We’re willing to bet your WordPress website isn’t ranking quite where you’d like. How’d we do? Were we correct? It wasn’t difficult to guess that you’d like to rank higher.
Furthermore, we’re confident you also want more click-throughs.
That’s normal. Building an SEO strategy isn’t easy. You need strong links, keywords, content, and more. But everyone has to start somewhere.
Only 45 percent of companies say they have “highly integrated” content marketing. The 55 percent of companies without strong SEO represent your opportunity. Ninety-one percent of traffic goes to the sites listed on the first SERP page. That’s why we want to show you how to take your first steps into the SEO world.
So today, we’re bringing you our 6 tips for improving your ranking for your WordPress site. Let’s get started.
1. Keywords
Targeting keywords is the traditional SEO strategy. When someone searches “best WordPress website” you want your page to show up on Google. However, keyword research is so much more than popular phrases.
You need to focus your keywords on two things; short and long-tail keywords. Short-tail keywords are the one, two, or three-word phrases.
A phrase like “best WordPress site” or “good SEO strategy.” Short-tail phrases have high search volume and strong competition.
Long-tail keywords are low search volume and low competition. They’re specific search phrases like “best WordPress website about Siamese cats.” Long-tail keywords are the keywords that help your website stand out.
2. Links and Anchor Text
Aside from keywords, links are ubiquitous with SEO. Inbound links tell Google your website has authority while outbound links relate your website with other, reputable websites. Anchor text is the actual text that users click on.
Always use relevant information as anchor text. Don’t link to “click here,” but rather on information related to your outbound link. Also, don’t forget to add internal links. Internal links allow Google to “crawl” and find your other web pages.
3. Strong Content
Content marketing is a significant side of modern day digital marketing. A good and strong content isn’t just for your readers. Google relies on content and related metrics to help determine your SERP ranking.
Google ranks your website based on how long people spend reading your content (the longer the better), the more they share your content, and the more websites link to your content.
Ensure your blog posts entertain, explain, and inform. You need to capture readers’ attention. You should also strive for long-form content. The average Google first page result has 1,890 words.
4. Social Media
We just said you need to share your content. And the best way to make that sharing happen is….social media.
Social platforms are as much about sharing others’ content as they are posting your own. Social media grants you access to billions of eyes.
WordPress has built-in social media tools that add share buttons and comments sections to your blog posts. These same tools can track shares. Try to locate your articles with the most interest and then duplicate them.
You should also stay active on your social media accounts. Promote your own content on Facebook, Instagram, etc. The more content you promote the better the chance something goes viral.
5. HTML
HTML often gets overlooked. Most novice SEOs don’t realize HTML code has an enormous impact on your SERP rank.
Google crawls your HTML code. The search giant uses HTML signals to determine your pages’ content.
Always add short-tail keywords to your H1 and H2 headers. These tell Google and readers what your page is about. Add long-tail keywords to H3 and H4 headers. Long-tail keywords help Google understand the specifics of your page.
Digging further into SEO, you should use a href code to build your link structure. Your links and anchor text go within the href code.
You can also nofollow links that originate from other, less-than-reputable websites.
6. Staying Informed
Our final tip has nothing to do with actual SEO techniques. Rather, you must stay informed. SEO changes rapidly. Google constantly updates its algorithm and each tweak can affect your SEO.
You need to follow all the latest and greatest in SEO techniques. Read the SEO blogs. Know what Google’s doing. Read the SEO blog analytics.
Most prominent SEO companies post informative articles, complete with examples of their own analytics.
Speaking about analytics, you also need to stay informed about your own analytics. Download and start using Google Analytics. The program is the best way to know what’s keeping Google happy.
The Future of Your WordPress Site
Improving your SEO is the best way to increase your SERP rank. This in turn brings more organic traffic to your site. Google runs the show and compliance is the best way to succeed.
You need to decide the goal of your WordPress website. SEO is non-negotiable for climbing the SERPs.
Following our above tips is the perfect way to start improving your rankings. While our suggestions aren’t advanced SEO techniques, everyone has to start somewhere. Even the smallest amount of SEO can help improve your WordPress rank.
So if you’re ready to begin your SEO journey, let the above tips help get you started.