Google is always changing up it’s algorithms. It’s not because Google wants to keep you on your toes, but Google wants you to put your best foot forward. In order to do that, they’ve put together Quality Guidelines and have started to enforce them. So… what does that mean for the website owner? I’m going to go over a checklist of things you should be doing with your WordPress blog. Some of it is about site speed, security, and content. Hopefully this checklist will help you understand what you should be doing for your website.

1. Google Quality Guidelines 101 for
WordPress Bloggers
Nile Flores
@blondishnet

2. Objective
❏ What are Google Quality Guidelines?
❏ Why they are important to bloggers and content creators?
❏ Break down some of the guidelines
❏ Share some tips here and there

3. For those that sometimes feel frustrated or
confused, I promise that Google doesn’t hate
you!

4. What are Google Quality Guidelines?
These aren’t magical laws, but it is a list that Google is suggesting to you to
do for your website, in order for your visitors to safely and effectively surf
your website, while they consuming unique and excellent content.
Based on these guidelines, Google is actually giving you some of the
“secret” to having a successful website, as well as helping them fulfill their
mission, which in turn, makes your search experience less frustrating..
P.S. - It’s not really a secret.

5. Google's mission is to organize the world's information
and make it universally accessible and useful. Learn
about our company history, products, and more.
https://www.google.com/about/

6. Google Quality Guidelines/ Webmaster Guidelines
https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35769?hl=en

7. Why are they important to bloggers &
content creators?
Google strives to make their search engine as organic, or human.
These guidelines help remind and guide webmasters to create a site
that people can use and understand.

8. Basic Principle of Google Quality Guidelines
❏ Don’t try to game the system.
❏ Don’t be a jerk by deceiving your users.
❏ Add value, be unique, and make entertaining content.
❏ Write for humans!

9. Overview of Google Quality Guidelines
❏ Make your site easy to navigate
❏ Submit your website to Google Search
Console
❏ Generate a sitemap
❏ Submit sitemap to Google Search Console
❏ Have a robots.txt
❏ Limit links on a page

10. Overview of Google Quality Guidelines
(Part 2)
❏ Create useful and unique content
❏ Make sure title is descriptive, accurate, and
up-to-date
❏ Make sure Google can crawl your site
❏ Don’t block sources like JS or CSS
❏ Be clear about what links are sponsored or
are advertisements

11. Overview of Google Quality Guidelines
(Part 3)
❏ Don’t be deceptive about links
❏ Optimize for quick load time
❏ Check your links
❏ Design your website to be seen on most
device widths
❏ Design your website to be seen on most
browsers
❏ Implement HTTPS/ SSL for your website

12. General areas of Google Quality Guidelines
❏ Quality Content
❏ Linking
❏ Website speed
❏ Mobile-friendly
❏ Web Accessibility
❏ Security

13. Quality Content
This is not new news.
You should be building unique and quality content.
Let your blog voice shine, and don’t create pages
with little to no content.
Add value. Again, write for humans.

14. Google has made its algorithms to be more human-like, so do not make
your keywords for robots and aliens…
Unless you don’t want to be found.
WordPress SEO: Getting Back to the Basics,
http://bit.ly/2phpMUg

15. Other Content tips - Part 1
SEO for images:
❏ Label your file images with a seo-friendly name
❏ Make sure to fill out ALT text
❏ If possible, add relevant text
http://bit.ly/XkcdmC
https://blondish.net/basic-seo-for-images/

16. Other Content Tips - Part 2
Video SEO tips
❏ Create a video sitemap and submit it to Google Search Console
❏ Include Schema markup for videos
❏ Add Media RSS tags
❏ Be sweetie and let Google know when you’re removing video
❏ Create thumbnail images for your videos
❏ (Bonus) Transcribe your video
http://bit.ly/1mTrwxr
https://yoast.com/video-seo-guide/

17. Other Content Tips - Part 3
Structured Data markup tips
Make sure your website has proper structures data markup to help Google display your content in
search depending on what type of content or information your site has.
Example:
❏ Rich Cards (Sitelinks, breadcrumbs)
❏ Knowledge Cards (organizations, events)
http://bit.ly/1UjXtMX
http://bit.ly/1O1rGdz

18. Linking
Tips
❏ Don’t sell links
❏ Don’t be deceptive about links
❏ If you’re going to submit directories, don’t apply challenge
accepted to #allthethings
❏ Add rel=“nofollow” to sponsored links
❏ If you’re going to crosspost, use rel=“canonical”
❏ Links should clearly look like links
❏ Hiding text or links are a big no-no

19. Mobile-Friendly
Your site should allow visitors to view your site in most
device widths, and browsers.
Is your website mobile-friendly?
https://search.google.com/search-console/mobile-friendly
Need tips? -
Mobile Optimization (Moz) - http://bit.ly/1NO4W2B

20. Web Accessibility
Just because you can see your website and think
it’s cool, without a thought about others, doesn’t
mean others want to stay around and suffer while
trying to decipher your website.

21. “Accessibility = usability.”
- Tracy Apps, @tapps, at WordCamp Chicago
2017

22. Web Accessibility Resources
❏ Accessibility Handbook - http://bit.ly/2pwVPQu
❏ Understanding and Supporting Web Accessibility by Rachel Carden -
http://bit.ly/2piORya
❏ Web Accessibility, Where To Start? By Rian Rietveld -
http://bit.ly/2qhBU9b

23. Website Speed
Google realizes people have little to no patience
to wait for a website page to load. You probably
feel the same too.
Perhaps the Golden Rule should apply with
website speed too???
Be a dear and optimize your site. It is quite
possible to be under a 2 second page load time,
and not sacrifice design.

24. Website Speed Resources
❏ Google PageSpeed Insights - http://bit.ly/18oQqhi
❏ Introduction to Optimizing WordPress for Website Speed -
http://bit.ly/2pKOePt
❏ Speed Up Your WordPress – How to Save Images Optimized for Web -
http://bit.ly/Mvikiz

25. Security
No one likes their search results to turn up being
labeled with “This site may contain hacked content”,
or the dreaded red malware screen, in Chrome.
You MUST do the work to ensure your website is
secure.
Additionally, you should strongly consider going
HTTPS (SSL.)
Having just SSL does NOT mean that your site is
secure. You need to still secure your site.

26. Security Resources
❏ Google Requires SSL Certificate - Load site in HTTPS - http://bit.ly/2qkW3s9
❏ Introduction to WordPress Security - http://bit.ly/2nCkTCx
❏ How to Secure Your WordPress Blog -
https://blondish.net/how-to-secure-your-wordpress-blog/
❏ The Ultimate WordPress Security Guide – Step by Step (2017) -
http://www.wpbeginner.com/wordpress-security/

27. Thank you!
Nile Flores - http://blondish.net
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