WordPress SEO for Beginners: A Definitive Guide (2024)

Are you a beginner looking forward to learning WordPress SEO to improve your site’s search engine ranking? If yes, we’ve got you covered!

In today’s digital landscape, the basics of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) are essential to making your WordPress site stand out in search engine results.

Keeping this in mind, in this WordPress SEO tutorial, we’ll explain the core principles of SEO to help you take control of your site’s search engine ranking.

What is SEO for WordPress?

SEO (Search engine optimization) is the process of improving a site’s visibility on a search engine results page (SERP).

The site owners use it to help search engines understand your content and help users find your site.

SEO involves:

• Keyword Research
• Content Creation
• Link Building
• On-page SEO 
• Meta Titles and Descriptions
• XML Sitemaps
• Image optimization
• Technical SEO

Focusing on SEO practices can enhance your WordPress site’s SEO performance and boost its visibility in search results.

WordPress SEO for Beginners (Step-by-Step Guide)

1. Check Your Site’s Visibility Settings

By default, WordPress offers a built-in option to hide your site from search engines, such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. This option gives you time to work on your site before it goes public.

When you’re done, you can publish your site. But what if you forgot to make your site visible to search engines? 

So, before diving into SEO WordPress tactics, ensuring your WordPress site isn’t blocking search engines is better. 

To do so, go to the left sidebar of the WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Settings, and click the Reading option.

See the image below:

On the next screen, confirm if the “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” option is unchecked.

Note: If this option is checked, no matter how much you do for your site SEO, it will be useless.

2. Doing Keyword Research for WordPress SEO

Mostly, beginners have no idea what topics people are interested in and what would benefit them to add to their blogs.

Remember, before conducting keyword research, one should have a general idea of what users may be searching for related to their business/service. From there, competitor analysis is performed, followed by detailed keyword research. 

That is no problem! You can use keyword research tools to find out what words users search for in search engines, such as Google, to find content, products, etc.

Multiple keyword research tools (e.g., free and paid) are available on the market. We recommend using Semrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner, and Analtify.

These tools help you find out low-competition keywords and even where your competitors rank.

See, this is how Analytify shows the top keywords that your website is getting the most clicks on:

3. Using SEO-Friendly URL Structures in WordPress

Ensure that your site has SEO-friendly URLs that consist of words that clearly explain the page’s content and are easy for both humans and search engines to read.

• Add Keywords
• Use Hyphens 
• Don’t Use Numbers or Dates
• Hide www Prefix
• Using short URLs 

To do this, go to the left sidebar of the WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Settings, and click the Permalinks option.

On the next screen, select the post name option and click the Save Changes button to store your settings.

4. Use SEO Plugins to Boost Your Site Visibility

SEO plugins offer a user-friendly interface for optimizing your site in a way that makes it easy to skyrocket your site’s ranking, such as:

• Content Analysis
• Schema markup
• SEO keywords
• Broken Link Checker
• XML Sitemap
• Breadcrumbs1
• Focus Keyword

Multiple free SEO plugins like Yoast SEO and Rank Math are available in the WordPress plugins repository. 

See the image below:

You can use any of these plugins for your site to add everything needed for improving site optimization, such as:

• Meta titles
• Descriptions
• Content readability

Undoubtedly, these plugins will help you get a higher rank in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page) with minimal effort.

5. Track Your WordPress SEO Stats with Analytify

It’s always a good idea to monitor your site’s performance to determine your SEO strategy’s effectiveness.

Analytify, the best WordPress analytics plugin, can check your site’s SEO analytics.

The best part is that you can use this plugin across your site to track the important SEO metrics of the total number of visitors, such as organic traffic, top landing pages, and much more.

 It also helps you understand how your pages and content perform regarding traffic, engagement, and conversions.

You can check the top pages by views.

You can also check the keywords report, which tells how people are finding your site.

Analytify also helps to monitor real-time data. You can quickly check how many visitors are online on your site currently, and they can be specified by device categories as well, for example, desktop visitors.

6. Add XML Sitemaps for WordPress SEO

An XML sitemap is a file that contains a site’s posts and pages. Search engines use crawlers (robots) that index and add your site to SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).

This file is used to help search engines find, evaluate, and rank the content on your site.

You can create an XML sitemap only if you are proficient in coding. However, installing and activating a relevant plugin for your site is better if you are not tech-savvy or have little coding knowledge.

For example, Yoast SEO, or one dedicated to creating sitemaps, such as Google XML Sitemaps, creates your sitemaps for you automatically. 

See the image below:

These plugins can help search engines crawl your site more effectively. They often generate sitemaps automatically and submit them to search engines like Google.

7. Improve User Experience for Better SEO

A positive site’s user experience (UX) makes your site page more accessible, usable, and valuable. As a result, your site’s SEO will improve, helping drive traffic.

Remember, the login page serves as the gateway for your site. It is necessary to create a user-friendly and secure login interface. This will help reduce bounce rates and enhance overall site usability, which plays an essential role in contributing positively to SEO.

This is where you can use LoginPress, the best WordPress login page customizer plugin. It is packed with features that let you create a well-designed, fast, and user-friendly login page plugin that reduces bounce rates and improves engagement.

This is what the LoginPress customizer section offers:

For example, it enables you to use your logo, brand colors, and styles to provide a seamless experience. In addition, it ensures that your login page is mobile-friendly (which is also best for optimizing your site for SEO).

In addition, LoginPress supports social login options, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Microsoft, allowing users to log in quickly using their social media accounts. It facilitates users’ login and registration with ease on your site, contributing to enhancing the user experience.

See the social login below:

8. Utilize Categories and Tags

Categories and tags provide overall structure to your WordPress site. They help you create a link to specific content on your site. 

So, beginners should organize their content with categories and tags for improving WordPress SEO. This will enhance site navigation and help search engines better understand their content.

Here is a fine example of categories created with a WordPress blog: 

In addition, tags are more specific keywords. 

See the image below:

9. Create a Custom 404 Page

If any of your site pages is down or unavailable for some reason, e.g., under construction, your site visitors will see a 404 page.

404 pages can badly hurt your site’s overall SEO.

This is what a 404 page looks like:

Note that the 404 Page not found error negatively affects your site’s user experience and SEO. 

Therefore, it is recommended that you redirect users to custom 404 pages that have everything needed to take visitors to the desired content. 

See the image below:

10. Utilize Featured Images

It is also a good SEO practice for beginners to use featured images in their content, as they attract traffic to a post. 

When you add it to your site, it’s better to use keywords for featured images instead of generic ones, as this is considered good SEO practice.

See an example below:

When uploading a featured image to your site, you should add all the essential information, such as alt text, Title, Caption, and Description, to help search engines understand it.

11. Add Your Focus Keyword Early In Your Content

It is better to place your focus keyword within the first 100 words of your content. This increases your chances of appearing in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).

For example, if you are writing a blog with the focus keyword best amp plugins for wordpress, ensure it appears in the first 10% of your content.

See the image below:

12. Write Targeted Page Titles and Meta Description

Page titles play a very important role in helping readers understand the main idea of the content. It is the first thing users see before visiting your content.

Besides this, you should always create meta descriptions that tell searchers what your page is about. This will help them understand the content even better.

Here are some practices that you should consider when creating meta titles:

• Add the Target Keyword (in the first 10% of your content)
• Use simple language
• Play Reader’s Emotions

This is what the page title looks like:

13. Optimize Your Site’s Loading Speed

Slow websites harm your SEO rankings. The following best practices to help boost site speed and reliability: 

• Optimize Images

• Limit the Number of HTTP Requests
• Use Browser HTTP Caching
• Limit the Use of External Scripts
• Minify CSS and JavaScript Files

So, to speed up your WordPress site, it’s better to use a caching plugin to optimize images and minimize CSS/JavaScript.

There are multiple WordPress caching plugins available for free in the WordPress repository.

Note: See our detailed guide on the 7 Best WordPress Cache Plugins.

For example, if the WP Rcket, a WordPress caching plugin is there to help increase performance grade, load time, page size, etc.

14. Optimize Images for SEO

Note that large images can also slow down your site, hurting its overall SEO. So, it is better to compress your images before uploading them to your site.

For this purpose, you can install and activate an image compression plugin on your site.

There are tons of free image compression available for you in the WordPress plugins repository.

See the image below:

WordPress image compression plugins are designed to help you compress image file size without losing its quality. So that you can add as many images to your site as possible, they will not slow down your page speed.

This is how Smush compresses your images to improve SEO for WP:

Note: If you need help picking the right plugin for your site, read our guide on the 7 Best WordPress Image Optimizer Plugins.

15. Use Internal Linking

Internal linking refers to linking to other pages within your website. It is one of the best good WordPress search engine optimization practices. 

Note: See our detailed guide on How to Easily Add WordPress Internal Links (2024).

This is essential for SEO in WordPress because:

• Search engines use internal links to crawl and index your site and understand the structure and hierarchy.
• Linking to important pages boosts your site’s SEO value. It signals search engines which content you prioritize.
• It can improve user experience by guiding them to related content.
• It helps extend user time for your site.

For example, if you create a new post on your site, you can add internal links from other related posts to that page.

This is how internal links look like:

Tip: You can use keyword-rich anchor text and link to high-value pages.

16. Build Backlinks To Your Website

You can also use Backlinks to increase your chances of appearing in the search results. They are essential in determining your site’s authority and ranking in search engines.

You can use high-quality backlinks from reputable sites. It will signal to search engines, such as Google, that your content is valuable.

In addition, backlink strategies also include guest blogging, content promotion, etc.

Tip: Always earn backlinks naturally through valuable content rather than purchasing them. Because search engines can penalize you for this.

17. Schema Markup and Rich Snippets (FAQ schema, Reviews, and more)

Schema markup is structured data. Add it to your site’s code to help search engines understand your content better. 

Note: See our detailed guide on 11 Best Schema Plugins For WordPress (2024).

This is what the recipe schema looks like:

Other than this, you can add how-to schemas to your site:

FAQ schema increases visibility by showing a Q&A format directly in search results. 

On the other hand, the review schema displays star ratings, which can improve click-through rates. And lastly, rich snippets that make your content stand out in search results and improve your overall SEO.

18. Optimize WordPress Comments

If managed well, comments can help boost user engagement and SEO. User-generated content in comments adds to the overall value of the page.

Note: See our detailed guide on A Complete Guide on WordPress Comments (2024)

To.

Remember, comments can also lead to spam, which harms your site’s reputation and SEO. To avoid this, you can use a plugin like Thrive Comments to block spammy comments.

Note: To select the right plugin for your site, see our detailed guide on the 11 Best WordPress Comment Plugins (2024).

Tip: It is better to disable comments on old posts to prevent spam. 

WordPress SEO FAQs

WordPress SEO: Final Thoughts

To sum up, WordPress is the best content management system (CMS) for improving search engine visibility.

We’ve outlined a WordPress SEO guide for you; try it now to ensure the success of your WordPress site.

That’s all for this article!

Here are the keytakeaways:

• Check Your Site’s Visibility Settings
• Doing Keyword Research for WordPress SEO
• Using SEO-Friendly URL Structures in WordPress
• Use SEO Plugins to Boost Your Site Visibility
• Track Your WordPress SEO Stats with Analytify
• Add XML Sitemaps for WordPress SEO
• Improve User Experience for Better SEO
• Utilize Categories and Tags
• Create a Custom 404 Page
• Utilize Featured Images
• Add Your Focus Keyword Early In Your Content
• Write Targeted Page Titles and Meta Description
• Optimize Your Site’s Loading Speed
• Optimize Images for SEO
• Use Internal Linking
• Build Backlinks To Your Website
• Schema Markup and Rich Snippets (FAQ schema, Reviews, and more)
• Optimize WordPress Comments

You can also check out our other articles, including Top LoginPress Addons To Boost Your WordPress Login Experience and WordPress Security Audit: Updated Checklist.

Do you know any other helpful WordPress SEO beginner tips?

Let us know in the comment section below.