This post will review SEO best practices to ensure that your website is optimized for Google and your users. We’ll cover everything from focus keywords, SEO titles, meta descriptions, alt text, categories, and headings, as well as internal and external linking and how to avoid/fix broken links.
The Yoast SEO premium plugin on WordPress is used to manage all SEO settings on BizBudding. This guide will include many references to the plugin and how to use it. Let’s get started!
Set the Focus Keyword
Each page of your website should contain at least one keyword. Yoast’s SEO Premium plugin lets you target related keyphrases if desired. To do this:
Click the “+Add related keyphrase” button within the Yoast Meta box.
Focus your efforts if you are targeting more than one keyword.
It is important to choose a keyword that relates directly to your post. It should be specific and express the main topic or idea. The keyword is usually in the title, but if not, make sure that it is.
In general, you should aim for long-tail keywords because they’re less competitive. Long-tail keywords can be phrases that are more than three words long or two-word phrases, depending on the situation. Long-tail keywords will help you rank better and tell Google more about the topic of your post.
The “Insights,” which is another useful feature of the Yoast Premium Plugin, displays words that are prominent on the page or post. These can be used as keyword suggestions. Here is a list of major words in the article: 10 ways to use your website as a marketing tool. It could be helpful if the content were written before any SEO work. You should know the keyword or phrase that you are targeting before you start writing. This will guide you in your writing.
Last but not least, your content should contain a lot of keywords (but without being stuffed). If you force the keyword too often into your content, it can hurt your SEO.
Set the SEO title.
The SEO title is not the same as the title of a page/post (H1). The SEO title is the title that appears in the search engine results for the page/post. It is, therefore, important to include your keyword. The SEO title is shown below the post Ten Ways to use your website as a marketing tool in the SERP.
Click on the blue title at the top of the Meta box to set the SEO title. By default, it will display the title of the post or page. This does not mean that the plugin automatically fills in the SEO title. This field must be manually filled in. You can edit the text after clicking on the title. Use the title of your post or a slightly different one. But they should look similar to avoid confusion.
If your title is too short, you can add a separator and the website name at the end. If your title is too long, you can add a wall at the end and include the name of the website. Here is an example SEO title with the ideal length. It is the same in this case as the H1.
Write a Meta Description
Meta descriptions are crucial to SEO, as they can often decide whether a user chooses to visit your website over the SERP of a competitor. The meta description is a summary of the post or page. You have a limited number of characters to use in the meta description, so make sure you are making them count.
Here are some tips to help you write meta descriptions.
The main idea of the post is to read the article and identify it.
If you have a question to answer, simplify it enough that when someone Googles it, they will find the answer.
Use your meta description as a call to action. The meta description in the example begins with “Read this article.” This meta description tells the user what to do.
Include your keyword in the title.
Set Alt Text for Images
Set your alt text (also known as alt tags) on all images in the post/page. While you’re at it, you can also add the title tag.
Google gives alt text a high priority to help determine not only what’s on an image but also the subject of the surrounding text.
Alt Text: How to set it?
Enter your alt text into the provided field by selecting your image from the media library or directly in the post (by clicking on the image and then Edit). The featured image is displayed in the Media Library UI.
Select the Category
It is important to categorize your content in order to keep your site organized and for Google’s understanding. Choose the category that best suits your content. Avoid the uncategorized category, as it adds little value to users. When you set up your website, it is best to create a handful of core categories that cover the majority of your content.
Use headings in your content.
Headings (H2s, H3s, etc.) Headers (H2s, H3s, etc.) designate the structural hierarchies of topics within a post. These headings make it easier for your users to scan and digest the content, and they also reduce the chance that they will bounce. Use the keyword as a heading to increase SEO.
Internal Linking
The internal linking in your posts creates a network that allows Google and the users to access content deeper on the site, as well as related or relevant content. Yoast offers suggestions on how to link content. These are located in the right-hand sidebar of the editor.
External Links
External linking can also be important for your overall linking strategy, as it can help you establish yourself as an expert in your field. This is because linking to external sources will build trust not only with users but also with your peers who may relate to you, further reinforcing your authority and increasing traffic.
Outbound links are what the Yoast SEO plugin refers to when it checks for external links. External links should be organic and relevant. Linking to another website just for the sake of linking is not a good idea. Google can follow an external link network to find related content, just as it follows internal links within your website.
Use Relevant Anchor Text
Avoid using generic anchor texts, such as “click here,” because they have no SEO value. Use key terms or the title of the article you’re linking to instead.
Fix Broken Links
Check all links in the post. Update them if they redirect. Fix them immediately if they’re broken. Broken links can be detrimental to SEO, as they prevent posts from being crawled or indexed. Broken links also have a negative impact on the user experience as they prevent users from finding the content they are looking for and will lead them to go elsewhere.
Sitebulb is a great tool for identifying broken links across the site. You can then redirect broken links or mark them as 410 Deleted Content.
