20 Must-Know SEO Concepts for Better WordPress Website Visibility

Introduction

SEO remains a cornerstone for online prominence. Whether you’re an experienced marketer or a business owner aiming to enhance your digital presence, staying updated with current SEO practices is crucial. This guide offers 20 concise yet impactful SEO concepts. Covering both core principles and advanced tactics, these insights aim to elevate your site’s visibility, drive organic traffic, and give you an edge over competitors. Dive in to optimise your website for today’s discerning users and the latest search engine criteria.

Quality Over Quantity

High-quality content is the cornerstone of SEO success, acting as a magnet for both search engines and users. While the tempation to churn out pages or posts to maximise keywords might apepar potent, it’s the depth, relevance, and alignment with the visitor’s intent that truly make a difference. Depth refers to the comprehensive coverage of a topic, ensuring that the content delves into the nuances, offers detailed analysis, and provides actionable insights. You are aiming for Thouroughness over Volume! It’s best when providing pages about a particular aspect of a business, or a blog post about a topic, to explore multiple sub-topics, and add your expertise, experience, and insights into the topic.

Moreover, it’s essential to maintain a user-friendly experience. Overloading your content with popups, excessive ads, or irrelevant information can deter users, leading to increased bounce rates, which can negatively impact your search rankings. While there’s a general recommendation for longer posts, often hovering around the 600-word mark, it’s not the length but the substance that matters. Content should be concise, well-articulated, and crafted to address the visitor’s queries or needs. When you prioritise delivering value and meeting user intent, the ripple effect is enhanced SEO performance, leading to better visibility and higher organic traffic.

Further Reading on Yoast.com What is quality content and how do you create it?

Review Analytics to Refine User Experience and SEO

Utilise tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics to assess website performance. Instead of just viewing numbers, interpret them to identify weak points. For underperforming pages, reevaluate keywords and meta titles. Monitor user pathways; a drop-off on a page suggests issues like slow load times or unclear content. Adhere to the “three-click rule” ensuring users find information quickly. Use analytics insights to enhance SEO and user experience.

Further Reading (quite in-depth) on ahrefs.com How to Use Google Analytics to Improve SEO Performance

Engage!

Social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, serve as powerful allies to SEO, amplifying your brand’s online visibility. But it’s not just about having a profile; it’s about fostering genuine connections:

1. Consistent Updates: Share everything about your brand. From thanking individuals for mentions to announcing new or upcoming products, keep your audience in the loop. This transparency fosters trust and engagement.
2. Promotions and Events: Boost engagement by running competitions, special sale events, and even ads, especially on platforms like Facebook. These activities can drive significant traffic and interest.
3. Collaborative Content: Guest-post on high-authority websites and invite guest authors to your platform. Such collaborations can enhance your brand’s credibility and reach. Also, securing mentions on reputable sites can boost your SEO.
4. Brand Initiatives: Go beyond traditional marketing. Launch initiatives that resonate with your audience’s values. For instance, if you’re in the food industry, consider programs that address hunger in communities. Aligning with meaningful causes can enhance brand loyalty and reputation.
5. Don’t Just Exist: A dormant profile can raise doubts about your brand’s activity. Engage actively, respond to queries, and keep the conversation flowing.

An active presence on social media can significantly enhance your brand’s visibility, credibility, and reach. Which can translate into more mentions, backlinks, and repution.

Content Marketing

Content is king. But it’s not just about creating content—it’s about generously sharing knowledge and establishing authority. Here’s how content marketing can elevate your brand:

1. Diverse Platforms: Don’t limit yourself to just your website’s blog. Distribute your content across multiple platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more. Each platform has its unique audience, and spreading your content widens your reach.
2. Generosity in Sharing: The more valuable information you give away for free, the more you position yourself as a go-to resource. This strategy can attract a broad audience seeking knowledge.
3. Convert Visitors to Customers: While many will come for the free advice or news, a portion might be intrigued by your other offerings. By providing value upfront, you increase the likelihood of conversions.
4. Establish Authority: Consistently delivering high-quality content can make your name or brand synonymous with expertise in your field. Over time, as you share more insights and advice, your brand can become a top choice for those seeking authority on the subject.
   

By embracing content marketing, you not only enhance your SEO efforts but also build a community of loyal followers and potential customers who see your brand as a trusted resource.

Social Proof

SEO success isn’t solely determined by on-site optimisations. A significant part of building your online reputation lies in the realm of social proof. Incorporating these elements of social proof into your SEO strategy can amplify your online presence, making your brand more relatable, trustworthy, and authoritative in the eyes of both search engines and users:

1. Ambassador Expert Endorsements: Having industry experts vouch for your brand can significantly boost your credibility. Their endorsement can act as a testament to your brand’s value and expertise.
2. Influencer Recommendations: Social influencers have vast audiences that trust their opinions. A nod from them can drive traffic and enhance your brand’s visibility.
3. Customer Referrals: Word-of-mouth remains a powerful marketing tool. When satisfied customers refer others, it not only brings in new business but also reinforces trust in your brand.
4. Brand Following: A strong and engaged following on social media or other platforms indicates that your brand resonates with its audience. It’s a sign of trust and community.
5. Recognition from Service Providers: When platforms or service providers recognise and approve your brand, it adds another layer of authenticity and trustworthiness to your business.

Enhance Credibility with Thoughtful External Linking

External links in your content act like citations, validating your statements with reputable sources. Linking to authoritative sources provides readers with depth and context. While there’s a risk of users leaving your site, quality external links demonstrate your commitment to comprehensive information. These links can also lead to collaborations or guest post opportunities. Including relevant external links fosters trust, reduces bounce rates, and strengthens your content’s authority.

Leverage Schema Markup for Better Search Results

Schema markup aids search engines in understanding and presenting your content in enhanced formats like featured snippets or rich results. These results often get more clicks due to their detailed appearance. Tools like Rank Math can help integrate schema markup, categorising your content for better visibility. If competitors aren’t using schema, adopting it can give you a search ranking edge.

Great Article in semrush.com on this topis: What Is Schema Markup & How to Implement Structured Data

Use Canonical Tags for Duplicate Content

Canonical tags address duplicate content by designating a “master” version for search engines. For instance, if a blog post or product page has multiple similar versions, canonical tags can prioritise the most recent or relevant one. Tools like Rank Math facilitate managing these tags. By using canonical tags, you centralise content authority, ensuring the latest content is highlighted in search results, improving user experience and SEO effectiveness.

Keyword Research

Keyword research, a cornerstone of SEO, involves tapping into various resources to identify high-demand, low-competition terms. Utilising search engine suggestions, such as Google’s autocomplete, can reveal popular search terms. Platforms like Quora and Reddit offer insights into user queries, while competitor analysis can highlight successful keyword strategies. Google Keyword Planner is particularly versatile, allowing users to see exact search volumes without advertising and even extract keyword ideas from competitors’ domains. Diversifying research, platforms like Amazon, Pinterest, and YouTube’s auto-suggest features can be invaluable. For tracking keyword trends, Google Trends offers historical and current data, while Answer the Public visualises questions and comparisons for any keyword. While tools like Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer offer in-depth insights at a premium, many free tools provide substantial value for those starting their keyword research journey – (Ahrefs also provides a Free Keyword Generator.

Local SEO with Google My Business

Local SEO via Google My Business boosts visibility for businesses targeting local audiences. Listings on Google Maps, showcasing location, hours, and reviews, are perceived as trustworthy. Setting up a Google My Business profile is straightforward and essential for any business aiming for local engagement. Users prefer businesses with detailed profiles, indicating reliability. Optimising this profile enhances local visibility and trust with your local audience.

For online stores, it is a great idea to also get yourself into the Free Listing on Google Merchant Center.

Complete your free Google Business Profile today!

Website Security

Website security is more than just a technical necessity; it’s a critical component of a successful SEO strategy. Most of us are familiar with the idea that an SSL certificate helps keep our data safe when it’s sent online. However, this is just the starting point. To bolster security, it’s advisable to implement HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) using a plugin like Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP, which enforces secure connections and protects against downgrade attacks. Additionally, hardening plugins like Really Simple SSL can shield against common vulnerabilities, while a more comprehensive security suite like Wordfence offers regular malware scans and patches potential threats.

Poor website security has direct and detrimental implications for SEO. Search engines prioritise user safety, and a compromised site can trigger “site unsafe” warnings. In severe cases, search engines may blacklist or de-rank insecure websites, leading to a significant drop in organic traffic. Beyond the immediate loss of visibility, these warnings erode user trust, making it challenging to regain credibility and search ranking. In essence, maintaining robust website security is not just about preventing breaches; it’s about ensuring consistent search visibility and preserving the site’s reputation in the eyes of both users and search engines.

Our WordPress Maintenance Service helps you stay on top of security patches and malware scanning.

Technical SEO & Architecure

While we’ve already touched upon certain elements that fall under the umbrella of Technical SEO, such as Canonicals, XML Sitemaps, and Website Security, there are numerous other facets to consider. Technical SEO is the foundation upon which all other SEO strategies rest. It ensures that search engines can effortlessly find, understand, and index your pages. If search engines struggle to access or interpret your content, no amount of keyword optimisation or high-quality content will secure a top rank.

Key Aspects of Technical SEO:

1. Mobile Optimisation: A seamless mobile interface is non-negotiable. While desktop design remains vital, it’s crucial to ensure that mobile versions aren’t burdened with excessive desktop animations, and large payloads. Implement techniques like font clamping, and percentage padding to guarantee consistent readability across devices.
2. Page Speed: A site’s loading speed directly impacts user experience and SEO rankings. Slow-loading pages, regardless of their design quality, can deter visitors. Prioritise speed, especially for sites not heavy on multimedia. Techniques like caching and image compression can significantly enhance load times.
3. Crawler Directives: Both the Noindex Meta Tag and the Robots.txt file play pivotal roles in guiding search engine crawlers. The Noindex tag tells search engines not to index a specific page, and can typically be set per page when you have an SEO plugin installed. The Robots.txt file provides rules about which parts of your site crawlers can or cannot access, which is a file that sits in the root folder of your website files. It’s crucial to regularly review these directives to ensure that essential pages are accessible and correctly indexed, while others are intentionally kept hidden. You can use the Google Search Console URL Inspection Tool to ensure that key pages are indexable.
4. Site Structure: A logical site hierarchy aids search engines in understanding and crawling your content. Organise your content in a manner that’s intuitive and easy for both users and search engines, see the “Content Silo” section below for some ideas here.
5. XML Sitemap: The “XML” Sitemaps guides search engines through a website’s content, enhancing efficient crawling and indexing when submitted to platforms like Google Search Console. To optimise SEO, use tools like Rank Math to generate sitemaps, excluding non-essential post types and low-quality pages, and marking them with a “No Index” tag.

In essence, technical SEO is about ensuring that your website’s infrastructure is sound, secure, and search-engine friendly. Regular maintenance, combined with an understanding of best practices, will ensure your site performs optimally, laying the groundwork for all other SEO efforts.

Semrush has a great in-depth article on Technical SEO

Directory Submissions

Online directories (very reputable ones only!), like Yellow Pages, can enhance online visibility. When listing, use strategic keywords detailing your services. eg. For a Dog Training Center, include breed specialisations and training methods. Treat your directory listing as a concise pitch, focusing on what sets you apart. Craft it with the precision of a meta description, aiming for maximum impact.

On-Page SEO (aka Content SEO)

On-page SEO optimisations play a pivotal role in enhancing your website’s ranking in Search Engine Results. From strategic keyword placement in URLs to the correct usage of Heading Tags and crafting compelling meta titles and descriptions, mastering these elements can significantly boost your site’s performance in search results. While this overview touches on the essentials, we delve deeper into these topics in our detailed Content SEO guide. We highly recommend exploring it to gain a comprehensive understanding and implement best practices effectively.

Backlinks& Link Building

Backlinks, or links from one website to another, are foundational pillars of SEO. Think of them as endorsements or “votes” for your site. The more quality “votes” you have, the more trust you build in the digital realm. Here’s why they matter: Backlinks play a multifaceted role in SEO: they signal to search engines which pages hold value and should rank higher, drive users directly to your site from various platforms, and enable search engines to discover and index your pages more swiftly.

However, not all backlinks are created equal. A link from a relevant and authoritative site holds more weight than one from a lesser-known source. It’s essential to ensure the backlink’s source is relevant to your niche, authoritative, and receives consistent traffic.

When it comes to acquiring quality backlinks, several effective strategies can be employed. Start by leveraging existing relationships, tapping into communities or organisations you’re already affiliated with. Guest posting is another potent avenue; by contributing to other websites in your domain, you not only gain exposure but also secure a valuable backlink. Similarly, making guest appearances on podcasts can lead to authoritative links from the hosting podcast’s site. Lastly, don’t underestimate the power of email outreach. By promoting your standout content to potential stakeholders, you can foster organic link-building opportunities.

Middleman Technique

Building upon the foundational concept of backlinks, we can delve deeper into a more nuanced strategy known as the “Middleman” Technique. This method utilises high-quality content as a bridge between external linkers and your commercial “money pages.” At its heart, SEO is about content, which provides context, and links that act as endorsements. There are two primary content types: informational content like blog posts and commercial content known as money pages. Given their commercial nature, money pages are more challenging to attract external links to.

The “Middleman” concept positions your blog content between external linkers and your money pages. This content draws external links due to its value and then funnels this authority to your money pages through internal links. Internal linking is about enhancing a page’s authority with backlinks and then distributing this authority via internal links. Effective internal linking relies on having backlinks to the linking page, ensuring the linked page aligns with the searcher’s intent, and competing against similar-level pages.

To employ the Middleman Method with integrated internal linking, first identify the money pages you want to elevate. Then, pinpoint or create authoritative blog content to link from, possibly using strategies like the Skyscraper technique. This technique involves improving upon outdated content and then encouraging those who linked to the old content to link to your enhanced version.

More indformation from ahrefs about: Middleman Method and & Skyscraper Technique

Toxins

Understanding what not to do is as crucial as knowing the best practices. One of the most detrimental activities a website can engage in is malicious behaviour. Acts such as phishing, distributing trojans, malware, or hacking can lead to immediate blacklisting, as search engines prioritise user safety above all. Equally damaging is the use of poor-quality content. Websites that resort to automated or generated content, scrape content from other platforms, or employ doorway pages designed solely for search engines risk severe penalties.

User experience remains at the forefront of SEO considerations. Websites cluttered with ads or those that deploy intrusive interstitials not only deter users but also face ranking demotions. Intellectual property violations, such as hosting pirated content, can lead to flagging or outright removal from search results. Some outdated tactics, like obfuscating keywords to make them invisible to users or stuffing content with excessive keywords, are now easily detected and penalised. Furthermore, while building genuine backlinks remains a cornerstone of SEO, schemes like buying links or spamming blogs can result in significant penalties. It’s essential to navigate the SEO world with integrity and a focus on providing genuine value to users.

Content Silos / Content Hubs

Imagine a tree. The trunk represents the main topic of your content hub, known as the pillar content. This is a comprehensive guide on a broad subject. Branching out from this trunk are smaller branches, representing specific subtopics or cluster contents. These branches are interconnected, symbolising the internal links that keep you within this content ecosystem.

This tree-like structure is a content hub. It’s designed to boost organic traffic and establish topic authority. The interconnectedness not only enhances user experience but also signals to search engines the relevance and importance of the content within this “silo.” When one branch (or page) gains nourishment (backlinks), the entire tree benefits, strengthening its roots in the digital landscape.

By leveraging content hubs, you’re essentially telling search engines, “Look at this robust tree of information. It’s a one-stop-shop for this topic, making us an authority in this field.” This cohesive and interconnected approach can significantly elevate your SEO game.

A handy guide on ahrefs.com about the topic: SEO Silo Structure with some sobering ideas and alternatives.

Content Maintenance

Maintaining the integrity and relevance of your website is paramount. This involves both updating content, ensuring seamless navigation, and generally conduct scheduled website audits to identify and fix potential SEO issues.

Stay relevant and trustworthy by refreshing older articles to mirror current trends. But it’s not just about the main content; details like copyright dates and pricing also need regular checks. These seemingly minor tweaks can significantly enhance user experience and signal professionalism, bolstering your SEO efforts. Broken links can harm your site’s reputation and SEO. Use tools like Rank Math to track “404 errors” and set up redirects.

By diligently managing content and links, you can ensure your website remains a trusted, authoritative resource in your industry.

Core Web Vitals

Google’s Core Web Vitals have emerged as a significant aspect of the SEO landscape. These metrics, now integral to Google’s Page Experience ranking signals, focus on three primary areas: visual loading performance (Largest Contentful Paint or LCP), visual stability (Cumulative Layout Shift or CLS), and page interactivity (First Input Delay or FID).

Optimising for these metrics involves several strategies. For LCP, it’s crucial to enhance image loading, preload essential resources, and streamline CSS. CLS optimisation revolves around ensuring visual content remains stable, which means setting dimensions for images and reserving space for ads. FID optimisation targets the responsiveness of a page, often requiring tweaks to JavaScript execution. While these metrics are pivotal in offering users a seamless web experience, their role in ranking is still up for debate. Some experts suggest they might serve more as tiebreakers in ranking rather than primary determinants. However, one thing remains clear: in the ever-evolving world of SEO, quality content is still king.

This aspect of website optimisation can get a bit technical, but if you are that way inclined it can help eke out a little more from SEO. Here’s a couple of resources to get you started from web.dev: Optimise Cumulative Layout Shift and Optimise First Input Delay