WordPress SEO and Your Website

WordPress and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) don’t have to be scary things. By applying the right WordPress tricks to your WordPress site and content, SEO can be a breeze if you give the site the attention it needs.

Quality Content

Jason Hartman teaches the importance of content and for a good reason. The common internet saying “content is king” holds some amount of wisdom. With Google placing increased importance on quality and the consumer’s need for valuable information, creating quality content might be the most valuable thing you can do for your online presence. Additionally, it may be a good idea to link to other valuable content. This will point members of the audience to resources related to your niche or topic, and search engines often favor sites which link to other reputable websites.

Permalink URLs

Google’s algorithm is trained to ascertain the point of each page and every bit of content by the URL. For instance, if an URL is nothing but letters and numbers (i.e.: http://www.examplesite.com/?page=364aefd) Google won’t pull any information of value about the site or its content. However, if the link contains some description of what the article is about, along with some high ranking keywords (i.e.: http://www.examplesite.com/wordpress-seo-tips), Google will be able to recognize what’s on the page to start directing traffic toward it.

XML Sitemaps

An XML sitemap lets Google and other search engines know that your site actually exists so it can send web crawlers to it and include it in its directory. For an easy XML sitemap, it’s possible to download a WordPress plugin to generate a sitemap which creates an automatic update whenever content is added or changes are made to the site. This way, a crawler will be able to determine what your content is about and how much value it has to the average searcher.

Use Keywords

It’s possible to find relevant keywords using Google search and handy tools such as Google Adwords. Generally, it’s important to look for keywords with a high search rate and low competition. Once you find a good keyword, sprinkle it sparingly throughout the content, include the phrase in the permalink, and make it a part of the title. If you’re writing an article, include keywords in the first and last sentence and within headers.

Interested in learning more about building your own website? Read “7 Reasons to Build Your Own Website” for more information. (Top Image: Flickr | Adriano Gasparri)

The Speaking of Wealth Team