On-Page SEO Techniques
Keyword Research: identify relevant keywords for your content using tools like Google Keyword Planner. Use these keywords strategically in your titles, headings, and throughout your content.
Optimize Title Tags: craft compelling, keyword-rich titles for each page. Include your primary keyword early in the title tag.
Meta Descriptions: write concise, engaging meta descriptions (150-160 characters) that include relevant keywords. While they don’t directly affect rankings, they can improve click-through rates.
Headings and Subheadings: use proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3) to structure your content. Always use a single H1 for the main title, with supporting H2 and H3 tags for organization.
URL Structure: ensure your URLs are clean and include relevant keywords. Use the ‘Post name’ option in WordPress for SEO-friendly URLs.
Content Quality: focus on creating high-quality, informative content that serves the user’s intent. Aim for clarity and depth without fluff.
Technical SEO Techniques
Site Speed: optimize your site’s loading speed by compressing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript, and using a fast web host.
Mobile-Friendliness: ensure your site is responsive and works well on mobile devices.
XML Sitemaps: create and submit an XML sitemap to search engines to help them crawl your site more efficiently.
Robots.txt: use a robots.txt file to control which pages search engines can crawl.
Canonical Tags: use canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues and ensure search engines index the correct version of your pages.
Off-Page SEO Techniques
Backlinks: build high-quality backlinks from reputable websites in your industry. This can be done through guest posting, partnerships, and creating shareable content.
Social Media: promote your content on social media platforms to increase visibility and drive traffic to your site.
Local SEO: if you have a local business, optimize your Google My Business profile and ensure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) information is consistent across the web.
Monitoring and Analysis
Google Analytics: use Google Analytics to track your site’s performance and identify areas for improvement.
Google Search Console: use Google Search Console to monitor your site’s search performance and receive alerts about any issues.
References: 10web.io/blog/wordpress-seo-without-plugin/, wppluginguro.com/wordpress-seo-without-plugins/, joseluispg.com/en/how-to-do-seo-without-a-plugin-a-step-by-step-guide
Good Questions to Ask About SEO
- What are the most effective strategies for keyword research in my industry?
- How can I optimize my website’s structure for better search engine crawling?
- What are some best practices for on-page SEO?
- How important are meta tags, and how should I optimize them?
- What role does content quality play in SEO?
- How can I improve my website’s loading speed?
- What are the best ways to ensure my site is mobile-friendly?
- What are some tips for creating high-quality, SEO-friendly content?
- How can I leverage social media to improve my SEO?
- What are some effective ways to optimize images for SEO?
Sources: Google Search Central, Moz, Ahrefs Blog, Search Engine Journal, Yoast SEO Blog