We already know how important search engines are for the Internet. It is virtually impossible to find any information online without using some kind of search engine. And even if in the past the search engines were an enigma to the common internet user, now we know how Google works. Of course, thanks to Google.
We know how important are the backlinks to our website’s ranking in the SERP. The information is everywhere. As long, as you know what to look for, and how to search for it.
If you have a WordPress website, the essentials of On-Page SEO, are the same for you, as for everyone else.
WordPress doesn’t help, nor interfere with your ranking. Yet, this CMS has a number of features that make it easier for the webmaster or the SEO expert to create and optimize the content.
Let’s talk about WordPress SEO in a little more detail.
H – Tags in WordPress
As we’ve covered already in our article about on-page SEO the h tags are of great importance for your ranking. By using the subtitles you are not only making it easier for the users to navigate among the content and choose what is interesting to them and what is not, but the Search engines are making their conclusions on what the article is about.
And if the search engine can define whether your article is about cats or dogs, the chances for you to rank is higher when a query on the topic is made. Furthermore, the engagement of the users is higher when the article is separated into blocks, due to the fact, that such a separation facilitates the process of reading.
To good thing is that WordPress has the so-called h-tags, which you must use to make your content more pleasant for the users.
Categories and Tags
The structure of your website is crucial for Search Engine Optimization.
That is why, when creating a WordPress website, a great amount of attention should be given to the so-called WordPress permalinks.
Make it so that every article has its category, and even if you have more than one places where your content is published (like Blog and Tutorial pages), it will be best if you create a category for each. And each of these main categories, say Blog and Tutorials, must have its subcategories.
This is probably the best way to separate content in WordPress.
If you have little content and your schedule is to post once a month, you’ll be better off using tags, instead of categories.
Tags are also useful when you have one main content type (Blog or Tutorial), and you have some categories to separate your content but every once in a while, you write about something related but not quite the same as your categories might cover.
Say you have a blog, dedicated to cats, and you have categories for several breeds. And one day, you decide to write about cats dieting and food. Because you have only one article about that topic, your website will be better off, if you make a tag for it, and not a category where only this article will be published.
WordPress SEO Plugin
When creating a new article, most of us need directions. And such direction could be received by some WordPress plugins, that will facilitate the process of crafting your content.
Such a plugin is the Yoast SEO WordPress plugin.
And we’ve already covered how to install and use the plugin. Thus, such an exposition won’t be necessary.
In short, Yoast is like a traffic light. It will tell you when your content is ready to be published, and when the chances for ranking are higher.
The following, are the on-page SEO factors that Yoast will help you to perfect before you publish your article:
- At least 300 words. As Google considers everything below that as ‘thin content’, the Yoast plugin will urge you to create content with at least 300 words.
- Add a meta description. When people search on Google for something related to your article and it pops up, as you know, there is a little description under the headline, right there in the Search Engine Result Page(SERP). This description is called meta description and its main function is to entice the users to your website. By default, it is generated automatically by the first sentences of your article. The Yoast Plugin will allow you to change it. Take advantage of this feature. Don’t overlook it.
WordPress Website Speed
The loading speed of your website is one more key factor in your website’s ranking. You need to make your website loading speed as fast as possible.
One of the most important factors, able to reflect the speed of your website is the hosting.
As far as I am concerned, creating a WordPress website should be done with the right plan of WordPress Hosting.
And once you’ve taken care of your hosting, what you need to do is try, and estimate the loading speed of your website. To check the performance of your website, use :
Final Thoughts
When you are creating a blog or another WordPress website, what you need to consider from day one is how you will market your content. Of course, there are so many opportunities nowadays that considering SEO is more like a supplement to your digital marketing, than it is the one and only answer to the question “how my website will get traffic?”.
Yet again, you need to consider WordPress SEO as something of great importance, because Google and your ranking in the search engine can be, and often is the difference between having a website that enjoys a great amount of traffic, or one that barely gets a user or two daily.
WordPress makes SEO easier due to its versatility. The use of the right plugins, optimizing your WordPress website’s performance, and the right choice of categories and tags, are all you need to know about WordPress SEO.
Now, go rank your website!