SEO for WordPress From: Not Bad To: Optimal In A Few Steps

From: Not Bad

To: Optimal

In A Few Steps

What Is SEO? SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization An optimized site or blog page allows search engines to: find it index it understand it evaluate it rank it

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization

An optimized site or blog page allows search engines to:

find it

index it

understand it

evaluate it

rank it

The Most Basic of SEO Basics First step: Think First, Write Later. You should actually USE the phrases you want to rank well for in blog posts. Where exactly? In prominent places of your posts and pages. USE Keyword Phrases in: Document Title Body Headings (H1, H2..) First Paragraph Bold Text DON'T: Stuff Keywords Make Page Feel Spammy Make Copy Sound Strange

First step: Think First, Write Later.

You should actually USE the phrases you want to rank well for in blog posts.

Where exactly?

In prominent places of your posts and pages.

USE Keyword Phrases in:

Document Title

Body Headings (H1, H2..)

First Paragraph

Bold Text

DON'T:

Stuff Keywords

Make Page Feel Spammy

Make Copy Sound Strange

WordPress Out of The Box Not Bad Not Ideal Not Fully Optimized Tweak It Set Options Utilize Plugins

Not Bad

Not Ideal

Not Fully Optimized

Tweak It

Set Options

Utilize Plugins

ADMIN: Set Privacy Option Settings Privacy Blog Visibility I would like my blog to be visible to everyone, including search engines (like Google, Sphere, Technorati) and archivers

Settings

Privacy

Blog Visibility

I would like my blog to be visible to everyone, including search engines (like Google, Sphere, Technorati) and archivers

ADMIN: Permalink Structure Settings Permalinks Customize Permalink Structure Optimal: /%category%/%postname%/ Ok To Be Different Dates: Useless for SEO, but may be useful to users Best to get %postname% in there somewhere

Settings

Permalinks

Customize Permalink Structure

Optimal:

/%category%/%postname%/

Ok To Be Different

Dates: Useless for SEO, but may be useful to users

Best to get %postname% in there somewhere

ADMIN: URL Canonicalization Settings General WordPress address (URL) Make A Choice www.yoursite.com ? Or yoursite.com ? Use It Everywhere Links To Site Correspondence Signatures More info: http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/seo-advice-url-canonicalization/ Pronounced: ka-NAHN-nihk-uhl-ih-ZAY-shun

Settings

General

WordPress address (URL)

Make A Choice

www.yoursite.com ?

Or yoursite.com ?

Use It Everywhere

Links To Site

Correspondence

Signatures

ADMIN: Categories Manage Categories Add New Top Level Important Concepts Broad Topics Keyword Research Google Adwords Keyword Tool* One Category per Post https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Manage

Categories

Add New

Top Level

Important Concepts

Broad Topics

Keyword Research

Google Adwords Keyword Tool*

One Category per Post

PLUGIN: All In One SEO Pack Default settings work well Places post title before blog name in meta title Uses excerpts for meta descriptions Uses categories for meta keywords wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/

Default settings work well

Places post title before blog name in meta title

Uses excerpts for meta descriptions

Uses categories for meta keywords

wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/

PLUGIN: Excerpt Editor Gives extra control over excerpts Autogenerates excerpts but allows overriding Allows images, HTML, and links on home page www.laptoptips.ca/projects/wordpress-excerpt-editor/

Gives extra control over excerpts

Autogenerates excerpts but allows overriding

Allows images, HTML, and links on home page

www.laptoptips.ca/projects/wordpress-excerpt-editor/

Theme Edit: Excerpts Design Theme Editor Edit archive.php Edit index.php Edit search.php Replace the_content() with the_excerpt() Manually enter post excerpts in post editor if first words of post aren't descriptive and enticing to users Aim for high click-thru rates in search results

Design

Theme Editor

Edit archive.php

Edit index.php

Edit search.php

Replace the_content() with the_excerpt()

Manually enter post excerpts in post editor if first words of post aren't descriptive and enticing to users

Aim for high click-thru rates in search results

Theme Edit: Nuke Dupe Content Design Theme Editor Edit header.php <?php if(!is_archive() && !is_search()){ ?> <META NAME=&quot;robots&quot; CONTENT=&quot;ALL&quot; /> <?php }else{ ?> <META NAME=&quot;robots&quot; CONTENT=&quot;NOINDEX, FOLLOW&quot; /> <?php } ?>

Design

Theme Editor

Edit header.php

Theme Edit: Post Titles - H1 Design Theme Editor Edit single.php <H1> ...the_title();... </H1> Ok to use different <Hx> tag if necessary. <H1> or <H2> are best, but don't freak if your theme just won't accomodate that. Use whatever <Hx> tag works best for your theme.

Design

Theme Editor

Edit single.php

<H1> ...the_title();... </H1>

Ok to use different <Hx> tag if necessary. <H1> or <H2> are best, but don't freak if your theme just won't accomodate that.

Use whatever <Hx> tag works best for your theme.

Post Slugs (Permalinks) Write Post Permalink Slugs should contain only most important words Strip out stop words like ”a, an, the” Use SEO Slugs plugin to auto-strip stop words http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/seo-slugs/

Write

Post

Permalink

Slugs should contain only most important words

Strip out stop words like ”a, an, the”

Use SEO Slugs plugin to auto-strip stop words

Post Image Optimization Image Search Brings Traffic Image File Names: use descriptive keywords Image alt and title attributes: use descriptive keywords Remain user-friendly; Don't use keywords that aren't descriptive of the image Don't keyword stuff alt and title attributes

Image Search Brings Traffic

Image File Names: use descriptive keywords

Image alt and title attributes: use descriptive keywords

Remain user-friendly; Don't use keywords that aren't descriptive of the image

Don't keyword stuff alt and title attributes

Judicious InterLinking Link to Important Posts Manually add links to the posts you believe are most important to your sidebar Link to Popular Posts Jaw Popular Posts Widget http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/jaw-popular-posts-widget/ Link to Related Posts Yet Another Related Posts Plugin (YARPP) http://mitcho.com/code/yarpp/

Link to Important Posts

Manually add links to the posts you believe are most important to your sidebar

Link to Popular Posts

Jaw Popular Posts Widget

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/jaw-popular-posts-widget/

Link to Related Posts

Yet Another Related Posts Plugin (YARPP)

http://mitcho.com/code/yarpp/

Encourage Sharing / Linking Encourage readers to share posts on social and microblogging sites Suggest tags/categories to use on social sites Sociable plugin http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/sociable/ Encourage readers to link to posts Encourage readers to bookmark posts on social bookmarking sites such as delicious.com

Encourage readers to share posts on social and microblogging sites

Suggest tags/categories to use on social sites

Sociable plugin

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/sociable/

Encourage readers to link to posts

Encourage readers to bookmark posts on social bookmarking sites such as delicious.com

Participate and Reciprocate Link out to other blogs and posts Participate in conversations on blogs and social sites Write guest posts for other blogs Let others write guest posts on your blog Participation and Reciprocation is a more friendly, honest form of Scratch My Back and I'll Scratch Yours – gaining traffic and links for all involved.

Link out to other blogs and posts

Participate in conversations on blogs and social sites

Write guest posts for other blogs

Let others write guest posts on your blog

Participation and Reciprocation is a more friendly, honest form of Scratch My Back and I'll Scratch Yours – gaining traffic and links for all involved.

More Great Plugins Yoast Breadcrumbs http://yoast.com/wordpress/ breadcrumbs Meta Robots http://yoast.com/wordpress/meta-robots-wordpress-plugin/ RSS Footer http://yoast.com/wordpress/rss-footer/

Yoast Breadcrumbs

http://yoast.com/wordpress/ breadcrumbs

Meta Robots

http://yoast.com/wordpress/meta-robots-wordpress-plugin/

RSS Footer

http://yoast.com/wordpress/rss-footer/

Title Code Snippet (manual) <?php if ( is_home() ) { echo'<TITLE>'; bloginfo('name'); wp_title(); echo' </TITLE>'; } else if ( is_404() ) { echo '<TITLE>'; bloginfo('name'); echo ' - 404 Error'; echo '</TITLE>'; } else { echo' <TITLE>'; the_title(); echo ' | '; bloginfo('name'); echo '</TITLE>'; } ?> Place in header.php, replacing any code currently in place for <TITLE> tag

<?php

if ( is_home() ) {

echo'<TITLE>'; bloginfo('name'); wp_title(); echo' </TITLE>';

} else if ( is_404() ) {

echo '<TITLE>'; bloginfo('name'); echo ' - 404 Error'; echo '</TITLE>';

} else { echo' <TITLE>'; the_title(); echo ' | '; bloginfo('name'); echo '</TITLE>';

}

?>

Meta Description Snippet (manual) <META NAME=&quot;description&quot; CONTENT=&quot;<?php if ( is_single() ) { single_post_title('', true); } else { bloginfo('name'); echo &quot; - &quot;; bloginfo('description'); }?>&quot; /> Place in header.php below title snippet

<META NAME=&quot;description&quot; CONTENT=&quot;<?php if ( is_single() ) {

single_post_title('', true);

} else {

bloginfo('name'); echo &quot; - &quot;; bloginfo('description');

}?>&quot; />

DazzlinDonna (Donna Fontenot) DazzlinDonna: Making A Living Online http://www.dazzlindonna.com/blog/ SEO Scoop http://www.seo-scoop.com/ eBusiness Coach and Consultant http://www.ebuzzcoach.com/ Online Press Kit Templates http://www.presskittemplates.com This Presentation http://www.seo-scoop.com/seo-wordpress/

DazzlinDonna: Making A Living Online

http://www.dazzlindonna.com/blog/

SEO Scoop

http://www.seo-scoop.com/

eBusiness Coach and Consultant

http://www.ebuzzcoach.com/

Online Press Kit Templates

http://www.presskittemplates.com

This Presentation

http://www.seo-scoop.com/seo-wordpress/