After website testing, design approvals, and making sure that your final product is responsive and easy to work with, one of the last steps you need to take is to figure out WordPress. Beyond management, uploads, and plug-ins, there’s one particular aspect of this famed Content Management System that requires a whole more preparation: WordPress Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
WordPress (WP) itself is incredibly easy to manage because it is well-optimized for beginner users and search engines. The difficulty begins when it comes to maintaining a strong SEO effort. Unfortunately, this is an unavoidable hurdle because website owners tend to hinder their progress and rob their websites of their high-traffic potential.
But, what if we told you that you don’t need to find yourself in such a predicament? We’ve put together this list of all-too-common SEO mistakes so that you can circumvent them easily and make the most out of your WP system’s potential:
An XML sitemap is a structure and point of reference that leads search engines to the most vital pages on your site. Without this component, you can be setting your website up for a serious handicap that it won’t easily overcome.
The sitemap lists your website’s important pages so search engines can crawl them and understand their structure. This leads to higher rankings on search engine result pages. By simply taking the time to enable your page’s sitemap functionality, you’ll see tremendous results in the long run!
Over the years, search engines have programmed their algorithms to encourage convenience and comfort at all times. This extends to specific website elements like page loading speed.
If your web pages load slowly, your website is at a disadvantage. Search engine algorithms see slow-loading pages as a reason to pull down your overall ranking. Fortunately, taking the time to optimise your website’s assets and streamline their file sizes will make your online visitors happy and make your site rank higher as well!
Aside from slow page loading speeds, there’s another all-too-common mistake that compromises SEO performance: broken links.
Although it seems like a minor problem, having hyperlinks leading to non-existent pages is a recipe for disaster when it comes to ranking. Every instance of an error page means an unhappy website visitor and a point against your search engine ranking. This is why it’s best to check existing hyperlinks every once in a while!
Looking for a more convenient way to avoid SEO mistakes while helping your website stay on top of its WordPress management for the best ranking results? It’s best to leave your concerns in the hands of a professional like Hosted WP!
While many different tools can be used to ensure your website ranks well on search engine results, your WordPress system has a lot of say in terms of its SEO performance. If you want to get your business’s name out there, it’s essential to keep an eye out for the mistakes mentioned above and avoid them at all costs!
Are you looking for a reputable managed WordPress hosting service available in Australia? Our experts over at Hosted WP have got you covered. We can take your WordPress website to the next level through WP maintenance, WP SEO, and more. Get in touch with us for a free website audit!