Wordpress SEO & Optimization Strategies Wordcamp India 2009

Euvao Technologies Pvt. Ltd. www.euvao.com Abhinav Gulyani On Twitter – ABY http://twitter.com/aby Dynamix Factory www.dynamix.in

Joost de Valk www.yoast.com

And I love Matt and YOU! I

Today’s agenda 1 WordPress & SEO 2 Wordpress Plugins for SEO 3 SEO hmm – What next? 4 SEO Tips and discussion And maybe, some bonus tips.

Essential Plugins

HeadSpace2 - Titles - Meta Keywords and Descriptions - More Tags - And SO much more. http://urbangiraffe.com/plugins/headspace2/

All in One SEO Pack Automatically optimizes your titles for search engines Generates META tags automatically Avoids the typical duplicate content found on Wordpress blogs You can override any title and set any META description and any META keywords you want. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/

All in One SEO Pack

Automatically optimizes your titles for search engines

Generates META tags automatically

Avoids the typical duplicate content found on Wordpress blogs

You can override any title and set any META description and any META keywords you want.

SEO Smart Links Provides automatic SEO benefits - addition to custom keyword lists, nofollow and more. Automatically link keywords and phrases in your posts and comments with corresponding posts, pages, categories and tags on your blog. Allows you to set nofollow attribute and open links in new window. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/seo-automatic-links/

SEO Smart Links

Provides automatic SEO benefits - addition to custom keyword lists, nofollow and more.

Automatically link keywords and phrases in your posts and comments with corresponding posts, pages, categories and tags on your blog.

Allows you to set nofollow attribute and open links in new window.

SEO Slugs Removes common words like 'a', 'the', 'in' from post slugs to improve your website’s SEO! It won't overwrite an existing slug. You can force a new slug generation by deleting the existing one. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/seo-slugs/

SEO Slugs

Removes common words like 'a', 'the', 'in' from post slugs to improve your website’s SEO!

It won't overwrite an existing slug.

You can force a new slug generation by deleting the existing one.

SEO Friendly Images Automatically updates all images with proper ALT and TITLE attributes. If your images do not have ALT and TITLE already set - ITS AUTOMATICALLY DONE, Wow Great! http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/seo-image/

SEO Friendly Images

Automatically updates all images with proper ALT and TITLE attributes.

If your images do not have ALT and TITLE already set - ITS AUTOMATICALLY DONE, Wow Great!

For example, "What You Can Do Immediately For Higher Rankings", Default Permalinks: /what-you-can-do-immediately-for-higher-rankings SEO Slugs plugin converts to: /immediately-higher-rankings That rocks, right?

For example,

"What You Can Do Immediately For Higher Rankings",

Default Permalinks:

/what-you-can-do-immediately-for-higher-rankings

SEO Slugs plugin converts to:

/immediately-higher-rankings

Redirection Use it for all your redirection needs. http://urbangiraffe.com/plugins/redirection/

YARPP Yet Another Related Posts Plugin Related posts based on tags, categories, post content, etc. http://mitcho.com/code/yarpp/

Structure for SEO

SEO tip #1 Your blog title and subtitle should only be <h1> and <h2> on your front page! Everywhere else, and <h4> and <h5> is good enough. To do that, do something like this in your header.php: <?php if (is_home()) { ?> <h1>Abhinav Gulyani</h1> <?php } else { ?> <h4><a href=&quot;/&quot;>Yoast</a></h4> <?php } ?>

SEO tip #2 Add a description to your categories: <?php echo category_description(); ?>

SEO tip #3 Lets ask few of the experts!

Robots Meta - Noindex, follow your archives, search pages, etc. - Authenticate with webmaster tools - Nofollow ancillary links - Etc. etc. http://yoast.com/wordpress/robots-meta/

More info on WP SEO?

It’s a rocket science, right ?

On Pages

On Pages

No Money Pages

No Money Pages

Spread your content

Spread your content

Volume Activity

Volume Activity

What more ?

Duplicate Content Duplicate content refers to two or more web pages that have the same, or almost the same, content. Those two or more pages can be located on different or on the same website, so you can have duplicate content inside your blog also.

Duplicate content refers to two or more web pages that have the same, or almost the same, content.

Those two or more pages can be located on different or on the same website, so you can have duplicate content inside your blog also.

Duplicate Content…hmm Most of the times it is a good idea to avoid duplicate content since search engines might penalize it. WordPress themes (this is fault of the designers and not of the WordPress software itself) tend to come with a lot of duplicate content out of the box. Apart from the homepage, it is a good idea to check your categories and archive pages to see whether full posts are being displayed there or not Remember that your goal is to make sure that your posts or articles can accessed in full from only one location inside your site.

Most of the times it is a good idea to avoid duplicate content since search engines might penalize it.

WordPress themes (this is fault of the designers and not of the WordPress software itself) tend to come with a lot of duplicate content out of the box.

Apart from the homepage, it is a good idea to check your categories and archive pages to see whether full posts are being displayed there or not

Remember that your goal is to make sure that your posts or articles can accessed in full from only one location inside your site.

SEO … More Art Than Science, really? Best advice? Keep it simple. Write quality content on specific topics. Onsite and Offsite Search Inbound Links – How are other’s linking to your content? “ ...every link to your site is seen by the search engines as being a vote of confidence in your site..” --Rowse, ProBlogger

Best advice?

Keep it simple.

Write quality content on specific topics.

Onsite and Offsite Search

Inbound Links – How are other’s linking to your content?

“ ...every link to your site is seen by the search engines as being a vote of confidence in your site..” --Rowse, ProBlogger

Inbound Linking Characteristics of the best inbound links They are from higher ranking sites than yours. They are relevant to your topic. They link to you using relevant keywords. Attracting quality inbound links Write valuable content. Notify other relevant bloggers of your content. Use directories. Inter-link your blog. Link swap.

Characteristics of the best inbound links

They are from higher ranking sites than yours.

They are relevant to your topic.

They link to you using relevant keywords.

Attracting quality inbound links

Write valuable content.

Notify other relevant bloggers of your content.

Use directories.

Inter-link your blog.

Link swap.

Onsite SEO Write keyword rich content. Questions to answer: How do I want people to find this in a search? What will they type into Google if they want information on the topic you’re writing? How would I find information on this topic in the Search Engines? What results come up when I do plug these keywords into Google? What other keywords are other sites using? Keyword Search Tools Google Adwords. WordTracker.

Write keyword rich content.

Questions to answer:

How do I want people to find this in a search?

What will they type into Google if they want information on the topic you’re writing?

How would I find information on this topic in the Search Engines?

What results come up when I do plug these keywords into Google?

What other keywords are other sites using?

Keyword Search Tools

Google Adwords.

WordTracker.

How To Use Keywords Titles “… when it comes to blog SEO I believe that your page and post titles are incredibly important. Google in particularly seems to value the words in your title incredibly highly.” – Darren Rowse, ProBlogger In the Post URL Page or post URL should be a compendia of the keyword rich post title. Makes the Google gods happy.

Titles

“… when it comes to blog SEO I believe that your page and post titles are incredibly important. Google in particularly seems to value the words in your title incredibly highly.” – Darren Rowse, ProBlogger

In the Post URL

Page or post URL should be a compendia of the keyword rich post title. Makes the Google gods happy.

How To Use Keyword Less is more Experts say, keyword saturate between 5-20 percent. You have two readers: People and Google. Keyword saturation at or near 20 percent and you will sacrifice readability for those who matter most. “… don’t sacrifice your readers experience of your site just for the sake of SEO.” --Darren Rowse, ProBlogger

Less is more

Experts say, keyword saturate between 5-20 percent.

You have two readers: People and Google.

Keyword saturation at or near 20 percent and you will sacrifice readability for those who matter most.

“… don’t sacrifice your readers experience of your site just for the sake of SEO.” --Darren Rowse, ProBlogger

SEO tips: moving to a new domain Standard advice: Use a 301 (permanent) redirect Even better: pick one subdirectory and move it first If the traffic stays roughly the same on the desired domain, go ahead and switch Otherwise, take some time to figure out why Standardize your backlinks (www vs. non-www) Write to everyone; ask them to update their links

Standard advice: Use a 301 (permanent) redirect

Even better: pick one subdirectory and move it first

If the traffic stays roughly the same on the desired domain, go ahead and switch

Otherwise, take some time to figure out why

Standardize your backlinks (www vs. non-www)

Write to everyone; ask them to update their links

More….

Everybody loves…

Custom Permalinks

Date Format

Date Format

More Custom Permalinks

More Custom Permalinks

More Custom Permalinks

More Custom Permalinks

More SEO Tips Write on a theme. Design your blog well. Wordpress Interlink you site. Update regularly. Avoid duplicate content. Write a lot of content. Outbound links. Choose your domain wisely. Register your domain. One topic, one post. Write optimal length. Ping. Submit to search engines.

Write on a theme.

Design your blog well.

Wordpress

Interlink you site.

Update regularly.

Avoid duplicate content.

Write a lot of content.

Outbound links.

Choose your domain wisely.

Register your domain.

One topic, one post.

Write optimal length.

Ping.

Submit to search engines.

Open Discussion with: Ravish Ahuja, Xeonext Matt Mullenweg, ma.tt Rajiv Dingra, WAT Media Paritosh Sharma And YOU! Om Malik, GigaOM Mayank Gupta, Blog Design Studio Amit Agarwal And me, Aby

Ravish Ahuja, Xeonext

Matt Mullenweg, ma.tt

Rajiv Dingra, WAT Media

Paritosh Sharma

And YOU!

Om Malik, GigaOM

Mayank Gupta, Blog Design Studio

Amit Agarwal

And me, Aby

Special Thanks to: Mayank @mayank Ravish @interactivecode Chetan @sizzler_chetan Joost @jdevalk So, many blogs YOU

Mayank @mayank

Ravish @interactivecode

Chetan @sizzler_chetan

Joost @jdevalk

So, many blogs

YOU

By Abhinav Gulyani Content adapted from Yoast.com and many of my friends. E-mail: [email_address] Skype: abynav Be my friend, get free SEO ;) Call 9999.299.799