SEO is short for “Search engine optimization.” It is a long-term marketing strategy employed in order to improve a websites visibility and organic search results in google and other global search engines.
WordPress is one of the most popular site-building and content management systems (CMS) in the world, powering over 30% of all websites on the internet.
Because WordPress is so widely used, it has become a prime target for black hat SEO tactics and negative SEO attacks. As a result, many website owners are rightfully concerned about their WordPress SEO and whether or not they are doing everything they can to optimize their sites.
The good news is that there are a number of things you can do to improve your WordPress SEO and help make sure that your site is as visible as possible in the search engines.
On-page SEO refers to the optimization of individual web pages in order to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. It involves making sure that each page on a website is properly optimized for both search engines and users.
In this article, we’ll share with you 15 of the most important on-page SEO factors for WordPress websites.
- Use Keywords Throughout Your Site
- Optimize Your Title Tags
- Write Meta Descriptions That Entice Clicks
- Employ Heading Tags Strategically
- Target Secondary Keywords
- Incorporate LSI Keywords
- Structure Your URLs optimally
- Optimize Your Images
- Reference Other Websites with Links
- Add Alt Tags to Your Images
- Use Internal Links
- Optimize Your Site for Mobile
- Implement Schema Markup
- Use social media
- Monitor Your Traffic Closely
These are just some of the things you can do to improve your WordPress SEO. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to driving more traffic to your site and improving your organic search results.
1. Use Keywords Throughout Your Site
Choosing the right keywords is one of the most important aspects of on-page SEO. The right keywords are those that are most relevant to your business and have the greatest potential to drive traffic to your website.
There are a number of different ways to find the right keywords for your WordPress site. The simplest way is to use the Google Keyword Planner, which is a free tool that anyone can use.
Once you have a list of potential keywords, you’ll want to start using them throughout your site. Some of the places where you should include keywords are:
- In the title tags for your blog posts and pages
- In the meta descriptions for your blog posts and pages
- In the H1 tags for your blog posts and pages
- In the body of your blog posts and pages
Including keywords throughout your site helps search engines understand what your site is about and makes it more likely that you’ll rank for those keywords.
2. Optimize Your Title Tags
Your title tags are one of the most important on-page SEO factors. The title tag is the text that appears in the search engine results pages (SERPs) when your site comes up. It is also the text that appears at the top of your browser when you visit a page on your site.
The title tag should be descriptive and include the keyword that you’re trying to rank for. For example, if you’re trying to rank for the keyword “SEO tips,” your title tag might look something like this:
SEO Tips: How to Optimize Your WordPress Site for Google
3. Write Meta Descriptions That Entice Clicks
Your meta descriptions are the short descriptions that appear beneath your title tags in the search engine results pages. Meta descriptions are not a ranking factor, but they can influence whether or not someone clicks on your result.
This makes them one of the most important on-page SEO factors. A good meta description should be descriptive and include a call to action. It should also include the keyword that you’re trying to rank for. For example, here’s a meta description for this article:
“12 On-Page SEO Factors You Need to Optimize Your WordPress Site”
Are you doing everything you can to optimize your WordPress site for Google? In this article, we’ll share 12 important on-page SEO factors you need to consider.
4. Use Heading Tags to Break Up Your Content
Heading tags are used to break up your content into sections. They are also used by search engines to understand the structure of your content. Heading tags include H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, and H6.
The H1 tag is the most important heading tag and should be used for the title of your blog post or page. The H2 tag is the second most important and should be used for subheadings. The H3 tag can be used for further subdivision of your content.
It’s important to use heading tags in a way that makes sense for both humans and search engines. For instance, you would not want to use an H2 tag for a title and an H1 tag for a subheading.
5. Target Secondary Keywords
In addition to your primary keyword, you should also target a few secondary keywords. These are related keywords that you can rank for to drive even more traffic to your site.
To find secondary keywords, you can use a tool like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush. Simply enter your primary keyword into the tool and see what related keywords come up.
Once you have a list of secondary keywords, you can add them to your content in the same way you would add your primary keyword. That is, include them in your title, meta description, headings, and throughout the body of your content.
6. Incorporate LSI Keywords
Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords are related terms that help search engines to better understand the meaning of your content. Using these in your posts can help Google match your content with relevant searches.
To find LSI keywords, you can use a tool like LSIGraph. Just enter your main keyword and it will generate a list of related terms. You can then incorporate these into your content to help Google understand what your post is about.
7. Structure Your URLs optimally
URLs are an important part of on-page SEO because they can influence both the search engine crawlers and the users. A good URL structure makes it easier for the search engines to crawl and index your website, and it also makes it easier for the users to navigate your website.
When you’re creating URLs for your pages, you should:
- Use keyword-rich words or phrases that include keywords are more likely to rank higher in search results. Make sure to use keywords in the URLs of your web pages.
- Avoid using special characters
- Use short and descriptive URLs
- Use Hyphens to separate words (-) in the URL
- Include your primary keyword in the URL
8. Optimize Your Images
Images are an important part of any website, and they can also help with your SEO. By optimizing your images, you can improve your chances of ranking higher in image search results.
There are a few ways to optimize your images:
- Use descriptive filenames
- Include keywords in your file names
- Use alt tags to describe your images
- Make sure your images are the right size
9. Use External Links
External links are links from one site to another. They help search engines understand the context of your content and can help improve your SEO.
External linking is also a good way to add value for your readers. For instance, if you’re writing a blog post about “SEO tips” and you come across a relevant article on another site, you can external link to it.
To add an external link in WordPress, simply highlight the text you want to link and click the “Insert/edit link” button. Then, enter the URL of the page you want to link to.
10. Add Alt Tags to Your Images
Alt tags are text descriptions of images that appear in the search engine results pages. They are also used by people who are blind or have low vision to understand what is on a page.
Adding alt tags to your images helps search engines understand your content and can help you rank for relevant keywords. For example, if you have an image of a cat on your blog post about “SEO tips,” you would want to include the keyword “SEO” in the alt tag.
To add an alt tag in WordPress, simply go to the media library and click on the image you want to edit. In the “Alternative Text” field, you can add your alt text.
11. Use Internal Links
Internal links are links from one page on your site to another page on your site. They help search engines understand the structure of your site and can help improve your SEO.
Internal linking is also a good way to keep people engaged with your site. For instance, if someone is reading a blog post about “SEO tips” and you have a related blog post about “link building,” you can internal link to the “link building” post.
To add an internal link in WordPress, simply highlight the text you want to link and click the “Insert/edit link” button. Then, enter the URL of the page you want to link to.
12. Optimize Your Site for Mobile
Mobile optimization is an important part of on-page SEO. With more and more people using mobile devices to access the internet, it’s important to make sure your site is optimized for these users.
There are a few ways to optimize your site for mobile:
- Make sure your site is responsive
- Use a mobile-friendly theme
- Use AMP pages
13. Implement Schema Markup
Schema markup is a code that helps search engines understand the content on your page. It can be used to improve your chances of appearing in rich snippets and other search features.
To implement schema markup, you need to add code to your website. If you’re not comfortable doing this, you can use a plugin like Yoast SEO to do it for you.
14. Use social media
Social media can be a powerful tool for promoting your website and driving traffic to it. Make sure to include social media sharing buttons on your website (on page SEO) and actively share your content on social media platforms (off page SEO).
15. Monitor Your Traffic and SEO Progress Closely
One of the most important aspects of on-page SEO is monitoring your traffic closely.
By monitoring your traffic, you can determine which keywords and phrases are driving visitors to your website, and you can adjust your site accordingly.
This will help you understand how users are interacting with your site and identify areas for improvement.
You can use a tool like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track your SEO progress.
These are just a few of the many things you can do to improve your on-page SEO. Hopefully these were helpful!