According to most individuals, WordPress is popular because it’s simple to use and SEO friendly out of the box.- Tips for WordPress SEO
Both things are true, but keep in mind that WordPress is merely a content management system (CMS). So the fact that you’re utilizing WP isn’t enough by itself to rank on search engines.
Luckily WordPress simplifies the implementation of many global search engine optimization.
Let’s check out some of those best practices:
Make sure your search engine visibility settings are correct
There’s a checkbox in WordPress that, if selected, is quite harmful to your site’s SEO because it prevents Google from indexing it. They can’t rank if Google isn’t able to index them.
Find this at Settings – Reading – Search engine visibility. If you want to have any chance of ranking, make sure this is unchecked.
Set a preferred domain for your WordPress site
Because Google looks at domain.com and www.domain.com individually, it’s critical to pick a preferred version for your website. You can do it in Settings & General. Set the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) to your preferred edition.
It’s irrelevant which version you pick for a new website. However, if your pages are accessible at both URL versions, the most backlinks will receive the most traffic.
WordPress’s flexibility is one of its main advantages – it allows you to switch between versions quickly. Because WordPress automatically redirects the other version to the preferred version, search engines and visitors only have access to your site at the chosen domain.
You should install a theme that is SEO-friendly- Tips for WordPress SEO
There isn’t much to be concerned about regarding WordPress themes. Most, if not all, WordPress themes are responsive and mobile-friendly these days, so there’s nothing to be scared of. Performance is the essential thing to look for when selecting a theme.
If the theme is clogged with superfluous content and features, it will slow your website down. Since page speed has been a Google ranking factor for over a decade, this is not good.
When selecting a theme, it’s worth reading the description to check what’s included. If there are a lot of features you won’t use, it may not be the ideal option for you.
You may also try PageSpeed Insights’ theme demo to get a better idea of how it performs.
Always create a sitemap
Sitemaps list essential content and pages on your site that assist search engines to find them. Yoast SEO creates a sitemap for you, but you must ensure that the option is enabled.
To generate your sitemap go to SEO > General > Features > Toggle “XML sitemaps” on.
To create hierarchy, use headers- Tips for WordPress SEO
The headers provide structure and assist visitors and search engines in comprehending your content hierarchy. In WordPress, you may quickly and easily add relevant headers using the WYSIWYG editor. Just choose “Paragraph” from the dropdown menu, and it’ll present you with six header choices.
Internally link to relevant content
Links to other pages on your website should go through external domain names. They’re essential for SEO since they aid in the search engine optimization of your site:
- Keep people on your site. Increase the authority of other material and improve its ranking.
The WYSIWYG editor may add internal links to WordPress posts and pages. Select the text you wish to use as an anchor, then press the “Insert/edit link” button and insert the URL for another page or post on your website.
If you’re not sure whether or how to include internal links, sign up for a free Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (AWT) account, do a crawl in Site Audit, then review the Link opportunities report to get suggestions for relevant internal links.
Install WordPress Rocket
The plugin is effective for improving page speed and experience. The plugin’s name comes from the fact that it speeds up your website by increasing performance.
In a nutshell, caching prevents your website from being loaded multiple times.
- Browser caching – The file size is then reduced and deleted from the visitors’ hard drives, which they don’t have to re-download on repeat visits.
- Server caching – Saves static versions of your webpages on your server, so they’re ready and waiting when a visitor requests them.
This is not a free plugin, but it’s completely worth it if you have the budget. If you’re searching for a free plugin that does the same thing, try one of the many other caching plugins accessible.
