WordPress SEO is not rocket science, but it does require a moderate level of experience and understanding of common SEO practices. WordPress is my favorite CMS to work with as it allows every page of a website to be indexed with less leg work. Here are some top tips for optimizing your website’s WordPress SEO.
1. non-WWW versus WWW
How do you want your website to appear? non-WWW ( example.com ) or WWW ( www example com ) In your WP dashboard navigate to Settings > General, to assure the version you want to show up is set. If you don’t already have Google Webmaster Tools set up for your domain I highly suggest doing so; and verify that your settings are set the same there as well.
2. Optimizing Page Titles for SEO
The title page of your page is one of the single most important factors in determining your search engine visibility. This title becomes the “name” of the tab or browser window. This is also the first thing people will see in search results, followed by the URL and the snippet or summary description of the page.
Search engines put a lot of weight on the first couple of words, so be sure to keep your keywords near the beginning of the page title. If you read my previous post about The New SEO, you’ll remember that taking into consideration how a real set of eyes views your content is very important. People naturally gravitate towards the search engine listings that match their search terms.
3. Optimize Post Titles for SEO
You should already have an plugin installed for your post optimization such as Platinum SEO. These allow you to easily determine the title and description of each post. A couple great things to keep in mind when writing your post titles
a. The title should always contain the keyword you think is the most important, I refer to it as the focus keyword. Ideally you want it at the beginning of your title.
b. If your goal is to increase exposure of your Brand, include it in the title of each of your posts. Remember title descriptions are limited to 70 characters, so be creative.
c. Above all else, try to “sell” the viewer with your title. This is what they see in search engine results and can be the difference between them clicking on your post versus your competitor.
We’ll explore more WordPress SEO tips in future posts including topics such as XML sitemaps, Author highlighting, and the use of site-wide links (think the blogroll). In the meantime, you should begin to reap the rewards of more targeted traffic if you begin to understand that optimizing your website for search engines should be a top priority!
