So, you’ve done the basics and optimised your WordPress site for Google. But what’s next?
Apart from choosing a reliable web host, creating a sitemap and setting up an SEO plugin, there’s plenty more you can do to improve your search engine ranking.
Remember that SEO is not just a one-time thing. You should constantly look for ways to further enhance the usability and functionality of your website.
To help you out in your SEO journey, here are some great ways to keep your website optimised – both for search engines and users.
Does your page take more than three seconds to load? Then this is an obvious sign that you have to improve your site speed.
If not, you shouldn’t be too complacent. Just because your page loads quickly on your computer doesn’t mean that this is the case for all users.
To check your website’s loading speed, you can use free tools such as Pingdom and GTmetrix. The results will show you not only the overall load time, but also a quick overview of the ways you can refine your site’s performance.
Usually, what you can do to bump up your site speed is to remove unnecessary plugins. But how much plugins is too much, you ask?
As a rule of thumb, you should only be using what you really need. Keep in mind that installing a single comprehensive plugin is ultimately better than having several that perform different functions. In this case, doing a bit more research on the best plugins is crucial.
A caching plugin is one of the most critical add-ons that you should have on WordPress. If you need a significant boost on load speed, installing a plugin such as W3 Total Cache, WP Rocket and Hyper Cache will do the trick.
It works by creating static HTML files instead of PHP files, reducing the number of requests between the server and the user’s browser. With this, your website’s loading time will be cut down.
Now, there are lots of ways you can boost site speed – and most of them require technical expertise. Each website is different, so consulting with a professional is the best way to go.
Encountering broken links is frustrating! Just imagine clicking on a link expecting to find further information, only to be redirected to a non-existent page.
Having these can leave a bad impression on your website – both to users and search engines. Not only will it ruin user experience, but it will also take a toll on SEO as bots will fail to crawl your website properly.
To avoid this, you should regularly check if your links are working. However, doing this manually is not advisable because it is too time-consuming.
It’s best to install a plugin like Broken Link Checker or sign up for an SEO audit tool such as SEMrush. Using Google Search Console’s broken link detection feature would work as well.
Although it is reported that Google uses computer vision algorithms to understand images, text remain to play a huge role in helping them identify what these portray.
No matter how advanced this technology is, search engines still rely heavily on context clues from the page’s content to be able to closely tell what the image is about.
With this in mind, it says a lot how important adding alternative (alt) text to images is. After all, it will help search engine bots accurately index your visual assets, further boosting your website’s value.
Adding alt text to images on your WordPress posts is very simple. Once an image is inserted on the content block, just click on it and a menu will show up.
After this, locate the pencil icon. Upon clicking the button, a window will appear where you can type in the alt text.
Be sure to come up with a precise and detailed description to fully optimise your images.
In these times, content should be at the core of your SEO efforts.
Though technical SEO is just as essential, content focuses on providing the needs of the users. And there’s nothing more important to Google than presenting the most relevant results to help users find the information they seek.
So, how can you ensure that your content is valuable to your audience?
The first thing you need to do is choose a key phrase that will greatly describe the topic you’re planning to write about. In this way, you can build your write-up around that key phrase.
After this, it’s crucial to determine the users’ search intent for that certain key phrase. Are they looking to shop or just want some information? Identifying their intention will guide you through the right approach to writing and ensure that your content satisfies their needs.
When it comes to the writing process, drafting an outline first is critical to help you refine the flow of your content.
Note that evergreen, long-form content ranks better, so you might want to pack as much information as possible that will remain relevant for long.
Be sure to come up with an engaging introduction that tells readers what to expect from the whole write-up.
As for the body, list down your main points of argument and use headings to organise the copy. Finally, end it with a conclusion that summarises the idea of your content and include a clear call-to-action.
Upon completing your write-up, read it over and over again. You’ll be surprised how much you can still improve upon the copy – from fixing grammatical errors to tackling redundancy issues.
Aside from content, site structure and navigation can greatly influence how users and search engines view your website. Adding categories and tags is a great way to get organised.
For users, it will guide them to the exact page or post that they are looking for. As for search engines, crawlers will be able to index your website with precision.
If you’re keeping a blog, this is a thing that you can greatly take advantage of.
In WordPress, adding categories and tags is pretty straightforward. Simply locate the specific tabs on the right sidebar of the content block to assign the most relevant categories and tags. The ‘Quick edit’ feature will also allow you add these even without opening the post.
These are just some of the most effective ways you can optimise your WordPress site.
Note that it takes a lot more than these strategies for you to see significant changes on your ranking. It’s always best to keep up with the latest SEO news and updates to discover what techniques will work out best.
If you’re having trouble boosting your search engine ranking, it might be time to get assistance from experts. FX Web Studio takes a holistic approach to SEO, making sure that the best strategies are employed to meet the specific needs of your business.
For more information, give us a call on 1300 090 401 today.
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