Experts have found that organic searches drive 51 percent of all traffic. If you hadn’t considered paying attention to your search engine ranking, this stat should make you think about it twice. This number may vary depending on the site you are running.
But, business services sites have seen a mindboggling 73 percent of their traffic come from organic searches. Now the key to getting your website noticed during those searches is optimizing it. WordPress is a great platform that comes with some SEO friendly features from the get-go.
But, to achieve the best results you should fine tune your website. Not sure how to do it?
We have you covered. We’ll tell you the basics about website optimization and the best WordPress SEO tips. Keep reading to learn more.
How to Do SEO on WordPress?
WordPress is one of the most popular and easy to use content management platforms. It makes life easier for designers and business owners alike. Some marketers say that this platform is SEO ready but, that’s far from the truth.
There are some WordPress search engine optimization plugins you can install. But, you must configure the plugin using the right settings. Still only using a plugin won’t do the trick to optimize your site.
SEO requires time and patience. Achieving the best results isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s a set of efforts to strengthen your marketing and online presence.
There isn’t a set formula to optimize your website. But, starting with the basics such as an SEO plugin set up the right way will put you in the path to that number 1 search ranking. You may consider consulting a specialist if dealing with SEO strategies all by yourself makes you feel uncomfortable.
10 Effective WordPress SEO Tips to Take Your Website from Zero to Hero Today!
Learning the basics about SEO in WordPress is half the game. Maybe it isn’t the first time you have heard about search engine optimization but, don’t know how to do it.
It is easier than you may think. There are many simple tweaks that can do wonders for your online presence and boost your traffic.
Here are 10 effective WordPress SEO strategies that will explode your website traffic in no time.
1. Install and Set up a WordPress SEO Plugin
Before getting into the details of website optimization, it’s important to start with the basics. Installing a WordPress SEO plugin won’t guarantee causing your traffic to skyrocket. But you should still install one on your WordPress website.
Constant Contact has you covered with the tools and expertise you need to get started. Check out their
free trial today!
Keep in mind that you must use the right settings for your website and audience. Most plugins provide basic settings and guidance to optimize your site.
Like any SEO adjustment, it’s a trial and error process. It’s essential to test different settings until you obtain the results you want.
2. Use SEO Friendly Permalinks
If it’s the first time you hear the concept permalinks, you should get comfortable with it. The permalink of your content is the URL. WordPress standard settings include the name and date in the URL for your post or content.
This setting doesn’t make it SEO friendly. Search engines such as Google like clean and keyword rich URLs. You should consider changing the setting of your permalinks to post name.
It’s the best way to make sure your URLs include your post title and keywords. You will find this option under the Permalinks section of your Settings.
Keep in mind that by changing your permalink structure your previous links will be invalid. It’s recommended to redirect your old links to the new ones by editing your .htaccess file or using a plugin.
3. Improve Your Website Speed
Did you know that 40 percent of visitors leave a site if it takes more than 4 seconds to load? Besides losing potential leads, search engines prioritize website speed for their rakings. Google has their own speed Gold standard of less than 1 second load time on mobile.
You may think it’s impossible to speed your website up that much. But, minor tweaks such as using a CDN network or even optimizing your images can do wonders for your site speed.
4. Make Sure Your Website Is Mobile Friendly
For Google, mobile-friendly optimization is a must for great search engine ranking. Does your website have a mobile version? If so, is it mobile friendly?
Today, having a mobile version of your website isn’t enough. Your mobile website must load fast and be optimized.
Not sure how you can find out? It’s recommended to use tools such as Google’s Mobile-Friendly Website Test to know if your mobile site meets the standards. An optimized mobile friendly website will boost your traffic and improve your online visibility.
5. Use Focus Keywords in Your Content
Your content must be relevant to your audience. Yet, good content is half the story. Search engines rank your content based on your relevancy and focus keywords. Before writing your content, it’s recommended to set a focus keyword.
Finding the right keyword will come down to your research and the purpose of your post. There isn’t a set formula for what is the best keyword density percentage.
You must include your focus keyword throughout your content without overdoing it. It’s recommended to use your keyword in your introduction, title, some headlines, and conclusion. Using your focus keyword in those sections won’t guarantee search engine relevancy, so you should always focus on quality over quantity in your content.
6. Assign Headers to All Your Headlines
Search engines crawl your website to identify relevancy and quality. To determine relevancy, the Google crawler looks at your header tags. You should tag all your headlines as H1, H2, or H3 according to their importance.
All content must include one H1 that contains your focus keyword. Your other headlines can include your main keyword or variations of it. But, you should be mindful not to overuse these keywords.
7. Add Alt Tags to Your Images
You may think that the only way to optimize your images is by compressing them to make your website faster. Yet, there’s a lot more to it.
Your site images communicate your vision to the visitor. Search engines identify the relevancy of images using the ALT tags. These tags describe the images.
It’s recommended you use your keywords when identifying your images. If you run a local business, you should consider adding local keywords such as your city or state in these tags. Another great benefit of tagging your images is making your website friendly for visually impaired users.
8. Harness the Power of Local SEO
Many businesses underestimate the power of optimizing their websites for local searches. If you run a business that offers local services, you must optimize your site to appear on these searches. A good starting point is surveying what your competition is doing.
What keywords are they using? Do they offer online scheduling? These minor tweaks may not seem like much but, they can boost your traffic in no time.
Local SEO is a bit different to the optimization we are discussing in this article. Want to learn how to optimize your site for local traffic? This guide tells you all you need to know about local optimization.
9. Translate Your Website
Multilanguage SEO can do wonders for your traffic. This strategy may not work for everyone. It will come down to your geographic location and business.
Search engines won’t flag your website for duplicate content as long as you use the correct hreflang and canonical tags. WordPress plugins such as Polylang and WPML can translate your content.
It’s always recommended that you hire a native speaker to translate your content. Unless, of course, you are a native speaker of the language and can proofread the plugin translation yourself.
10. Monitor Your Optimization Results
Besides putting in the work, it’s important to track your results. If you don’t track your focus keyword rankings, posts, and other content, you won’t know what is working and what isn’t. Your traffic and visitor engagement will work as your barometer.
Take a look at your bounce rate and any suggestions made by your visitors. Keep in mind that your results depend on your optimization but, also the type of business or website you are running.
An example is a Christmas blog. You can’t expect tons of traffic in the middle of summer because there isn’t a huge demand for holiday content.
Bottom Line
You might think applying some of our WordPress SEO tips is a hassle or time-consuming. While it may be uncharted territory for you, it’s worth all your hard work and time. Can you imagine what it would mean for your business or site to boost your traffic by 100 or even 200 percent?
It’s important to develop your own optimization plan. Start with the basics and test these strategies. Your results won’t happen overnight but, it will be worth it.
There isn’t a right or wrong plan. You must tailor your optimization plan to your objectives. Don’t forget to monitor your results and tweak your strategy.
Want to optimize your WordPress blog? Read our guide to conduct the best keyword research to improve your traffic today.
