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 website based on WordPress.
WordPress is a great platform for creating websites quickly and easily, without having to be a GURU in HTML or CSS. With all its features, such as built-in editor, search engine friendliness, and free plugins, it allows you the possibility of creating a complete website in about a day!
Here are some tips on how to optimize your WordPress website for SEO:
Domain Name – Most people don’t realize how important it is to get the right domain name. The right domain name will include the main keywords you want to rank for on the search engines. For example, if your website is about dog training, use names such as DogTrainingForPuppies.com, or DogTrainingSecrets.com. Make sure your main keyword is part of the name. If possible, place it as close to the front as possible.
SEO Plugins – There are two great plugins available for WordPress in the area of SEO:
- 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 on your website (such as Contac Us, Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, etc.) don’t need to be indexed by the search engines. You want the search engines to focus on your main (money) pages, not on these unrelated pages. With this plugin you can specify which pages will have the “nofollow” and “noindex” tags.
Pictures – If you are using pictures in your website, don’t make the mistake of giving them generic names such as Pic1.jpg, or Pic2.jpg, etc. Give the pictures meaningful names, using the appropriate keywords in them. For example, names such as dog-training-poodle.jpg, or dog-training-jump.jpg will help the search engines figure out what your site is all about. Make sure you use keywords every chance you get!
Anchor Text and Backlinks – The more backlinks your site has, the more popular it is, and the more it will be liked by the search engines. Backlinks are links pointing back to your website from outside sources, such as articles, other blogs or websites. One 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 Dog Training for Puppies, click here.
In this example the link “click here” is your anchor text. The problem is that when the search engines index this link, they will label it as “click here”. NOT GOOD. Let’s re-write the sentence and change the link:
For more information, check Dog Training for Puppies for tips…
Now the anchor text is “Dog Training for Puppies”, and the link will be indexed under “Dog Training for Puppies”. MUCH BETTER!