How To Improve Your WordPress Website’s SEO
Your WordPress website looks great but isn’t generating traffic.
You’re sending out blogs but no one is responding.
Now you are wondering “Is WordPress good for SEO?”
WordPress garners attention from all over the world. There are 60 million websites using WordPress and 50,000 new WordPress websites being added every day. Of the top 10 million websites globally, 33.4% use WordPress.
With more than 409 million people who read blogs on WordPress every month, it is the perfect location for your business website. If you aren’t generating traffic, you need a boost in SEO.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is what helps you get to the top of search engine pages. People tend to click on the first few sites that pop after a search, and that is where you want to be.
When a user does an internet search, Google algorithms retrieve information from its search index and list the results. Your website content, tags, and elements on your pages determine whether the algorithms consider your website suitable to a person’s search criteria.
You have a business to run. If all this sounds like time-consuming garble to you, consider hiring a professional who knows how to build websites and optimize them for SEO. This one step can mean the difference between a business with no clients and a booming business.
Here are some quick tips to get you going.
Is Your Website Visible?
If you built your own website, you probably turned its visibility off while you were working on it. Sometimes people forget to turn their website on so it can be seen.
To check visibility, go into the administrative area of your WordPress site. Open Settings>Reading and then scroll to Search Engine Visibility. Make sure the Discourage search engines from indexing this site box is not checked.
Once you have corrected any errors, make sure you click save changes.
Using Plugins for Optimization
With WordPress, it’s easy to install very effective SEO plugins. Some top choices are, Rank Math, Yoast SEO, and All in One SEO Pack for optimizing your website. After installation and setup, the interface blends into the WordPress dashboard making it easy to use.
Another great choice is the Google Search Console that allows you to see how your website content is being viewed by search engines. You will learn how to search data views your pages and what keywords people use to find you.
These are only two of more than 56,800 plug-ins available for WordPress. The trick is knowing which will bring your SEO to the top. That is where a professional who knows SEO optimization and plugins can be a worthy investment for your business.
Optimize Images
Images are great for attracting visitors to your website. Did you know images have to be optimized? Standard photo file numbers will not register in google algorithms.
Your photos must have a keyword-rich title. When you upload the image file you will see an alt tag. The alt information gives a written description of the image so search engines can find it when indexing your pages.
Tags and Categories
It is important to understand the difference between tags and categories and how to use them properly. Proper use is key to visitors being able to quickly locate what they are looking for on your site.
A category is used to group topics. For a bookstore site, you might have picture books, beginning readers, young adult, and adult.
Tags will have more specific information, such as Mysteries, Science Fiction, Cooking, Travel, Fiction, and Non-Fiction.
SEO Friendly URLs, Permalinks & Slugs
SEO strength is reduced if your website has duplicate content. Every page must have different descriptions so the page URL is unique. An SEO friendly URL will explain the content of the page is and is easy to read, which is why permalinks are beneficial.
Permalinks
A permalink is used when you provide a link to your WordPress site or send a link in an email. They are designed to be used and reused indefinitely. You need permalinks that make it easy for customers and search engines to find you.
To set up permalinks in WordPress go to Settings from your dashboard, then open Permalink Settings. Here you will find options that include day and name, month and name, numeric, and post name.
Click an option to set your permalink. Post name is preferred because it allows readers to tell from the link what your content is.
There is one glitch. If your business has been operating for more than six months you do not want to change your permalink structure. The only exception is if you are changing from the numbers option.
The social media share count and your existing SEO ranking may be lost if you switch permalinks from the day and name or month and day format.
If you need to change your permalink structure contacting a professional is the safest choice. They can set up proper redirects, even though you may still lose social share counts.
Blog Post Optimization
People think if they stuff keywords into their post it will help. That is not true. Keywords must work naturally in posts to receive positive search results.
When you post a blog you need to include a title, description, and primary keyword. These should be different for every blog. When posting a blog on WordPress scroll down and fill in the SEO information.
Keywords and internal links help boost your SEO ranking. An internal link goes back to another page on your own website. If you use at least 3 internal links in every post it will increase the time users spend on your website, improving SEO.
External links go to a website that is not yours and you need to add a no follow attribute to each external link. The no follow attribute keeps the search engine from following that link to another site.
In WordPress go into the administration panel, then plugins. Click on the Add New button, and then search for Title and Nofollow for Links. You can then install the plugin and activate it
Is WordPress Good for SEO?
WordPress has a built-in platform that guides search engines through each website, hitting all the posts, pages, and categories. This makes it easy for Google to collect information about your business and increases your search engine ranking.
The next time friends ask “is WordPress good for SEO?” you can answer with a resounding Yes! They don’t have to know your secret – that you hired Third Oak Productions to build that great looking SEO optimized website that draws visitors to your business.
Third Oak Productions specializes in several areas of digital media production including film projects, advertising, television shows, and websites. We can take your business to the next level.
Do you need help with your WordPress Website?
If you need help with your WordPress website, or are looking to create a brand new website, please enter your email below and either I or a member of our team will reach out and help you find the solutions that are right for you and your business.