1. WORDPRESS
WITH SEO
WordPress Has SEO-Friendly Themes. Keywords and metadata aren't the
only components search engine spiders examine for relevance. Another
hugely important thing they look for is good webpage design. When you
use WordPress, you never have to worry about optimizing your site
design for SEO yourself.
2. SIMPLE WAYS TO IMPROVE
YOUR WORDPRESS
WEBSITE'S SEO
• We started with one assumption when compiling this list of SEO
strategies: you're busy. So these are techniques that you can use
right now (long-term commitment not required).
• There are many other techniques, but this is a good place to start.
Remember, you don't have to use all of these (though you certainly
can) — even a few should help your WordPress site rank higher in
search results.
• In addition, we'll concentrate on Google-specific advice because it is
by far the most popular search engine and releases the most
information about its algorithms.
• However, many of these strategies should help you on other sites
as well, such as Yahoo Search or Bing.
4. ABOUT
PLUGINS
• In WordPress, a plugin is a small software
application that extends the features and
functions of a WordPress website.
• A WordPress plugin is a piece of software that
“plugs into” your WordPress site.
• Plugins can add new functionality or extend
existing functionality on your site, allowing you
to create virtually any kind of website, from
ecommerce stores to portfolios to directory
sites.
S
T
W
O
5. CHOOSE YOUR HOSTING PROVIDER WITH CAUTION
• This isn't just because we're a hosting company. We say it because it is
true: the hosting provider you choose is critical for SEO.
• Because Google considers site speed when ranking sites, a good host
can help you reach the top of the SERPs. Your host also has an impact
on the amount of downtime your site experiences, as well as the
physical distance between servers and visitors, both of which are
ranking factors.
• Finally, because Google gives HTTPS sites a small boost, you'll want
that as well. It's included with all of our plans at DreamHost.
• If you haven't yet created your website, you'll want to select a host
that is dependable and has a reputation for high performance.
• Even if you already have a site, you should think about switching hosts
if your current provider does not meet these requirements.
• A WordPress-specific hosting plan is a wise choice. Our fully-managed
WordPress plans deliver fast speeds with little to no downtime.
6. CHOOSE A SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZED THEME
• One of the most important decisions you'll make for your
WordPress site is the theme. It determines the appearance
and layout of your site, can add new functionality, and also
plays a role in its SEO. For example, your theme can have an
impact on your site's speed, which is important (as we've
already discussed).
• The way a theme was created is also important because clean
code gives your site the best chance in SERPs.
• As a result, when selecting a theme, choose one that was designed
with SEO in mind. These themes are frequently referred to as
'SEO-friendly.' You may also want to look for a theme that includes
SEO-specific features, such as new heading tag options.
7. MAKE USE OF A DEDICATED SEO PLUGIN
• If you're new to WordPress, you might not be aware of
plugins. These are small pieces of add-on software that you
can install on your site to add new features and
functionality. There's a plugin for almost everything,
including helping your site rank higher in search engines.
• There are numerous plugins available that are specifically designed
to improve the SEO of your website.
• These plugins can provide small, targeted features like
creating a sitemap (more on that later).
• For even better results, use a comprehensive SEO plugin
like Yoast SEO, which will add a slew of optimization-
focused features to your site.
8. MODIFY THE 'PERMALINK' STRUCTURE
• Permalinks are the permanent URLs that point to individual
posts, pages, and other content on your website.
• They are what people will use to refer to and link back to your
website, so their appearance is important. Clear, descriptive
links that describe their content are easier for search engines to
understand and tend to improve their ranking.
• WordPress provides several automatic permalink options:
• A few are based on numbers (for example, the Plain and
Numeric options), which isn't ideal because they provide little
useful information to search engines. Instead, the Post Name
structure is preferable because it communicates clearly what
the linked content is about.
• By visiting your site's back end and navigating to Settings >
Permalink, you can easily change your permalink structure (or
create a custom one).
9. THROUGHOUT YOUR CONTENT, USE HEADING TAGS
• While a sitemap can assist search engine crawlers in
understanding how your site is organized, it cannot
assist them in making sense of individual content. You'll
need to use heading tags for this.
• These are formatting options for section headings on
pages and posts.
• These options are listed as Heading 1, Heading 2, and so on in
your WordPress editor.
10. CREATE CONTENT BASED ON KEYWORDS
• You've probably heard of the term "keywords" before.
These are short phrases that describe the topic of your
content.
• For example, for a blog post about simple recipe options for
beginners, you could use the keyword "easy recipes." You're
predicting that many people will type the phrase into a search
engine when looking for this type of post by doing so.
• Choosing a keyword for each post or page and using it in multiple
places — such as the title, headings, and content — is a common
way to communicate your topic to search engine crawlers and
increase the likelihood of your content appearing in relevant
searches.
11. INCLUDE RELEVANT INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL LINKS
• Google and other search engines do not look at your
website in isolation. Instead, they examine how well it is
linked, both internally and to other sites. Including
numerous links throughout your posts and pages informs
crawlers about how they relate to similar content.
• It also encourages others to link back to your site, which tells
search engines that your content is valuable!
• As with keywords, this is a strategy to be used with
caution. If you stuff too many links into your content or
use too many links that point to irrelevant pages or exist
solely to promote products, your search engine rankings
will suffer.
• Instead, look for ways to incorporate links where possible.
12. MAKE USE OF RESPONSIVE DESIGN ON YOUR WEBSITE
• Mobile devices are being used by more people than ever
before to access the internet. This means that your site
should look and perform well on any device a visitor may
be using.
• You can achieve this by employing the responsive design
strategy, which entails designing your site in such a way that it
reacts and adapts to each user's device.
• Google considers responsive design to be so important that it
uses it as a ranking factor. Your site's chances of ranking high on
SERPs will improve if it is responsive.
• The best way for WordPress users to get started with responsive
design is to use a theme that supports it (which many, if not most,
now do). Just remember to look into each theme's other SEO
features as well!
13. IMPROVE YOUR IMAGE QUALITY
• Images are essential for almost any website. They add
visual appeal and context to the text, as well as help break
it up and make it more readable.
• As you might expect, they can also have an impact on your SEO.
• For one thing, the quality and size of your images can affect the
loading speed of your pages, which is a ranking factor.
• Crawlers will also look at information attached to images, such as
filenames and 'alt text,' when attempting to index and understand
your site.
