Search engine optimization is not rocket science but it can be confusing, especially for those who are just starting out. You want to ensure that your blog is SEO friendly to actually attract viewers. There is no magic potion to improving your WordPress blog’s SEO; however, there are a few tips that will methodically improve your site’s ranking.
Content is Key
Your blog is all about content – so make it a worthwhile read by constantly updating, adding and editing your content. Write excellent content that people will actually want to read. SEO aside, this is the first (and certainly most important) thing we all need to remember when it comes to blogging.
Comment on other Useful Blogs
You need to read to be read. What this means is that if you are reading a blog that is particularly interesting and applies to your blog, leave a comment and a link to your blog, if it’s suitable. This does not mean, however, littering a number of different blogs with a link to yours. Furthermore, when you are leaving a comment, make it worthwhile. Offer some advice or another piece of information relevant to the article. Do not comment just for the sake of commenting.
Header Help
Make sure you are using your header tags correcting within the posts. “H1” tells Google this is the most important thing on the whole page. For that reason, it should contain post titles, not your blog’s title. “H2” is the second most important content on the page, so should be used for sub-headings. Use “H3” for sub headings and sidebar element and use “H4” for low for sidebar elements.
Sitemap for Success
Sitemaps are not only helpful for viewers that get lost, but they also tell the search engine reports what your content is all about. With a site map, search engine robots are able to index your content appropriately meaning you get the visitors that you want. WordPress makes site mapping simple with the Google XML Sitemaps plug-in! Install it, set it up and tell Google where your new sitemap is.
Alt Tag Images
Images are important for every blog. However, without the ever important Alt-tag, search engines are unable to tell what that certain image is. WordPress makes it easy to Alt tag images so make sure you do it! Simply fill out the description when you upload the image and you’re done!
Choose your Plug-Ins Wisely
There are a number of different WordPress plug-ins available and it might seem appropriate to use as many as possible. After all, they are there to use right? Wrong. You’ll end up with a lot of unnecessary clutter. Select your plug-ins wisely. The one we recommend is SEO Super Comments plug-in which can generates pages for all your comments, making them indexable by search engines. What this means is that your comments can actually help you rank higher on search engines. Perfect!
Beautify your Permalinks
Under the settings tab in the WordPress backend, click “Permalinks”. Choose an option that will work with your blog. Our suggestion? “Custom Structure” with either /category/post-name or /post-name. Simple yet elegant.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Contact us today for more information on how we can improve your business or create your company a web presence that will dominate the search engines and deliver results. Call today at (612) 558-1020 for a free phone consultation.
