WPBeginner
WPBeginner

@wpbeginner

23 Tweets 2 reads Jun 29, 2023
Ready to rocket your site's #SEO to the next level? πŸš€
Navigating the realm of #technical SEO can feel like a maze, especially if you don't know what to look for.
In this thread, we're unraveling a proven #WordPress technical SEO framework and sharing a foolproof checklist πŸ§΅πŸ‘‡πŸ½
Why is a WordPress Technical SEO Framework essential?
Imagine crafting stellar content, but search engines can't find it. Sounds dreadful, right? That's where technical SEO comes into play πŸ’ͺ
#SEOTips #WebsiteRanking
Our #WordPress SEO framework ensures search engines can effortlessly crawl and index your content, and helps you spot any technical hiccups that might hinder your site's ranking πŸš€
Slow loading time? Unintended nofollow tags? Don't worry, we've got it all covered ⬇️
How to Evaluate Technical SEO in WordPress?
There are many #SEO tools that let you conduct SEO audits and find out if your site is technically optimized. We recommend the guides below to learn more about these tools/audits πŸ‘‡πŸ½
11-Point WordPress SEO Audit Checklist to Boost Your Rankings - wpbeginner.com
14 Best WordPress SEO Plugins and Tools That You Should Use - wpbeginner.com
Interested in the easiest way to evaluate your site's technical SEO?
We recommend @aioseopack! It offers a free SEO Analysis tool for comprehensive technical audits, even in its lite version 🎯
Want to up your SEO game even more? Check out their premium plans for advanced features like schema markups, sitemaps, and a redirection manager πŸ’₯
aioseo.com
1. Ensure Your Website is Visible to Search Engines
First, a quick check: Enter 'site:yourdomain.com' in the search engine. If your site doesn’t pop up, we have a quick fix!
In your #WordPress admin panel, visit Settings Β» Reading. Scroll down to the 'Search engine visibility' setting. Make sure the 'Discourage search engines from indexing this site' option is unchecked.
This might be enabled if your website is under construction or in maintenance mode.
Stay visible, stay relevant! πŸš€
2. Uncover Crawling and Indexing Issues
Crawling lets search engines discover and understand your site, while indexing collects and stores info about it. Both crucial for your SEOπŸ’‘
Use tools like Google Search Console to check for these issues. It reveals your performance, helps find bugs, and enables you to submit your site to Google +
Not yet connected? Here's our guide on how to add a WordPress site to Google Search Console: wpbeginner.com
Navigate to the 'Pages' report to see indexed pages and those not indexed. Also, explore the 'Why pages aren’t indexed' report to resolve any issues.
Not forgetting, you can check individual URLs with the URL inspection tool.
Remember, if your URL isn't indexed, click 'Request Indexing' to get Google on it πŸ”
3. Make Sure Your Website is Secure with HTTPS
In the realm of #SEO, security is key. Google and other search engines prioritize sites using #HTTPS over HTTP.
It's all about an SSL certificate that encrypts the connection between your server and the user’s browser +
How to check this? Look for the padlock sign in your browser’s search bar πŸ”
Most #WordPress hosting companies offer free #SSL with their plans. Not sure? Ask your host!
For more details, check our guide ⬇️ wpbeginner.com
4. Find and Fix Broken Links
Broken links are a bane for your website's SEO and user experience. They either contain typos or point to non-existent pages, returning a 404 error 🚧
Remember, search engine crawlers discover new content via internal links, so a broken link can halt this process and prevent your page from being indexed πŸ€–
Moreover, if a visitor encounters a broken link, they might leave your site out of frustration! +
Fixing broken links is easy!
Dive into our comprehensive guide and learn how to keep your #WordPress site's links in perfect shape using the Broken Link Checker plugin ⬇️
wpbeginner.com
5. Look for Duplicate Versions of Your Site
Your site can have a www and non-www version or HTTP and HTTPS version, but regardless, all the URLs should redirect to the primary #WordPress URL.
Otherwise, Google will consider each version as a different site. Search engines won’t know which version to index, and it could cause duplicate content issues.
6. Use SEO-Friendly URL Structures
Having an SEO-friendly #URL structure will help search engines easily crawl your pages and understand your content πŸ–₯
You can create SEO-friendly URLs by making them short and descriptive. Include a keyword in the permalinks, use hyphens to separate words, keep all the words in lowercase, and don’t use stop words πŸ”—
What is an SEO Friendly URL Structure in WordPress - wpbeginner.com
7. Ensure Your Site is #Mobile Friendly
With #Google now going mobile-first, it will index your website’s mobile version instead of the desktop version. You can check your website’s mobile responsiveness by using the free Google Mobile-Friendly Test tool, that way you can see if your website is mobile-ready or not.
search.google.com
8. Check Your Website Speed and Improve Performance
Page load #speed is a ranking factor, so fast-loading sites will rank higher compared to slow-performing sites. Check website load time by running a site speed test.
A quick tip to improve site speed is minifying #CSS and #JavaScript files. By reducing the file size, you can significantly improve website speed and performance!
How to Properly Run a Website Speed Test (8 Best Tools) - wpbeginner.com
Ultimate Guide to Boost WordPress Speed & Performance - wpbeginner.com
9. Improve Your Internal Linking Structure and Remove Orphaned Pages
Internal #links play an important role in your website’s technical #SEO framework. Search engines reward websites that have a proper internal linking structure without too many orphaned pages πŸ”—
@aioseopack has a powerful SEO Link Assistant feature that makes it easy for you to discover link opportunities and even automate the process for you ⬇️
aioseo.com
10. Generate XML Sitemaps and Submit Them to Search Engines
#XML sitemaps tell search engines about the important pages on your site. This way, search engine bots can crawl your site faster and index your content.
What is an XML Sitemap? How to Create a Sitemap in WordPress? - wpbeginner.com
Once you’ve created a sitemap, you can submit it to different search engines using their webmaster tools, making it easier for them to find your content.
How to Submit Your Website to Search Engines - wpbeginner.com
11. Use Schema #Markup for Rich Snippets
#Schema markup plays a pivotal role in helping search engines better understand your content and its presentation in search results.
It's great for recipes, reviews, events, FAQs, blog posts, product pages, and even multiple locations for local businesses 🌐
Rich results and Google-featured #snippets, powered by schema markup, can significantly boost organic clicks and traffic to your site.
Learn more here ⬇️
wpbeginner.com
12. Optimize Your Robots.txt File for SEO
Robots.txt is a text file that guides search engine bots on how to #crawl your website. It determines which pages to crawl and which to skip.
Having a robots.txt file optimizes your crawl quota. Search engine crawlers can only scan a certain number of pages per #session. Any unvisited pages get crawled in the next session, which can delay the #indexing of your content.
By disallowing unnecessary pages like the #WordPress admin area, theme folder, and plugin files, you can save the crawl quota and enable search engine bots to crawl more meaningful pages.
wpbeginner.com
13. Make Sure Google Doesn’t Flag Your Site for Malware
Ensuring your site isn't flagged by #Google for malware or unwanted software is crucial for your #SEO. Such flags can deter visitors, impacting your rankings and traffic πŸ“‰
Use a #WordPress security scanner to check for malicious files. At WPBeginner, we rely on Sucuri, a top-notch WordPress firewall & security plugin. It helps detect malware, spam injection, and malicious code, and aids in website cleanup 🧹
Has Google flagged your site for malware? Here's our guide on how to fix the 'this site ahead contains harmful programs' error in WordPress: wpbeginner.com
14. Use Server Side Rendering vs Client Side Rendering
For better SEO, make sure your site's JavaScript renders on the server side, not the client side.
When #JavaScript files render on your website server (server-side rendering), it ensures quick load times. In contrast, client-side rendering puts the load on the visitor's browser, which can lead to slower load times and poor user experience. It might even result in some content being missed by search engine crawlers! πŸ’πŸ€–
Run a site speed test to check where your JavaScript is rendering. A low speed might indicate a client-side rendering issue. Check crawled pages in Google Search Console too. If #Google missed any content while crawling, JavaScript-related SEO issues could be the culprit πŸ•΅οΈβ€β™‚οΈ
And with that, we've wrapped up our Thread on Technical SEO! πŸ‘πŸ½πŸŽ‰
Remember, you don’t need to go through each and every point all at once. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint!
Start by taking small steps, prioritize what's essential for your website, and gradually work your way through the listπŸ’βž‘οΈπŸ‡
For a comprehensive rundown of all these tips and more, be sure to check out our in-depth guide on our website: wpbeginner.com

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