WordPress SEO is important because WP offers some of the best out-of-the-box features you can use to build and grow your website or blog with ease.
One of the most important – but often overlooked – features of WordPress is its powerful search engine optimization capabilities. You can use an SEO plugin like Yoast to increase organic traffic and improve your site’s visibility in search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.
Here are 8 WordPress SEO tips to help you improve your search engine rankings and generate more traffic from targeted keywords and long-tail searches that will drive higher conversion rates, leads, and sales for your business.
Set Up Yoast
Yoast is a great tool for understanding and improving your WordPress site’s search engine optimization (SEO).
The Yoast plugin is a WordPress SEO plugin that adds features to your website. This includes a link analysis, on-page analysis, synonym suggestions, and a keyword density analyzer.
When you’re trying to optimize your content for search engines, Yoast does all of these things automatically, so you don’t have to worry about it. Just make sure you install and configure it correctly!
Add an Image or Video to Every Post
Images and videos make your content more shareable on social media, giving it a chance to reach an even larger audience.
For example, one study found that tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than those without.
Furthermore, nearly half of users say they prefer visual content over text-based content by a 2:1 margin.
According to HubSpot’s Inbound Marketing Benchmarks Report, Video is the number one format marketers used in their content strategy in 2021.
Don’t be afraid of putting your best foot forward when attracting new readers and customers; let them know what you’re all about from day one!
Write at least 500 Words Per Post.
One of your primary goals as a website owner is to keep people on your site as long as possible. When it comes to blog posts, write at least 500 words per post and include an image.
Your goal should be to write valuable posts that contain information that will be interesting for readers. You want your writing style to have authority, so try using long-form content instead of short blurbs.
If you can find a way to write compelling content on current events in addition to evergreen topics, you’ll see even better results from your WordPress SEO efforts!
Create Relevant Titles and Snippets
To ensure that your content is easy for people and search engines alike, you’ll want to use relevant keywords and include them in your title tag, description snippet, meta description, and body text.
Before writing a single word of content for a given page on your site, think about what terms someone would likely search for on Google or other search engines.
Once you have those words down (ideally 3-7), place them into your page titles, meta descriptions, and snippets—you’ll be better positioned for increased organic traffic.
Use Related Keywords Throughout Posts
Creating solid content is only half of successful SEO—you also need to ensure that your posts are set up correctly.
For example, WordPress automatically creates titles and meta descriptions based on what’s in your post, so if you include keywords or topics relevant to your industry/niche in every position, it’ll be much easier for Google and other search engines to find and rank.
And, of course, including keywords in a few of these fields doesn’t mean you should cram them into every title and description. It’s about striking a balance that works for each post; don’t be afraid to get creative!
Promote Your Posts on Social Media, Forums, and Comment Sections
The traffic that social media, forums, and comment sections bring to your website will never be direct.
However, every bit helps to grow your audience. Promoting your posts on these platforms can be a great way to drive up user engagement and get more eyes on your content.
You need an active community (in other words: not just an account) for promoting posts on these platforms to work for you.
For example, don’t send out one tweet about a post and expect people to flock in droves—chances are they won’t because it was just one tweet!
Instead, make sure you have at least ten minutes of material with which you can engage different people in different ways.
Write Topical and Timely Content
One of my favorite ways to ensure that I’m creating content regularly is creating an editorial calendar.
Essentially, you’re planning out your blogging schedule months in advance. That might seem daunting, but it allows you to create a content plan that builds in time for new topics or research.
You can even see what type of traffic your industry tends to get from different times of the year and adjust accordingly.
Then, if you need some extra inspiration, check your calendar when you’re unsure of how or when you should write something new!
Engage with Comments to Boost WordPress SEO
When readers leave comments on your website, don’t just set them on auto-pilot; engage with them.
Be sure to leave a comment and thank each commenter for taking time out of their day to interact with you.
If you respond quickly and helpfully, your commenters will look forward to leaving more comments in the future, which will help increase engagement for everyone involved.
Recommended read:
Google On The SEO Value Of User Comments On Websites
Conclusion
WordPress is the most popular website platform in the world. WordPress SEO best practices I mentioned can help get you started in the right direction. Eventually, it would help your website reach a wider audience. And if you need more suggestions, connect with me for SEO & digital consulting services.
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