Need Definitive Source on Wordpress SEO
-
I am a longtime practitioner of classic asp. I build sites with SEO built-in and administer largely to sites I have built.
I have, up til now, had a policy of not working (SEO) on Wordpress projects because -
- I don't presently build Wordpress sites
- Am unfamiliar with how SEO could be implemented on CMS
I have a long time client who wants me to do contract SEO work on various Wordpress sites on his servers.
Can someone point me to a definitive source on the latest methods for Wordpress SEO. I am very proficient in SEO with conventional web sites - I just need to know how to implement it in Wordpress.
I don't see how plug-ins can implement serious SEO, but my mind is open.
-
@[Vadim Mialik
I](http://moz.com/users/view/145337) think your "familiarization with the platform" is the answer. I know how to optimize - just not in Wordpress or other blog tech.
RE:"what you mean by serious SEO"
I presently rebuild pages to spec, in asp, rather than try to un-corrupt old code. I rename pictures, rename page filenames, edit the existing copy, etc. IOW, I build the pages around the SEO target. As I write the code, I make sure everything "fits" together. I have been getting excellent results this way.
If I start retrofitting Wordpress sites, I won't have that kind of access to customize.
I don't agree that Wordpress is inherently search friendly, but can imagine that demand has forced them to come up with workarounds.
I think Vadim has the right approach - learn the mechanics of what can be manipulated in Wordpress - then learn what I need to make up for what I can't do - my way.
I will definitely take a closer look at the Yoast plug-in.....Thanks for all replies
-
Yoast is good though one of the blogs I manage ran into a compatibility error with Yoast recently after the update to WordPress 3.6 (which was not fixed in 3.6.1) that lead to all of our pages serving a 500 status code to bots even though it showed everything correctly to users. We couldn't get it fixed and weren't sure what the exact cause of the issue was... so we're now using the All-In-One SEO plugin for one site to handle certain meta data for posts. We also use Headspace on another blog (which was because of a compatibility issue with AIO a while back). Honestly we're running pretty much 99% of the same plugins on every blog yet with every update there's always one that has a crazy compatibility error the rest won't and then we cycle through "seo" plugins until something works.
Overall though I don't mind WordPress... I've learned to live with its myriad quirks.
-
Nowadays we have a desire to establish a micro site using wordpress(watched couple of videos allready) Can you please advuse us a beginner guide how to establish from zero?
Thanks in advance
Frutiko Team
-
The Yoast SEO plugin is the way to go, as jStrong and Vadim have mentioned.
-
Have been doing SEO for a few years now and have to say that Yoast SEO Plugin does great things to get your site setup and well positioned for SEO, at least in terms on on-page optimization.
http://yoast.com/wordpress/seo/
It gives you a lot of flexibility for managing the SEO on different pages and posts. Sets up sitemaps, open graph tags, will give you recommendations on content in relation to targeted keywords, and helps you setup Google Authorship, just to name a few things. Another thing I like about it, is that it is not overly bloated. It just provides what you need and little else that you don't. You can set all this up yourself, certainly, but the amount of time you save using this plugin is huge and I'm all for that. Would not setup a wordpress build without this plugin.
-
"I don't see how plug-ins can implement serious SEO, but my mind is open."
If you could talk more on the above statement and let us know what you mean by serious SEO? Because the most popular and functional plugin http://yoast.com/wordpress/seo/ covers good majority of the on-page SEO optimization requirements.
Also a little background on Wordpress CMS as a platform, out of the box, It is a very SEO friendly content based platform.
These are great beginner to advanced guides to setting up the SEO plugin in the Wordpress CMS platform: http://www.quicksprout.com/the-advanced-guide-to-seo-chapter-4/ plus this: http://yoast.com/articles/wordpress-seo/
Hope this helps
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
What are some of your favorite website examples for any reason - design, SEO, uniqueness, etc? Thanks Catherine Corn
What are some of your favorite website examples for any reason - design, SEO, uniqueness, etc? Thanks Catherine Corn
SEO Learn Center | | CatherineCorn10 -
What would you expect an SEO agency to deliver in 6 months?
Hi All, Looking for some views/opinions on this one, my question is "What would you expect an SEO agency to have delivered for a single client over a 6 month period with a budget of £12k?" I appreciate that its fairly open ended and very subjective not knowing the site/circumstances but is there a general consensus or minimum you'd expect to have seen delivered for example x number of backlinks, x number pieces of content created, technical improvements made etc etc. Any steer, views or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Jon
SEO Learn Center | | Jon-S1 -
Need help figuring out who to hire for this type of project?
Hi my name is Gina, I have a bail bonds company that is in need of some sort of online accessible (software or website)?. I'm not sure what the right word to use for this project is. I need a program that is sort of like seamlessdocs. That does the following. 1. Allow guest to access company application as is and be able to fill out the document and submit via our company website. With required attachments for review by bondsman. Who will be evaluating the risk based on application submitted. Once it is approved I want the application to be saved for access by name search. 2. Have the ability to save the client payment information such as credit card info so that if a client is on a monthly payment plan it will automatically charge the card and calculate and update the new balance. 3. Also have the ability to send text message reminders to clients for the upcoming court dates.
SEO Learn Center | | LittleDog0 -
How can get inffo on all in one SEO plugin
I have the plugin All In One SEO. I do not know how to use it. How can I get instructions telling me how to use it. I have gone to the website but there does not seem to be a way to contact anyone.
SEO Learn Center | | RQB0 -
Best X-Cart SEO Solutions / Modules?
We recently acquired an e-commerce client that uses X-Cart. We have no previous experience with this platform and it's hard to find any good / helpful info regarding SEO functionality online. Right now I need to figure out how to handle mass redirects of 404 errors, friendlier URLs, resolving duplicate content, XML sitemap generation, robots.txt generation. The functionality built into the platform so far is terrible and all of the modules are pricey. Any recommendations, general or specific, would be insanely helpful if anybody out there has experience with this particular platform. Thanks!
SEO Learn Center | | MichaelWeisbaum0 -
Local SEO Practice: Creating a Fictitious Business?
Has anyone tried fabricating a fake, brick-and-mortar store as an SEO experiment? Sort of along the lines of what Starwood is doing (check out this Wikipedia experiment with the Test Galaxy Sheraton), but with a legitimate physical address and all? Was it useful? And are there any potential legal troubles that could arise from borrowing a vacant address? I'm thinking this could be helpful for my Intern to gain practical experience in local SEO, without the politics of working for a client But I wouldn't want to blight that address for future occupants if the experiment went horribly awry. We could instead offer pro bono services to a small business with a limited web presence – that would be useful to her, and constructive. But I'd like to have a better understanding of what signals Google looks for when deciding whether to index a website in local search, and see whether possible to dupe those algos. What are your thoughts, Mozzers? .
SEO Learn Center | | sweetfancymoses0 -
What SEO conferences do you recommend?
I need your recommendations for which SEO conference I should attend to during 2011-2012. I've been working with SEO since 2002 so I'm not a beginner. I want the good stuff! 🙂 However I havn't been to that many conferences before, only PubCon Las Vegas several times. I would therefore appreciate some help from you guys who have tried them all (or at least several of them) 🙂 Thank's a lot!
SEO Learn Center | | Googleankan0 -
What should we include in the updated developers SEO cheat sheet?
Hey folks, Do you all remember the developer's SEO cheat sheet? It's super awesome. But it's also a little old. What super awesome ideas do you have for the updated version? What should we include? What should we take out? Any developers around - what SEO knowledge would you most like to see in a cheat sheet? Thanks!
SEO Learn Center | | TomCritchlow3