How to Improve Your WordPress Site’s SEO in 2024?

As having an online presence has become a need of an hour in the current changing economy, almost all businesses have their website. Stats for the year 2024 show that out of all indexed websites, more than 42% of websites are hosted on WordPress.

The reason behind WordPress being the most popular CMS (content management system) is the easy management and affordability of a website. It allows users to create and modify content without getting involved in many technicalities. However, for better visibility, your website requires SEO as well.

Just because your website is now developed, doesn’t mean it is accessible to search results. That’s why you need to consult with an SEO service company to improve your WordPress website’s SEO ranking. Top SEO approaches can help enhance your website’s visibility and ranking on Google and other search engines.

In this guide, we have included the best practices that can help to improve your WordPress site’s SEO. But before that, let’s have a basic understanding.

What is WordPress SEO?

WordPress SEO refers to a process of optimizing your website to rank higher on SERPs. This approach results in helping your content getting easily discovered and displayed on search engines.

SEO in WordPress is the same as implementing search engine optimization strategies for other websites. The only different approach is to find the right SEO plugin along with following the best practices.

Best Practices to Improve Your WordPress Site’s SEO

You can follow the given WordPress SEO practices for improving your website,

1. Technical SEO

   When we talk about laying out the foundation of a website, technical SEO comes first. If we think about a website as a house, implementing this practice is the same as making your home structurally sound before getting to the interior stage. Here are some of the components to focus on,

   • Mobile Friendliness: The majority of website traffic in 2024 arrives from mobile devices. Websites optimized for mobile devices rank higher in Google search results. Ensure that your WordPress theme is responsive, which means that it will change to fit any size screen on its own. See how well your website functions by using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool.
   • Site Speed: A slow website has high bounce rates. When ranking websites, search engines take site speed into account. To store website elements and provide them to users more quickly, use a caching plugin. Reduce the file size of your photographs without compromising quality.
   • XML Sitemap: Similar to a map of your website, an XML sitemap helps search engines in finding all your key pages. Most WordPress SEO plugins can create a sitemap automatically. You can make sure search engines can quickly crawl and index your website by submitting your sitemap to search engines like Google Search Console.
   • Clean URLs: Descriptive and intuitive URLs are preferred by search engines. Don’t use lengthy, symbolic and cryptic URLs. Select URLs that accurately reflect the content of the website and contain relatable keywords.

2. On-Page SEO

   Having established a strong technical base, it’s time to put emphasis on the content that makes up your website. Here’s when on-page WordPress SEO becomes useful,

   • Right Keywords: The words and phrases that users enter search engines are known as keywords. Look up relevant terms that people in your target market are probably using. Instead of blindly throwing keywords in every place, carefully place them in headings, titles, meta descriptions, and other naturally occurring parts of your content.
   • Compelling Meta Titles and Descriptions: First impressions act as a catalyst for user actions. Create titles and meta descriptions for each page that are precise, succinct, and full of keywords. Make these search result snippets compelling enough for users to click on them.
   • Headings Hierarchy: Headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) help to improve readability by breaking up your material. Make smart use of them to highlight important points and arrange your information. For an additional WordPress SEO boost, incorporate relevant keywords into your headlines.
   • Content that Captivates: In the end, SEO is all about giving your readers relevant content. Concentrate on producing excellent, educational, and captivating material that addresses the issues and queries of your target audience.
   • Internal Linking: Consider the pages on your website as a network. Internal linking facilitates search engines’ understanding of the structure of your website and the connections between its many pages. Throughout your text, include links to related internal sites to enhance navigation and maintain reader interest.

3. Image Optimization

   To improve your content and user experience, it is essential to optimize images in the best way possible,

   • Descriptive File Names: You can use descriptive file names such as keywords of that specific page relevant to the section title instead of default names like “IMG_0001.jpg” for enhancing user experience.
   • Alt Text: For better accessibility, it is crucial to add alt text describing the image. Alt text appears when an image is not being displayed due to any of the technical issues or other reasons.

4. Off-Page SEO

   Off-page WordPress SEO allows you to develop your website’s authority and credibility. It can be done with the help of backlinking. This can be achieved by getting links from other websites to yours. If you have more high-quality backlinks, the chances of your website ranking higher increases.

   Let’s go through some ways to build backlinks,

   • Guest Blogging: Offer relevant websites in your niche with informative blogs they can add. Include a link that directs to your related website page.
   • Get Listed in Online Directories: Online directories are platforms that list verified companies with unbiased ratings. You can get your business added over there with accurate and relevant business information.
   • Broken Link Building: There are many websites that may consist of links to outdated or non-existent pages. You can offer them your relevant link as a replacement.
   • Social Media Engagement: Social media platforms are the best way to increase engagement and interaction with potential consumers. Post your blogs and other content on social media to boost your backlinks.

5. Building Brand Authority

   Other than backlinks, you can build your website’s authority and credibility in many ways. Here’s what you can do,

   • Create High-Quality Content: As mentioned earlier, consistently publishing informative and valuable content positions you as a thought leader in your industry. Focus on creating content that relates with your target audience, addressing their pain points.
   • Positive Online Reviews: Try to get positive reviews on platforms like Google My Business and online directories like Clutch and others from your satisfied customers. Such genuine reviews not only help potential customers in making informed decisions, but also adds value for search engines.
   • Stay Active and Update Regularly: Websites with frequent updates and original content are given preference by search engines. Update content, add fresh blog entries regularly, and maintain the accuracy of the information on your website.

6. Advance SEO

   If you’ve applied the basics and want to take your SEO approach to the next level, here are some advanced methods you can implement,

   • Structured Data Markup: By giving search engines more details about your content, structured data markup can result in richer search results that include images and snippets.
   • Local SEO (if applicable): Ensure that your website is optimized for local search engines if you own a physical store. Make sure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) is consistent online, claim and maintain your Google My Business listing, and focus on local keywords.
   • Technical SEO Audits: Many SEO audit tools are available that may crawl your website and find technical SEO problems that require attention.

Final Words

Irrespective of where you have developed your website, SEO plays a crucial role in enhancing your reach with better ranking in search engines. It is the most effective form of digital marketing for building business presence and dominance.

Having your website on WordPress requires you to incorporate WordPress SEO. It will attract a targeted audience that can connect with your business offerings and opt for your products or services.

In this comprehensive guide, we have covered all the aspects of WordPress SEO that are a must for improving your website’s search engine optimization. Implementation of SEO is not as easy as it seems. Along with following the best practices, you are advised to use strategies that work for your business domain.