WordPress How To: Easy SEO
While many like to make SEO seem like a “science fair project”, SEO for WordPress is really quite easy if you know what to do and you do it consistently.
The primary thing to keep in mind is that each post should be solidly about one topic — one niche — one issue. Rambling posts about all kinds of different things will never get found for any one of those things. You’ve seen me type this before:
“The more you are about, the less you are about any one thing!”
There are 5 things you need to consider to ensure that you are doing what you need to ensure your SEO efforts are successful:
- Permalinks: The default Permalink setting in WordPress (Settings > Permalinks) is: www.blogname.com/?p=123. Not very intuitive or search engine friendly is it? So instead select “Custom Structure” and input: /%post_id%/%postname%. This will turn each post’s URL, using this post as an example, to: www.blogname.com/2421/wordpress-easy-seo/. Much better, right? Right!
- Titles: Search engines dig titles! Make sure you have your top one or two search engine keyword phrases in every post title.
- Descriptions: After Titles, the post Description is what search engines rely on and visitors see when they find your site in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Integrate those same one or two keyword phrases into a descriptive, interesting and enticing sentence or two.
- Content: Your content has to back up the Title and Description. Pepper your main top one or two keyword phrases for that specific post within the content of your post in the beginning, middle and end. Throw in a heading or two containing them too — only if it makes sense to do so and keeps your post readable. Do some keyword research to find alternative terms that you can use as well in your content. Click here for some Free Keyword Research Tools.
- Plugins: I use HeadSpace because it really has all the options and flexibility to SEO all the way. Another great plugin is SEO Friendly Images which automatically updates all images with proper ALT and TITLE attributes.
Get in the habit of doing all the above; get these plugins in place and properly setup and you are good to go. But keep in mind, the best SEO of all is unique well written content that people are looking for!
At your service,
Your WordPress Consultant
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