WordPress makes it easy to boost your website SEO. You don’t need to learn complex SEO tricks or add individual custom code into every page with WordPress to make the most out of your website SEO. WordPress is one of the most SEO-friendly website platforms out there, making it easy for all levels of users to create an SEO-optimized website.

While WordPress and SEO go hand in hand, it’s easy to make a lot of mistakes if you’re new to SEO or new to WordPress. If you want your website to be more visible to many people, you need to focus on SEO. Read on to learn which WordPress SEO mistakes to avoid when building your own blog or website!

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Not starting with SEO optimization.

When most people first start with their website, they don’t realize they need SEO. A popular myth is that SEO is only for popular websites or those who already have a large audience. This simply isn’t the case. SEO is something all websites can benefit from, and the earlier you start the better off you’ll be.

When you fail to optimize your website for SEO from the beginning, it only creates more work for yourself. You’ll need to go back and comb through details of your website to find the best way to optimize later. This is much easier to do from the beginning! Starting your SEO process from the beginning of your web development stages also gives you more time to learn what works and what doesn’t for your website. Not all keywords will work for you, and not all elements of SEO will be right for your design. The sooner you begin trying new things, the sooner you’ll find the right plan that works for your website.

You don’t use analytics.

WordPress makes it easy to analyze how your website is performing, yet so many new users don’t know how to check their stats. All websites should be configured with Google Analytics, and this is the best way to see if your SEO is paying off in the right search results, rankings, and views.

While you might be familiar with Google Analytics, you probably aren’t using all of the features to your advantage. Google Analytics makes it easy to measure your growth and even monitor your goals. Use the goal tracking feature to set new events for yourself and see what your website accomplishes! You can also monitor keywords and other important SEO elements to experiment with new ways of promoting your website.

You don’t submit your XML sitemap.

One of the things most people ignore when optimizing their website for SEO is the sitemap. Your XML sitemap is basically a list of every post, page, and media on your website. This is something you can submit to Google through the Search Console. It helps Google evaluate all the pages of your website, and it will likely boost your SEO in the process.

The best part is WordPress already includes XML sitemap abilities with many popular plugins! You can generate a sitemap in no time with SEO tool Yoast SEO, and once you’ve created one you can upload it to the Google Search Console. This is an easy step, but one that is often forgotten!

Your WordPress permalinks aren’t configured properly.

Any guide to making a blog would be incomplete without discussing the importance of configuring permalinks properly. When you first begin your WordPress website, posts are automatically set to be permalinked as a jumble of numbers or the date. This isn’t a great SEO tactic since these numbers mean nothing to search engines.

If you go to WordPress Settings then Permalinks, you can select the option to name posts after the post name. From there, your posts will automatically have a permalink with the title of your post! This is an easy way to include keywords in permalinks! You might also consider adding the date in addition to to post name, depending on your goals for SEO. Ultimately, you need to find the best way to incorporate keywords into your WordPress permalinks.

You don’t include internal links.

Internal linking is a great way to not only improve the rate of time people spend on your website, but it can also help Google crawl your website. You can include internal links throughout your content including in new posts and by reviewing old content for new link opportunities. It’s also a good practice to include a link to your homepage within your website footer. This acts as not only a great navigation tool, but also an anchor for search engines.

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Finally, you don’t have new content regularly.

One of the most important ways to boost your SEO ranking is simply through creating great content. If you have great content, not only will more people view your website for longer, but your search results will skyrocket. It’s not enough to post every once in a while. You should be regularly updating your website with fresh content. In addition, you should also review old content and update when necessary. Google takes note of these changes and will reward you for your efforts.

Google crawls your website based on the number of page views, so the best way to encourage people to keep coming back is through compelling, high-quality content. Create a content calendar and stick to it! Spend time really researching your best keywords and the type of content your audience is looking for. Include internal links in your new content to keep people around longer, and to build a real relationship with your audience.

Build your SEO with WordPress!

WordPress and SEO are powerful together when used properly! Do your best to take advantage of all of WordPress’ features and plugins that make implementing the best SEO strategy a breeze. Don’t forget to keep the focus on creating great content, and never stop learning about how you can improve your website. SEO takes time to take off, but as long as you keep trying new things, you’ll find the best strategy for your website!