Search engine optimization (SEO) is a vital part of any website. In this article I will present several tips on how to do SEO on a WordPress based website.
WordPress is a great platform to create websites quickly and easily, without having to be a GURU in HTML or CSS. With all its features such as the built-in editor, search engine ease of use, and free plugins, it gives you the ability to build a complete website in about a day!
Here are some tips on how to optimize your WordPress website for SEO:
Domain name – Most people do not realize how important it is to get the correct domain name. The correct domain name will include the main keywords you want to rank for in search engines. For example, if your website is about dog training, use names like DogTrainingForPuppies.com or DogTrainingSecrets.com. Make sure your main keyword is part of the name. If possible, position it as close to the front as possible.
SEO plugins – There are two excellent plugins available for WordPress in the SEO area:
- All-in-one SEO – This plugin allows you to edit the title, meta description and meta keyword tags for your home page as well as individual pages.
- Ultimate Noindex Nofollow – Some pages of your website (such as Contact Us, Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, etc.) do not need to be indexed by search engines. You want search engines to focus on your main (money) pages, not these unrelated pages. With this plugin you can specify which pages will have the “nofollow” and “noindex” tags.
Photos – If you are using images on your website, don’t make the mistake of giving them generic names like Pic1.jpg or Pic2.jpg etc. Give your images meaningful names, using the appropriate keywords in them. For example, names like dog-training-poodle.jpg or dog-training-jump.jpg will help search engines figure out what your site is about. Make sure to use keywords whenever you get the chance!
Anchor Text and backlinks – The more backlinks your site has, the more popular it will be and the more it will be liked by search engines. Backlinks are links that point to your website from external sources, such as articles, other blogs, or websites. An important part of the backlink is the Anchor Text. For example, let’s say you have the following sentence in an article:
For more information on puppy dog training, Click here.
In this example, the “click here” link is your anchor text. The problem is that when search engines index this link, they will label it as “click here”. NOT WELL. Let’s rewrite the sentence and change the link:
For more information, see Dog training for puppies for tips …
Now the anchor text is “Puppy Dog Training”, and the link will be indexed under “Puppy Dog Training”. BETTER!