13 WordPress Site Settings That are Critical for SEO Success
Here are 13 WordPress site settings that are critical for SEO success:
1 Make sure your site is visible to search engines. This is the most important setting of all. If search engines can't see your site, they can't rank it. To make sure your site is visible, go to Settings > Reading and uncheck the box next to "Discourage search engines from indexing this site."
2 Use SEO-friendly permalinks. Permalinks are the URLs of your blog posts and pages. They should be descriptive and easy to remember, and they should include your target keywords. To change your permalink structure, go to Settings > Permalinks.
3 Add titles and descriptions to your pages and posts. The title and description of a page or post are the most important SEO elements. They tell search engines what your content is about, and they are used in search results. Make sure your titles and descriptions are descriptive, keyword-rich, and accurate.
4 Use categories and tags. Categories and tags are a way to organize your content and make it easier for visitors to find what they're looking for. They also help search engines understand what your content is about. When you create a new post, be sure to add it to relevant categories and tags.
5 Write high-quality content. This is the most important SEO factor of all. If your content is good, people will want to read it, and search engines will reward you with higher rankings. Make sure your content is informative, well-written, and engaging.
6 Use images and videos. Images and videos can break up your text and make your content more visually appealing. They can also help you rank for more keywords. When you add images and videos to your posts, be sure to optimize them for SEO by adding descriptive alt text and titles.
7 Internal links. Internal links are links from one page or post to another on your website. They help search engines crawl your site and understand the relationships between your pages. When you write a new post, be sure to link to related posts from your blog.
8 External links. External links are links to other websites. They can help you build backlinks, which are a ranking factor in SEO. When you link to other websites, be sure to only link to high-quality sites that are relevant to your content.
9 Get social media shares. Social media shares can help you drive traffic to your website and improve your SEO. When you publish a new post, be sure to share it on social media.
10 Use a WordPress SEO plugin. There are many WordPress SEO plugins available that can help you improve your SEO. Some popular plugins include Yoast SEO, All in One SEO Pack, and Rank Math.
11 Keep your WordPress site up to date. WordPress is constantly being updated with new features and security patches. It's important to keep your WordPress site up to date to avoid security vulnerabilities and keep your SEO rankings strong.
12 Use a content delivery network (CDN). A CDN is a network of servers that deliver your website's content to visitors from the server that is closest to them. This can improve the speed of your website, which can improve your SEO.
13 Use a caching plugin. A caching plugin can help improve the speed of your website by storing static copies of your pages and posts in the cache. This can improve your SEO by reducing the number of times search engines have to crawl your website.
Following these settings will help you improve your WordPress site's SEO and get more traffic from search engines.