As an open source and quite an affordable option, WordPress is a platform that attracts most users. It’s also very simple to use and it has an advantage too – Google loves it. This means that Google favors the content coming from WordPress. But if you have a WP website, this doesn’t mean that you can just forget about SEO. In fact, you still need it – but beware of the top SEO mistakes you can make. Here are some SEO mistakes to avoid.
Not Optimizing WordPress Weak Links
Everyone knows by now just how important links are to Google. So, having a great interlinking system on your site means better ranking.
Remember to link to your own articles where it makes sense. This helps reduce the bounce rates and improves the user experience. You also need to link to authority websites, also where it makes sense. These can be research studies, news, statements, and so on – just make sure they’re relevant. Of course, keywords in the anchor text are recommended.
Weak links are one of the top SEO mistakes people commonly make, so avoiding them can be really beneficial.
Forgetting Social Media and SEO for WordPress
The number of times your posts or pages are shared is also important to Google (more visitors), and therefore it’s another element of your SEO journey. In fact, according to Mary Greeley, a WP manager at Writinity and Last Minute Writing, “if you don’t optimize the way you post to social media, it could hamper your strategy. So, make sure that you are using an automation tool that posts to social media as soon as you publish and that your social media posts have that element of shareability”.
No SiteMap
One of the top SEO mistakes is having no SiteMap. You need to submit a Sitemap to Google if you want to have a good ranking and be successful at optimizing WordPress. This is a database of everything on your website. It serves the purpose of helping Google crawlers find their way around your site, to the things you want them to index – that’s why it’s a map. Use Yoast SEO to create your XML sitemap.
Not Optimizing WordPress Website’s Permalinks
When optimizing WordPress, forgetting about permalinks is one of the biggest SEO mistakes. Permalinks tell visitors and search engines what your pages are about. So, you should define your permalink structure by going into your backend and looking at Settings, then Permalinks.
An ideal format for permalinks is to follow page or post name but you can also add a date where appropriate. You can adjust permalinks for each post specifically.
Poor SERP Presentation
You can use the Yoast SEO plugin to optimize how your posts appear on search results, social media, and so on. You can edit the snippet that appears in the search results and also fix up the meta data in a way that creates the optimal conditions for you. Fill out all the necessary fields and make sure to include your keywords to have a great SEO for WordPress.
Failing to Write Great Content: SEO Mistake to Avoid
If you don’t have a big budget, your first thought might be to use beginner writers to spin content for you for low compensation. However, this is not a good idea. Instead, you could consider the benefits good writing brings and pay your writers properly for premium content. The amount of quality you get is based on the price you pay.
Weak content is probably the top SEO mistake, simply because people will find no value in that content.
Not Checking for Broken Links When Optimizing SEO for WordPress
Google likes to support websites that are clean, meaning your links should always be updated. Try not to send your visitors to error pages, as this is one of the top SEO mistakes people make. To automate this, install Broken Link Checker. Frank Holsten, a blogger at Draft Beyond and Research Papers UK, explains “not only will it tell you which links are broken, but you can be subscribed to receive emails when links break and you can go fix them right away”.
Not Optimizing WordPress with Google
If you are not using Google Analytics, you should start right away. Google Analytics can be linked to your WordPress site and it allows you to see many different analytics elements that help you improve your website.
WordPress is one of the best options as a platform that provides you with good SEO optimization. If you learn from these top SEO mistakes, your experience can be even better. I hope you’ve discovered some useful tips in this article. Stick around to learn even more!
Author’s bio: Ashley Halsey, a SEO specialist for Gum Essays and Lucky Assignments, is involved with helping websites and businesses improve their search rankings by optimizing their sites. She enjoys helping small businesses and start-ups rank higher and become more visible online.
Image 1 by Kevin Phillips from Pixabay
Image 2 by Ashley Halsey from Yoast.com
Image 3 by Ashley Halsey from Google
Image 4 by Ashley Halsey from Google Analytics
Original article Published here >
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