yes. Odoo supports multiple websites in one database, each with its own domain, design, pages and menus. Products, pricelists, payment providers and the company can be set per website, and customer accounts can be separate or shared.
Can I import my existing website into Odoo?
With an Odoo Enterprise subscription, the Import Website tool in Odoo 20 rebuilds an existing site from its URL, and can import products from Shopify, WooCommerce or PrestaShop and blog posts from WordPress or Ghost. The result usually needs some manual adjustment.
Is Odoo good for eCommerce?
Odoo eCommerce is strongest when the store needs to share products, stock, prices, customers and invoices with the rest of the business. Odoo 20 adds portal returns, preferred delivery dates, minimum order quantities and abandoned-cart reminders by WhatsApp.
Is the Odoo website builder free?
Odoo's One App Free plan includes one app with unlimited users on Odoo Online, so a website on its own can start free. Installing further apps, such as eCommerce, moves the database to a paid plan.
What is new for websites in Odoo 20?
An AI Website Assistant, structured data by default, an llms.txt file for AI search, AI SEO help, banners above the header, breadcrumbs on static pages, translated URLs and the Import Website tool for moving an existing site.
See Odoo for yourself
Start a free Odoo trial and click through Sales, Inventory, Accounting and the website builder with your own data. When you want it set up around how your business works, that is where we come in.
Affiliate link: SNM Digitech may earn a commission from Odoo, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a new website or store on Odoo?
We design and build Odoo websites and online stores, move existing WordPress, Shopify and WooCommerce sites across, and set up multi-website for several brands or countries, all connected to the rest of your Odoo.
Sources: Odoo 20 documentation ("Website creation", including "Import Website", and "Multiple websites"), the Odoo 20 release notes and Odoo's pricing page, all read in October 2026.