WordPress SEO: A Guide for Higher Rankings and More Traffic

WordPress SEO, did you know that a staggering 96.55% of webpages get no traffic from Google?

Don’t let your WordPress site become one of them.

Here’s how to supercharge your site’s search rankings, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro. We’ll help you become an SEO expert in no time!

Tools You’ll Need

WordPress SEO, before diving in, here’s what you’ll need to succeed with SEO on your WordPress site:

• Reliable Hosting: Slow hosting can make implementing SEO strategies harder. At WordPress.com, they offer lightning-fast hosting for WordPress sites. However, even if you’re with another hosting provider, you can still benefit from the tips in this guide.
• Essential Plugins: There are plugins for almost every SEO task. We’ll mention a few throughout this guide. Users on the business plan or higher at WordPress.com can install plugins.
• Patience and Effort: SEO is an ongoing process that takes time, but the results are worth it.

• Fast & Secure Hosting: With top-tier performance, your site loads quickly, something both search engines and users love.
• Automatic Updates: Your site stays up-to-date with the latest WordPress versions, ensuring maximum performance.
• Jetpack CDN: WordPress.com sites benefit from a built-in Content Delivery Network (CDN), which improves site speed by caching content closer to users and optimising file delivery.
• XML Sitemaps: Automatically generated XML sitemaps provide search engines with a clear, structured list of your site’s crawlable content.
• Plugin Flexibility: With the Business plan or higher, you can install plugins to further optimise your site.

Not familiar with these terms yet? Don’t worry! We’ll explain everything as we go along.

Step 1: Install An SEO Plugin

A solid SEO plugin is crucial for ensuring your site is search engine-friendly. These plugins simplify tasks that boost your SEO efforts.

Here are three plugins we recommend:

• Yoast SEO
• All-In-One SEO
• Rank Math

These plugins unlock a wealth of SEO features we’ll refer to throughout the guide, so be sure to install one of them if you haven’t already.

Step 2: Use The Latest Version Of WordPress

Outdated WordPress versions can cause technical issues, often affecting site performance. Newer versions come with performance and optimisation improvements.

At WordPress.com, your site is automatically updated. If you’re using another hosting provider, check whether they handle updates or if you need to do it yourself.

Step 3: Conduct Keyword Research

Keywords are the search terms people use to find content. Identifying and using relevant keywords in your posts and pages will help users discover your content.

There are various tools to assist with keyword research. Here are three free options:

• Google Keyword Planner: Displays search volume for keywords.
• KeywordTool.io: Generates keyword ideas based on Google’s autocomplete suggestions.
• Answer The Public: Generates related keyword ideas from user questions.

For a more in-depth approach, check out Ahrefs’ beginner’s guide to keyword research.

Tip: Avoid creating multiple pages or posts with similar content for the same keyword. This can confuse search engines and result in poor rankings for both pages.

• Categories: Group content by broad topics (e.g., “Recipes,” “Product Reviews”).
• Tags: Focus on specific details (e.g., “Italian Cuisine,” “Smartphones”).

To prevent confusion:

• Use categories for major topics and tags for specifics.
• Avoid creating identical categories and tags.
• Set tag archive pages to “nofollow” if necessary (available with Yoast, AIOSEO, or Rank Math).

Tip: Always be careful when using “nofollow” or “noindex” settings to ensure you’re not accidentally blocking content you want indexed.

Step 5: Simplify Your Menu Structure

Easy to navigate menus enhance the user experience and help search engines understand your site structure.

Group relevant pages together in your menu, for example:

• Main menu: Products → Product Categories

Tip: Keep your footer organised by listing important pages, with subpages listed under the main page category.

Step 6: Utilise Internal Linking

Internal links connect related pages or posts on your site, helping search engines understand your content’s relationships.

• Link related pages within your content.
• Include links to other relevant blog posts.
• Ensure landing pages (e.g., sign-up or product pages) are linked from your blog posts.

Tip: Set internal links to open in the same window, while external links should open in a new tab.

Step 7: Fix Broken Links

Broken links harm user experience and hinder search engines from crawling your site. Use a broken link detection plugin to find and fix these links by updating them to point to relevant content.

Step 8: Consolidate Duplicate Content

If you have multiple pages with similar content, merge them into one authoritative page. Use a redirection plugin to ensure users and search engines are directed to the correct page.

Step 9: Optimise Your Permalink Structure

Permalinks determine how your URLs are structured. A well-structured URL helps search engines understand your content better.

For blog posts, ensure your permalinks include:

• Date: Useful for historical content.
• Post Category: Helps with relevance.
• Post Name: Ensure the post name contains the main keyword and is concise.

Tip: WordPress.com users with the Business plan or higher can customise permalink structures.

Step 10: Add An XML Sitemap

XML sitemaps help search engines crawl your site efficiently. WordPress.com automatically generates one for you. For other hosts, use SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math to generate an XML sitemap.

Step 11: Optimise Metadata

Metadata provides search engines with information about your content. Here’s how to optimise it:

Title Tags

• Keep them under 60 characters.
• Include the primary keyword.
• Ensure they’re clear and compelling.

Meta Descriptions

• Keep them between 120-150 characters.
• Use persuasive language and include a call to action.

Step 12: Optimise Your Images

Search engines can’t “see” images, so it’s important to optimise them for better ranking.

• Use keyword-rich file names for images.
• Add descriptive alt text to help search engines understand the image.

Step 13: Speed Up Your Site

Fast-loading sites rank better. To speed up your site:

• Choose a fast hosting provider (WordPress.com is optimised for speed).
• Use a CDN (like Jetpack or Cloud flare) to serve content faster.
• Compress images without losing quality.

SEO Tips for Blog Posts

Blog posts require specific SEO strategies. Here’s what to keep in mind:

• Write Unique Content: Always publish original content that serves user needs.
• Use Keywords Naturally: Avoid keyword stuffing; make your writing flow naturally.
• Use Header Tags Properly: Follow a logical hierarchy (H1 for the title, H2 for main subheadings, H3 for sub-subheadings).
• Keep Sentences Short: Aim for concise sentences and paragraphs.
• Display Excerpts: Show post excerpts rather than full posts on archive pages for better user navigation.

Measuring Your SEO Success

Once you’ve implemented SEO strategies, measure their effectiveness using tools like:

• Jetpack Stats (available on all WordPress.com sites).
• Google Search Console (provides insights into how users find your site).
• Google Analytics (detailed data on site performance).

Conclusion: Increase Your Traffic

With these SEO strategies, your WordPress site will be well on its way to higher rankings and more traffic. While SEO is a long-term effort, consistent implementation will eventually pay off.

Start with a fast, reliable hosting provider like WordPress.com, and keep optimising to boost your rankings. Good luck!