Search Engine Optimization involves several different areas of your overall web presence. It isn't just what you do on your website or by posting your link everywhere you can. In fact, posting your link all over the place without being intentional and discerning, you can easily tank your chances of ranking well on search engines. Having said that, there is no shortage of bad advice to be found on the internet about SEO. You can even find bad advice on this topic at meetings for your local business group or club.
The truth is, there is ample documentation and tools to "do good SEO". It's actually simple, be informative, be articulate, be aware of document and heading structure, get only popular websites to link to you, be social, respond to reviews quickly, create engaging and original content and then distribute that across a wide range of channels, ensure easy and effective website navigation; ok, there is more so I'll stop here. Maybe it isn't that simple, but it certainly isn't magic and there are no shortcuts.
Reliable Sources
Clearing the fog of confusion takes just a little of your time to read some boring documentation about how search works and to keep up with the ever-changing industry. You can also get a pretty good start from two of my favorite publications and the only podcast I'll recommend. Here's my recommended list to get you started on the topic of search engine optimization. You can read and research at a later date, so bookmark these because we're still working on what you'll need for your website.
- Google: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide
- Search Engine Journal: What is SEO? An Introduction to SEO Basics
- Search Engine Land: What Is SEO – Search Engine Optimization?
- Barry Schwartz: Search Engine Roundtable
Start with SEOPress
This probably seems biased, but you should know I'm ok with that. I've tried other SEO plugins, but SEOPress is the one that I recommend. You don't have to use SEOPress to follow along with our blog and podcasts; just pay close attention to the purpose of each area we cover and be sure your SEO tools include the same abilities. The video in this blog post covers installing the SEOPress plugin, the SEOPress Pro plugin, the initial setup, and covers some of the features. Feel free to click the link to their website to see the complete feature list. Alternatively, you can search the WordPress plugin repository for an "SEO Plugin".
In the video, I uploaded the SEOPress Pro plugin zip file. You can download the Pro plugin from your account at seopress.org. Also, something to note in the video is the section of free e-books in the SEOPress Dashboard. In instances where you are managing your own server, you'll want to make sure you allow for 256M in the wp-config.php and php.ini files.
Installing SEOPress Pro
Tools & Testing
SEOPress covers some technical SEO requirements for your WordPress website, but it's important to ensure everything is working properly and to be sure the way you've configured the plugin produces the results you're looking for. Testing helps with refinements and understanding where to focus your efforts, what's good, and what needs work.
Each platform has helpful links and documentation that will help you further understand the technical aspects of search and search engine optimization: some tools you'll only need occasionally, but others you'll use on a regular basis. You don't have to have a WordPress website or the SEOPress plugin to use these tools, so if you're following along for the general consultation, these tools apply to any website where SEO is part of the regular operation.
Discover more from Gap Creek Media
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
