WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems used today. It powers millions of websites and is capable of creating a complete site with a variety of categories with ease. WordPress also boasts thousands of plugins that extend its capabilities even further. However, in order to succeed on the internet today, you must use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques faithfully. This means that you must make it easy for search engines to index your WordPress site. This is done by embedding all of the necessary meta tags and page content (also known as internal linking) into the site’s source code. This article will describe 10 essential WordPress SEO settings that will help you become a WordPress SEO expert and keep your site at the top of search engine results.
1. Permalink Settings
This is one of the most important and often overlooked page settings in WordPress. It refers to the URL structure or “permanent links” that you use for your site. If you don’t use the proper permalink settings your site will be difficult for search engines to index and link. WordPress allows you to choose from several different types of permalinks. Although this isn’t an SEO-related setting, it will affect your traffic. In fact, there is a debate over whether or not you should use either the “post name” or the “slug” permalink structure.
2. Post Titles
The key to ranking well in search engines is to create page titles that are clear and concise so that when people search for relevant topics they’ll find your site. In order to do this, you must use the WordPress “Post Title” tag. By using the correct post title in your site’s code, you can be sure that search engines will include your page within their results.
TIP: If it sounds too good to be true, then it usually is. In this case, make sure that you test both “slug” and “post name” examples before implementing them in your site’s code.
3. Meta Keywords
Meta keywords in WordPress are used to include a set of keywords specific to your target audience. This means you can search for a certain topic and have certain terms appear on a search engine’s algorithm results page. In order to do this, your WordPress site’s code must use the “Meta Keywords” tag. Many SEO experts recommend having at least 150 different keywords that you would like the search engine to include.
4. Meta Description
The Meta description is an HTML image that tells the reader about your site. Although this sounds counterintuitive, including it in your Meta tags will increase traffic and help you rank better in search engine results. You can think of it as a blurb or sales pitch for your site.
5. HTML Head Tags
The two most essential tags here are the “title” and “description” tags. Since they are visible to both human readers and search engines, they will have a direct impact on your page’s CTR (Click through Rate) which will improve your ranking. You can use these meta tags to describe your site in the best possible light. You should also make sure that your site has a “description” tag as this is an important part of a search engine’s algorithm results.
6. Internal Linking
Internal linking involves creating pages within a site and allowing them to link back to each other. Since most blogs are organized into categories and subcategories, internal linking is essential for SEO success. However, there are some important rules to follow when linking internally:
• Avoid using the same title for all links as these will appear repetitive in your site’s code.
• Don’t overdo internal linking or else it could cause a “hit and run” type of effect that could get you penalized by search engines. You should have around 60-100 internal links on a single page. The more relevant the content is, the more links you can include on that page.
7. Tag Settings
This refers to the “content management system” or “CMS” in WordPress SEO settings. These are usually accessed through the WordPress admin panel and they allow you to choose from various content types. When you have a larger blog, you must use this setting because it helps to organize your site’s categories, tags, and post types into logical groups.
8. Robots Settings
The Robots settings define what type of pages should be indexed by search engines. The “robots.txt” file usually handles these. Although you can write your own, a good rule of thumb is to keep it short and sweet at about 100 characters. Avoid uploading files through this setting as it would be best to use FTP or web-based upload tools instead.
Similar Link: 8 Most Acceptable Ways to Handle PPC Landing Pages for SEO
9. Canonical Linking
A canonical link is a code that works like a redirect. This means that if you have multiple domain names (like example.com and example.com), then the canonical link can be used to direct people to the correct version of your site. For instance, if you have a blog about football and a YouTube channel, then the visitor would see your blog via the “canonical” link rather than the “index” version which is the one that contains all of your site’s content.
10. Google XML Sitemaps
Google XML sitemap settings allow you to create a custom code that can be used to tell Google what your site’s content is about. This means that you can reference these settings in the “robots.txt” file and add the appropriate code to the file. This is a very useful tool for all WordPress users because it will keep your pages well organized and makes it easy for search engines to find everything that you want them to see.
Wrap Up
We hope that you enjoyed this list of the top 10 best SEO settings for WordPress. With the knowledge contained in this article, you will be well on your way to creating a site that is sure to go viral and give you the results that you are looking for. If you have any questions about WordPress SEO settings, then feel free to post them on our Facebook page or shoot us an email.
