WordPress is an excellent platform for small start-up websites. Ultra simple to set up, they really can – as it says on the “packet” – be installed in 5 minutes. If you just need a simple blog, you have all the necessary functions at your finger-tips and by adding a few pages you can really have the beginnings of a functional business website.
Now there are hundreds of thousands of templates you can buy which a professional developer can manipulate to create a truly stunning site. But are they just as likely to be picked up on the search engines?
Absolutely – and what is more, WordPress makes search engine optimisation a doddle by providing push button tools which also give you an insight into all the SEO tasks you need to cover.
WordPress is designed to work with a simple fundamental structure and “plugins” (which are easily downloaded and installed) add those extra dynamics to the site to enhance conversions and loyalty. Even if you are a complete novice on how to get your website to the top pages of Google there are some great SEO plugins which quickly and easily take you through the steps.
Here are our top 5:
SEO by Yoast
Yoast are probably the top brand on the web for SEO plugins for WordPress. They back it up with a great website which offers up to date tips, current news and information about other themes and plugins available. The tool makes it very simple to enter meta data and check how much you are using your keywords. In these days of penguins, hummingbirds, and pandas it is essential not to overdo your campaign and make it keyword heavy, but ensure key-phrases are in the most effective areas.
All-in-one SEO pack
As far as on-page optimisation goes, the All-in-one SEO pack is the main competitor to Yoast. It covers everything you need to be paying attention to from meta-tag generation, xml sitemap generation to title and description editing. There is also a cool performance tool included which reviews the site for ways in which it can be streamlined both for ranking and for conversions.
SEO Ultimate
SEO Ultimate has all the basic SEO tools you would expect and the dashboard is very simple which is great for beginners. On top of that it shows it is keeping up with the current times by offering a tool which can limit the amount of times a page links to the same destination.
SEOPressor5
OK so this smart little plugin isn’t free, but as well as the basic functions which tend to be available with Yoast and All-in-one, it offers a really smart tool which actually conducts an analysis of keyword content as you create it.
Social sharing by optimisation
As social media continues to explode out of all proportion with numerous trendy channels, streamlining how your pages and articles are shared is essential. This tool turns those meaningless url codes when sharing on your favourite networks into something more descriptive which enhances the chances of your target market making that all important click. It also takes into account the benefits of each individual social community.
