You just logged in to the WordPress admin panel and wrote a new article for your readers. You’re about to click Publish and then return to your regular life. Well, hold on a second! Since you must ensure it is SEO-friendly, you spend a great deal of time writing if you want people who use search engines to find the content.
In the next post, I’ll show you how simple it is to make the necessary changes so that your material interests your readers and appears when people search for the topic you wrote about on Google and other search engines.
1. Keywords
Keywords are still an important part of SEO, but before you write an article, you should look into how people search for the topic you’re writing about. Ahrefs says people search for SEO courses 11,000 times a year but only 2,000 times a month for SEO guides. Remember, you should start writing about the most search terms to get more people to read your work.
2. Title
This is part of your essay that people first see when looking at the search results. It also forces them to decide whether they need to read more. If you want to reach more people, make sure it’s interesting.
Google does not enforce a strict limit, but article titles ought to vary between 50 and 70 characters long. A Zippy investigation additionally discovered that Google automatically changes the titles of about 61% of pages to give people searching for the page clearer information.
3. Meta Description
The second most significant aspect a search will show about your article is the meta description. This summary should tell the reader about the article and if they will discover the correct information.
Yoast says it’s best to keep the number of characters in your meta tags between 120 and 155. Without a plugin, you can’t set up meta descriptions in WordPress, so I recommend installing one. In point nine, we’ll speak more about this.
4. URL Slug
This is the URL for your article minus the web address. Keep this short, say enough about the article’s content, and use the main keyword (s). Google Search says you should ensure the URL is short, simple to comprehend, and includes your keyword (s). We recommend putting a hyphen among keywords in your URL and avoiding underscores and long, hard-to-read words or numbers.
5. Heading Structure
Use clear headings to help individuals navigate around your content. Also, it’s important to set up your content in a hierarchy, with H1 at the top, then H2, etc. Ensure that your essay has only one H1 tag and that you don’t forgo levels in the hierarchy. Google’s suggestions for headings are the best place to look for more details and illustrations.
6. Paragraphs
I recommend putting your content into simple paragraphs so users can quickly locate what they want. I want to say again how important it is to use the right words in the subject matter, but not too much; maintain it naturally.
7. Don’t reuse content
Google and other search engines like content that is unique and well-researched. Ensure your content is interesting, and don’t copy huge chunks of text. Use rel=canonical to give the credit where it’s due when you syndicate. There is a guide on the website of the Content Marketing Institute that tells you how to do this.
8. Images
Images are essential as they render your text easier to understand. From an SEO point of view, you should consider the following:
- Begin by verifying that the image is the right size and can be used on the web. You can use many tools to make your pictures look their best.
- Instead of “iphone.jpg,” the picture’s name should be “iPhone-13-mini-red.jpg.”
- Use ALT text, figure captions, and figure descriptions to clarify what the picture is about.
9. Links (Internal And External)
Backlinks from other websites are like votes for your content. If your content gets good votes from websites that are trusted authorities in your niche, search engines will automatically rank it higher. There is a step-by-step method on Monetize.info for getting backlinks for recently published content.
It would be beneficial if you included a link to another website where your readers might learn more about the issue you’re writing about or where you stated anything else. Remember to link your new article to your other pertinent articles and from your new pieces of content to your other pertinent articles. The same holds for internal links. Backlinko.com has a helpful guide that tells you what to do with internal links.
10. SEO Plugins
You could utilize an SEO plugin like Yoast, Rank Math, SEO Press, or All in One SEO, which will immediately inform you how well your material is optimized for search engines and provide you advice on how to make it more search engine-friendly. You should try all of them and choose the one that fits you best.
Conclusion
This list of 10 steps is not the only means of enhancing your content for search engines, but it is a good place to start. You might want to learn more about how to make your content work better. In that matter, you can always speak to an SEO specialist or an SEO agency. They will look at your website and its content and provide you with a few suggestions.