Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a crucial part of any website strategy. Good SEO can help boost your site’s visibility and traffic from organic searches. As the world’s most popular content management system (CMS), WordPress powers over 40% of all websites. But how optimised for SEO is WordPress really?
We asked several SEO experts their opinion if WordPress is good for SEO, we’d like to thank them all including Graham McCormack a Chester based SEO, for their input.
Here’s an in-depth look at how well WordPress performs for SEO, and tips to optimise your WordPress site for better rankings.
The Benefits of WordPress for SEO
There are several elements of WordPress that make it a good choice for SEO:
Optimised Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are a key ranking factor for Google. This includes page load speeds, responsiveness, and visual stability.
WordPress sites can achieve excellent Core Vitals scores with:
- Built-in image compression
- Effective caching plugins like WP Rocket
- A well-configured server and CDN
This gives WordPress sites a performance boost over alternative CMS options.
Search Engine Friendly URLs
WordPress has clean, descriptive URLs like:
example.com/category/post-name
Google recommends URLs with relevant keywords and hyphens instead of underscores or spaces. The WordPress URL structure follows these best practices.
XML Sitemaps
WordPress can auto-generate an XML sitemap of all your content pages. XML sitemaps help search engines efficiently crawl your site.
The Yoast SEO and Rank Math plugins provide enhanced XML sitemaps for WordPress.
Built-in Metadata Fields
Title tags, meta descriptions, and alt text are key for SEO. WordPress has specific fields for entering this metadata when you create posts and pages.
Responsive Design
A mobile-friendly responsive design is vital today. WordPress is fully responsive out of the box.
Popular WordPress themes like GeneratePress and Astra are optimised for Core Web Vitals on mobile devices.
Customisability
WordPress is open source, so you can customise it as needed. For SEO, you can:
- Adjust permalinks
- Edit robots.txt settings
- Modify title and meta output
- Integrate schema markup
This gives WordPress the flexibility for advanced SEO optimisations.
The Drawbacks of WordPress for SEO
However, WordPress does have some weaknesses for SEO to be aware of:
Bloat Over Time
A fresh WordPress site runs fast. But after installing multiple plugins and themes, sites can slow down. Bloated code leads to poor page speeds and higher bounce rates.
Carefully vet plugins and keep site performance in check. Use a minimalist theme like UnderStrap as a base.
Potential Duplicate Content
Multiple WordPress sites can end up with similar or identical content. For example:
- Default category, tag, and date archives
- Pages generated by plugins
- Auto-generated galleries or related posts
Duplicate content dilutes your rankings. Use good link structures and canonical tags to indicate the master page.
Over-optimised Content
It’s easy to overdo keywords and make WordPress content sound unnatural. Google’s algorithms can detect keyword stuffing which leads to penalties.
Focus on writing high-quality content for your audience rather than search engines.
Vulnerable to Hacking
As a popular CMS, WordPress is highly targeted by hackers. A compromised site impacts performance and can cause blacklisting.
Maintain security with updates and plugins like WordFence. Limit user accounts and use strong passwords.
Essential WordPress SEO Plugins
The right plugins are game-changers for optimising WordPress SEO. Here are the top plugins to consider:
Yoast SEO
The most popular SEO plugin for WordPress. Key features include:
- Meta title and description optimisation
- XML sitemaps
- Auto-linking internal links
- SEO analysis for posts
- Redirect manager
- Robots.txt editor
Rank Math
A powerful alternative to Yoast with advanced functionality:
- Focus keywords and synonyms
- Google Schema integration
- XML, Video, and News sitemaps
- Role Manager for custom access
- SEO Optimisation Wizard
All in One SEO Pack
A lightweight but still robust SEO plugin:
- Custom titles and meta
- Breadcrumbs and page speed modules
- Sitemap submission to search engines
- Import/export settings
- Simple setup for SEO beginners
Optimising Your WordPress Site for SEO
Beyond choosing the right CMS and plugins, optimising your content and site structure is crucial. Here are key best practices to follow:
Conduct Keyword Research
Identify keyword opportunities with low competition but high searches. Tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Google Keyword Planner help research keywords.
Optimise your pages and posts around primary and secondary keywords. But don’t overdo it—4-5% keyword density is ideal.
Create Killer Content
Focus on creating high-quality content that solves problems for your audience. Useful, engaging content ranks better long-term.
Do in-depth research and localise content for your target users. Include keywords naturally in headings and body copy.
Improve Site Speed
Faster sites have higher conversion rates and rankings. WordPress caching plugins like WP Rocket and lazy loading with EWWW can optimise performance.
Resize images, enable GZIP compression, and consolidate HTTP requests. Test speed with Lighthouse and Pingdom.
Enhance User Experience
Navigate your site like a new visitor. Streamline menus and flows to improve usability.
Use breadcrumbs, visual hierarchy and CTAs to guide users to key pages and conversions.
Update Titles and Meta Data
Optimise titles to 60 characters, meta descriptions to 155. Use target keywords high in hierarchies.
This helps searchers know what the page is about and entices clicks.
Indexability Checks
Verify Google can crawl your site with the Index Coverage report and Fetch & Render in Search Console.
Fix any crawl errors or restrictions blocking pages from indexing.
Internal Linking
Link relevant content together using keywords to build authority. Avoid broken links and orphaned pages.
Quality > Quantity
A few authoritative pages often work better than hundreds of low-value ones. Audit and prune redundant or thin content.
Focus on creating pages like pillar posts, category hubs and location pages that rank well.
Localise Your Site
Target users in other countries by translating content and optimising for local keywords.
Hreflang tags indicate which URLs serve each region.
Anchor Text Optimisation
Vary inbound link anchor text—over-optimise and you risk penalties. Use branded, naked and descriptive anchors.
Guide to a Perfect WordPress SEO Structure
Crafting the architecture of your WordPress site directly impacts SEO success. Here is a proven structure template:
Home Page
The home page is crucial to outline your brand, products/services, and site navigation. Stick to a single H1 and clear USPs.
About Us Page
Help visitors understand your history, values, team, and expertise. Build trust and authority.
Location Pages
Create dedicated pages targeting keywords for cities, counties or regions you serve. Useful for local SEO.
Services Pages
Outline the specifics of what you offer. Can be individual pages or subcategories. Optimise for service keywords including benefits.
Blog / News Pages
Fresh, quality content helps search rankings and traffic. Enable comments to further engagement.
Contact Page
Make it easy for visitors to get in touch. Optimize for contact-related keywords. Link to social profiles.
FAQ Page
Answer common questions from customers to help convince them to convert. Reduce friction and build credibility.
Resources Page
Offer downloads like ebooks, templates, and checklists gated with email opt-ins. Grow your subscriber list.
Product Category Pages
Categories allow you to optimise for product keywords and group related items. Funnel to high-value products.
Product Pages
Unique titles, descriptions and images are vital. Include schema markup for rich snippets in SERPs.
This core structure establishes your brand, connects topics, and converts visitors into leads and customers. Expand the architecture as the site grows.
Common WordPress SEO Mistakes to Avoid
It’s easy to make SEO errors that hinder your WordPress site. Be vigilant against these blunders:
Weak Security
Hacked sites get blacklisted by Google. Avoid weak passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and regularly update WordPress, themes and plugins.
Overlooking Performance
Slow load times hurt SEO and UX. Test site speed and optimise images, caching, and server response times.
Thin Content
Empty or low-quality content has no value for ranking or users. Expand thin pages or consolidate them into stronger pages.
Missing Alt Text
Decorative images should use blank alt text. Meaningful images need description alt text with keywords.
Duplicate Content
Avoid copying content across pages. Use canonical tags to consolidate identical or near-identical content under one URL.
Bad Redirects
Incorrect redirects lead to 404s and crawl errors. Set up proper 301 redirects for any changed or removed pages.
Link Spam
Too many footer or widget links can seem manipulative. Curate a thoughtful blogroll with legitimate websites.
Over-optimised Anchor Text
A mix of branded, generic and descriptive anchor text is natural. Avoid anchors optimized just for keywords.
Lacking Expertise and Authoritativeness
Writing expertise establishes E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) with search engines. Publish quality content using expert authors.
By avoiding these mistakes, you ensure your WordPress SEO strategy follows best practices for high rankings and conversions.
WordPress SEO Case Study
Let’s look at a real-world example of WordPress SEO success.
Creative agency increased organic traffic by 76% in just 3 months by auditing and optimising their WordPress site.
The Situation
This 12 year old creative agency felt their WordPress site wasn’t generating enough new business enquiries from organic search.
They engaged with an SEO consultant to kickstart their growth. At this stage their site had:
- Minimal keyword targeting
- Weak page titles and meta data
- Pages lacking unique value
- Slow load speeds
- No internal linking structure
SEO Optimisations
- Installed and configured Yoast SEO plugin
- Performed in-depth keyword research for core services
- Created optimised page titles and meta descriptions
- Wrote 5 new on-page content guides targeting key phrases
- Improved page load speed with caching and image optimization
- Established internal links between relevant pages and guides
- Added calls-to-action to guide and service pages
The Results
Within 12 weeks of optimising their WordPress site for SEO, the agency achieved:
- 76% increase in overall organic traffic
- 4 new service keywords ranking on page 1 of Google
- Decrease in website bounce rate from 65% to 48%
- 57% rise in new enquiries from the website
Dramatically increased search visibility and conversions were possible thanks to aligning on-brand content with keyword and technical SEO best practices.
Conclusion
Used properly, WordPress offers many built-in SEO advantages. With its customisability and the power of SEO plugins, WordPress sites can achieve excellent rankings.
But avoid common mistakes like weak security, slow performance, and over-optimisation. Pay close attention to quality content, site speed, and strong architecture.
Following WordPress SEO best practices helps websites rank higher in search, capture more qualified traffic, and ultimately grow your business or brand.