This article will discuss how to improve the SEO of your WordPress website to compete better for search rankings.
One of the most difficult challenges website owners face today is getting their pages to rank on search engine result pages (SERPs) and gaining more website traffic.
If you want people to find you through Google searches, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) should be at the top of your priority list.
What is SEO?
SEO is an abbreviation for Search Engine Optimization. It’s a method used by website owners to increase traffic by ranking higher in search engines like Google.
For specific keywords that you’ve optimized, your content is more likely to appear near the top of the SERP.
Now that you know what SEO is, let’s go over why it’s so important.
Why is SEO important?
One of the most common ways for people to find content online is through search engines. Google and other search engines use sophisticated algorithms to understand and rank pages in search results.
People congregate in search engines. 55% of shoppers use a search engine to find information about a specific product they want to buy. In other words, people are already searching Google for products like yours. SEO allows you to appear in their search results.
The majority of searchers do not scroll that far. The first Google result is clicked by 28.5% of all users. The second position receives 15.6% of traffic, while the third receives 11%. Only 2.5% of searchers click on the tenth result, and few make it to the second page.
When you optimize your WordPress website and content, you increase your chances of reaching people who are actively looking for information about your services and products. As a result, improving your WordPress SEO is critical for increasing traffic to your website, and notability, as well as your number of leads, conversions, and more.
Fortunately, WordPress includes SEO-friendly features that will help your website rank higher. This is why many people choose WordPress to start a website. However, there is a lot more you can do to maximize your SEO efforts. There are essential SEO tools and tactics that will help your website achieve a high organic ranking.
Many ranking reasons and algorithmic ranking factors may change as new concepts and tactics are discovered. Still, most SEO fundamentals will always boost your organic search and help you rank high in search engine result pages.
How to improve SEO on WordPress website
Implementing a few simple SEO tips to optimize your WordPress site can result in a significant increase in website traffic. Below are the best SEO for WordPress websites.
#1. WordPress SEO-friendly URL structures.
SEO-friendly URLs include keywords that describe the article and are easy for both humans and search engines to read.
Using an SEO-friendly URLs structure increases your chances of ranking higher in search results.
#2. Examine the visibility settings on your website
One of the most important indicators for determining the success of SEO optimization and a website’s traffic potential is website visibility.
WordPress includes a feature that allows you to hide your website from search engines until it’s ready to go public. This feature can be accidentally enabled, rendering your website inaccessible to search engines.
If your website does not appear in search results, it means that no matter how many keywords your website ranks high for, people will not find it. As a result, it is critical to review the visibility settings on your website regularly.
#3. Create tags and categories in WordPress
WordPress allows you to categorize and tag your blog posts. This helps users navigate the WordPress website.
On a WordPress site, the two primary methods for grouping content are categories and tags. In layman’s terms, categories are broad labels, whereas tags are more specific keywords that describe your posts in more detail.
By properly utilizing categories and tags, you make it easier for your users to navigate your website. Because it is simple for users, it also helps search engines understand the structure and content of your website.
#4. Enable the “Last Updated” date
When visitors view a post or page on your WordPress blog, the date the post was published will be displayed by your WordPress theme.
Adding a Last Updated date to WordPress posts can increase clicks. Although the date of publication of a blog post does not affect a website’s search engine rank, it is still visible in Google search results.
The last updated date of a post influences visitors’ decision to click on a page. This is because users prefer content that contains the most up-to-date information.
#5. Make a strategy for internal linking
Internal links direct users to another post or page on your website. They can be inserted into WordPress posts, pages, images, menu items, or projects.
When it comes to SEO, internal links are critical to the success of your website. They are typically a good way to increase traffic to your site. Internal links aid SEO by directing visitors to other parts of your website that may be of interest to them. You can use them for highly relevant products, services, posts, or pages.
Internal links assist Google in determining which posts and pages on your website are the most important. Furthermore, pages with internal links are much more likely to be indexed, increasing your content’s chances of ranking higher in SERPs.
However, avoid cramming too many links onto a single page. This can frustrate and confuse visitors to your website. Also, make certain that your links are relevant. Otherwise, you risk harming your SEO.
#6. Use XML Sitemaps
A sitemap is a file that contains information about your website’s pages, videos, and other files, as well as the relationships between them.
It serves as a road map for search engines, indicating what content is available and how to access it.
Although search engines can find your URLs without it, including pages in an XML sitemap indicates that you consider them to be quality landing pages, which increases your chances.
In a nutshell, XML sitemaps can help with SEO by allowing Google to quickly find your important pages.
#7. Invest in a reliable web hosting partner
Hosting can have a significant impact on your search engine performance, but many businesses do not consider it part of their SEO strategy.
The right hosting service can boost your search engine rankings, lower your bounce rate, and increase conversions.
Google is unconcerned about the host you use, but it is concerned about factors such as site speed, reliability, server uptime, and security, all of which are influenced by the host you choose.
If your company’s website is down.
Google can’t find you, it can’t index your pages. Investing in a dependable hosting service is a critical component of increasing organic search traffic.
#8. Install SSL Certificate
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a security technology that encrypts a website’s connection and protects sensitive information on a website from unauthorized parties.
SSL-secured websites are identified by a padlock symbol in the browser’s address bar.
This increases the trustworthiness of your website and is required if you are running an online store with WordPress and processing sensitive payment information.
Therefore, websites with an SSL certificate get an SEO boost compared to those without.
Simply put, having an SSL Certificate can help increase your website’s click-through rate (CTR) from search results.
A higher CTR may result in a higher ranking in search results.
Resource: Securing Your WordPress Website: Tips and Tricks
#9. Meta descriptions
Tags and meta descriptions are elements that summarize the content of your post or page.
It provides search engines with a summary of what they will read or find on your website.
A captivating meta description can attract more readers to your post, increasing your SEO rank. You should include your keyword in your meta description and your content for easy search.
A meta description should not be more than 275 characters long because Google will only display the first 275 characters.
#10. Choose a great WordPress Theme
Your WordPress theme captures the essence of your brand and contributes to a positive user experience.
However, many people overlook the importance of search engine optimization(SEO).
A WordPress theme that isn’t SEO friendly can be a major impediment in the fiercely competitive race to the top of search engine result pages(SERPs).
Because a higher ranking can lead to more organic traffic, leads, and revenue, this is one aspect you must nail. A WordPress theme designed with search engine optimization in mind can help websites rank higher in SERPs.
#11. Add Schema Markup
Schema markup is a type of metadata also known as microdata that is added to your website to provide search engines with additional information about what is going on and include it in their SERPs.
This means that when people search for those items, they are more likely to get relevant results. It increases the likelihood that your pages will be found in search results, as well as will receive accurate knowledge panels in Google, and that your social media accounts will link to your website effectively, boosting your search rankings.
This is accomplished through the use of schema markup, which allows you to obtain rich snippets in Google and other search engines. Custom schema makes your website stand out, resulting in a higher click-through rate (CTS), which helps your WordPress site rank higher in SEO.
#12. Optimizing images in WordPress for SEO
Images are the most effective way to tell your brand’s story online and are a necessary component of a well-designed website.
They help capture the audience’s attention and reinforce the ideas you want to convey.
However, the image size and quality can slow down your website.
Optimizing images for WordPress can do wonders for your website. A WordPress site with well-optimized images can benefit from faster loading times, improved user experience, and improved SEO.
You can optimize your WordPress images by compressing the images to reduce their file size, serving images through CDN, resizing the images, and also by cleaning up your WordPress media library.
#13. WordPress SEO Plugin
WordPress SEO Plugin assists you in optimizing WordPress sites by providing tools to improve various aspects of the website.
They provide several options and functions for users to customize their pages.
When used correctly, these plugins can help your SEO efforts by increasing organic traffic.
Because they aid in the optimization of a website for Google and other search engines, these plugins can help you rank higher in the SERPs, thereby assisting in the growth of your business.
Now, you always have an option to either implement all of these strategies yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Most of the time, such is better left to the professionals, unless you know what you are doing.
Conclusion
SEO is essential for the success of any business. As a result, all website owners should look for ways to improve the SEO of their websites.
Implementing some or all of the simple methods outlined here will increase organic traffic and ranking on all search engines.