When you optimize your website for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) you are trying to make your website gain popularity within the search engines. The intent is to rank favorably in the eyes of Google, Yahoo, Bing, and the other search engines so that you can be listed on the first page of the search results.
“If you build it, he will come” was the quote in the movie Field of Dreams. Most people quote it as “If you build it, they will come”. Unfortunately, many people wrongly think that if they put up a website, people will come flocking to it causing massive amounts of site traffic! Getting visibility and traffic to your site is certainly possible, but keep in mind it takes some work.
Generally speaking, WordPress is known as SEO-friendly architecture. Websites created with WordPress normally get higher ranks in reasonable periods of time when compared to ‘traditional’ custom websites. Nevertheless, there are still some tips on how to optimize WordPress to get more ‘Google Juice’ and rank better in the search engines.
Change the Default Permalinks
The URL (also known as a website address) that directs to a particular post in a specified blog is called a Permalink. The default permalink in WordPress is SEO UNfriendly. It looks terrible, it is nothing that someone wants to remember, and specific terms for links are not included in it.
Needless to say, the permalinks should be changes to be more SEO friendly ones by changing the the options found in permalinks (In your WordPress Dashboard, under Settings, then Permalinks). 2 common formats are: /%postname%/ and %category%/%postname%. With this change, the url to a page may look like http: //yoursite.com/?p=387 (not very appealing to people or Search Engines! Once you change the permalinks the url will look like either http: //yoursite.com/article-title or http: //yoursite.com/thecategory/article-title.
Keywords, Keywords, Keywords!
One very important strategy to use is to include your keywords within your page or posts. This is one of the best methods to rank higher – have the content on the page reflect what you want to be ranked for! If you want to rank high for Underwater basket weaving, have content on your page talking about Underwater Basket Weaving!
There is actually a great plugin to help with this – SEOPressor! This plugin helps let you know various tactics for on-page SEO. I use this on several of my sites. It is certainly worth a look!
All In One SEO Plugin
Another plugin that is certainly worth mentioning is the All In One SEO plugin. This plugin compliments SEOPressor and is free. This plugin will fine tune page navigational links, and will also automatically optimizes your titles for search engines. You can also override any title and set any META description and any META keywords you want. In addition, it will do a bunch of other stuff as well – so much that I will eventually write a post about all the functionality of this plugin.
As a side not, if you are using the Thesis theme, you do not need to install All in One SEO plugin due to the SEO capabilities of that theme.
Bu implementing just a few easy strategies, you can begin to optimize your site so the search engines find your site favorable! A Favorable site will get betting rankings in the search engines.
Nice post. I’d never heard of the SEOPressor plugin, but it sounds very useful.
Have you had a chance to try the Yoast WordPress SEO plugin? It seems a lot like the All in One SEO Pack but it incorporates some extra features, such as an XML sitemap and a .htaccess editor. It’s still in the beta stages though, and I have heard reports of minor bugs.
Hi Graham –
I have not yet tried the Yoast WordPress SEO plugin, but I am always testing and looking into these things. Perhaps I will check it out and write a review of it. Sounds like it could be a good post to compare it to All in One SEO Pack! I really like SEOPressor – maybe I should write a review about that as well (That one will be easy to write since I use it on several of my sites!)
Thanks for the suggestion, Graham!
Be Well.
Paul.
Hey Paul – Man some really great posts here since the last time I stopped by. You always have such great information. I always find something I need to fix on my site. LOL Thanks and keep up the great work. :)) Michele
Michele –
No stagnation over here! Always on the move to get better and better! Judging by your comments, I will take that as an indication that I am moving in the right direction! I am honored by your remarks!
Be Well.
Paul.