SEO (Search Engine Optimization) refers to the process of improving a website to make it more visible in search engine results. When your site is optimized, it ranks higher on search engines like Google, attracting more organic traffic. WordPress SEO refers to the plugins and strategies used to optimize a WordPress website for search engines.
In this article I will show you how to use WordPress to optimize your search rankings by using techniques I have used myself for over 100 businesses to rank them high in Google!
What is SEO in WordPress?
WordPress is great for SEO because it has built-in features that are easy to use, like:
- Setting Page Titles and Meta Descriptions: These tell search engines and visitors what your page is about.
- Creating Simple URLs: WordPress automatically makes short, clear web addresses that search engines like.
- Adding Alt Text to Images: This describes your images, helping search engines and improving accessibility.
Why WordPress is Ideal for SEO
WordPress makes SEO simple, even if you’re not a tech expert. Here’s why:
- Easy to Use: WordPress is beginner-friendly, so you can set up basic SEO without needing advanced skills.
- Built-In SEO Features: WordPress comes with helpful tools like clean permalinks and alt text for images to get your site SEO-ready from the start.
- Works with Plugins: You can improve your site further with SEO plugins like Rank Math SEO or LPagery. These tools help you optimize content, speed up your site, and rank higher. But we will get to these later.
What This Guide Covers
In this guide, you’ll learn valuable WordPress SEO tips like:
- How to use WordPress’s built-in features to improve your site’s SEO.
- The benefits of popular plugins like Yoast SEO and Rank Math SEO.
- Advanced tools like LPagery for creating bulk pages and WPRocket for optimizing site speed.
Whether you’re new to SEO or looking for effective WordPress SEO strategies, this guide is your roadmap to helping your WordPress site rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Understanding the Basics of SEO
Before getting to the WordPress-specific tools, it’s important to understand some basic SEO principles. These fundamentals apply to any website and create a solid foundation for better rankings.
1. Keywords
Keywords are the words or phrases people type into search engines to find information.
- Pick keywords that match your audience’s interests.
- Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to find popular keywords with low competition.
- Example: A travel blog might use “best hiking trails in Colorado” to attract readers.
Pro Tip: Place keywords naturally in your content to keep it useful and easy to read.
Check out our full guide on Keyword Research for more details.
2. Content
Great content helps your site rank higher and keeps visitors engaged.
- Use keywords in your title, headings, and text.
- Organize your content with clear headings and internal links.
- Add schema markup to help search engines understand your content.
Learn more in our Content Optimization Guide.
3. Internal Linking
Internal links connect pages on your site, helping visitors and search engines find related content.
- Example: A post on “10 Hiking Essentials” could link to “How to Choose a Hiking Backpack.”
See our guide to Internal Linking Strategies for tips.
4. Meta Tags
Meta tags include your page’s title and description, which can appear in search results and can lead to higher click rates.
- Write a short, catchy meta title to improve click-through rates.
- Example: “Ultimate Guide to SEO for WordPress: Boost Your Rankings Today!”
- Use WordPress’s excerpt field to create a concise meta description.
Read our Meta Tags Guide for best practices.
5. Page Speed
A slow site can lower your rankings and frustrate visitors. To speed up your WordPress site:
- Compress images and use lightweight file formats.
- Install a caching plugin like WPRocket to reduce load times.
Pro Tip: A faster site improves SEO and keeps visitors on your site longer.
Using Built-In WordPress Functionalities for SEO
One of the best things about WordPress is that it comes with built-in tools to help you improve your site’s SEO. Even if you don’t use plugins, these features can boost your site’s visibility on search engines.
1. Enable Search Engine Visibility
Before we start with the main parts, make sure that your search engine visibility is turned on in WordPress -> Settings -> Reading.
Make sure the checkbox is NOT checked.

2. Page Titles and Meta Descriptions
WordPress automatically sets the title of your page or post as the SEO title, which appears in search results. You can also create custom meta descriptions using the excerpt field in the editor.

A good title should:
- Be short (under 60 characters).
- Include the focus keyword to show relevance.
- Attract clicks by clearly explaining the value of the page.
A good meta description should:
- Be short (under 160 characters).
- Include the focus keyword to show relevance.
- Attract clicks by clearly explaining the value of the page.
Example:
For a blog post titled “10 Easy Recipes for Beginners,” a great meta description could be:
“Discover 10 simple recipes perfect for beginner cooks. Easy-to-follow instructions and ingredients you already have at home!”
Why it’s good for SEO:
- It’s clear and concise, which makes it easy for users to understand.
- It includes “simple recipes” (the focus keyword) to signal relevance to search engines.
- It encourages users to click by highlighting the value of the content.
3. Alt Tags for Images
When you upload images to WordPress, you can add alt text that describes the image. This helps search engines understand your images and improves accessibility for visually impaired users.
You can learn more about alt tags/text in our article on how to write good alt text.
Example:
Instead of leaving the alt text blank, write: “A freshly baked loaf of sourdough bread on a wooden board.”
Why it’s good for SEO:
- Descriptive alt text provides context for search engines, improving your image search rankings.
- It makes your content more inclusive, which Google values for user experience.
Pro Tip: Use alt tags to include keywords naturally, but avoid keyword stuffing.
How to Set Alt Texts in WordPress
- Go to your WordPress dashboard
- Click on “Media Library”
- Search for the image you want to set an alt text for
- Enter the alt text in the field “Alternative Text”

4. Headings and Content Structure
WordPress makes it easy to organize your content using headings like H1, H2, and H3. It doesn’t really matter if you are using the default WordPress Block editor or a page builder and theme of your choice. All of these let you set the H Tag of a heading.
You can read this article on getting started with SEO optimized headings.
In short, this is how you should structure any page or post on your website:
- H1: Page title (used only once per page).
- H2: Main sections.
- H3: Subsections under H2.
Example Structure:
- H1: “10 Easy Recipes for Beginners”
- H2: “Breakfast Recipes”
- H3: “Quick Pancakes in 15 Minutes”
- H2: “Breakfast Recipes”
Why it’s good for SEO:
- Headings help search engines understand your content’s hierarchy and main topics.
- A clear structure improves readability, keeping visitors on your site longer.
1. Select the “Heading” Block:

2. Click the correct “Heading” tag:

If you’re not sure how to set the correct heading tag in your page builder or theme you should look up the documentation of your chosen tool.
5. Clean and SEO-Friendly URLs
WordPress allows you to customize your URL structure, but by default, it may use a setting that isn’t SEO-friendly. For example, URLs like “www.yoursite.com/?p=123” don’t provide any useful information to search engines or users.
To check and optimize your permalink settings:
- Go to the WordPress Dashboard.
- Navigate to Settings → Permalinks.
- Review your current permalink structure.
Important Note for Existing Websites:
If your site is already live, be cautious when changing permalink settings. Altering the structure can break existing links, causing errors and potentially harming your SEO. Google won’t be able to find your pages, and visitors may encounter broken links.
Recommended Permalink Structure
For most websites, the best option is to use the Post Name structure. This results in short, descriptive URLs like:
www.yoursite.com/sample-post
To apply this:
- In the Permalink Settings, select Custom Structure.
- Enter the following: /%postname%/

Why it’s good for SEO:
- Short and clear URLs are easy for users to remember and share.
- Including the focus keyword in the post name helps search engines understand the content of the page.
Pro Tip: If you need to change your permalink structure on a live site, use a redirection plugin to ensure old links still work. This prevents SEO issues and keeps your visitors from landing on error pages.
Change URL for an Individual Page/Post
If you want to change the URL of a specific page or post, WordPress makes it simple. You can do this directly from the Post or Page Editor. Here’s how:
- Open the Page or Post in the WordPress Editor.
- Locate the Permalink Section: In the right-hand settings panel, look for the Permalink option.
- Edit the Slug: The slug is the part of the URL that comes after your domain name. You can update this to make the URL shorter, clearer, and include your focus keyword.
Example:
Instead of “www.yoursite.com/how-to-improve-your-long-page-slug,” you could change it to:
“www.yoursite.com/improve-page-slug”

Pro Tip: After changing a URL, make sure to update any internal links pointing to that page to avoid broken links. If the page is already indexed by Google, set up a 301 redirect to maintain your SEO rankings.
5. Internal Linking
Internal links connect your site’s pages, helping both visitors and search engines find related content.
Example:
A blog post on “10 Easy Recipes for Beginners” could link to:
- “How to Stock Your Kitchen for Easy Cooking”
- “Basic Knife Skills for Home Cooks”
How to Add Internal Links in WordPress
Adding internal links in WordPress is straightforward and can significantly improve your site’s SEO. Here’s how to do it:
- Highlight the Text: In the WordPress editor, select the text you want to turn into a link (e.g., “How to Stock Your Kitchen for Easy Cooking”).
- Click the Link Icon: A toolbar will appear above the text. Click the chain link icon to insert a link.
- Enter the Destination: Instead of typing your full domain (e.g., www.yoursite.com/examplepage), simply enter the part after the domain, like /examplepage or you can select one of the pages from your website directly.
- Apply the Link: Press Enter or click the Submit button to save the link.

Why it’s good for SEO:
- Internal links help search engines crawl and index your site more efficiently, improving your rankings.
- They keep visitors engaged by directing them to other useful content, reducing bounce rates and increasing time on site.
Pro Tip: To learn more about effective internal linking strategies, check out our in-depth article on Internal Linking.
The Best WordPress SEO Plugins
While WordPress has excellent built-in features for SEO optimization, using WordPress SEO plugins can further improve your site’s performance and simplify complex tasks. Below are some of the most popular plugins to enhance your wordpress site’s seo.
1. Rank Math SEO
Rank Math is often considered the best WordPress SEO plugin for users looking for basic and advanced SEO tools without the extra cost.
- Core Functionalities:
- In-depth SEO analysis for content optimization.
- Easy integration with Google Search Console.
- Built-in support for structured data and schema markup.
- Creates an XML sitemap automatically
- Benefits:
- Free version offers more features than the Yoast SEO plugin.
- Automatically adds internal linking suggestions while editing content.
- Highly customizable for both beginners and advanced users.
- Link your Google search console account to get suggestions directly in Rank math

Learn more about Rank Math SEO and its features.
2. LPagery for Bulk Local Page Creation
For local businesses or businesses with multiple locations or keywords, LPagery is a game-changing WordPress SEO plugin that simplifies the process of creating multiple pages optimized for specific keywords.
- Core Functionalities:
- Allows you to bulk create pages for all your keywords or locations.
- Automatically generates unique titles, headings, and meta tags for each page.
- Benefits:
- Saves time when managing large sites.
- Ideal for local SEO and improving search engine visibility for specific regions.
- Lets you rank for hundreds or thousands of keywords to get more local customers.
- Effective for local service businesses or local SEO for multiple locations.
Learn more about Bulk Page Creation with LPagery.

3. WPRocket for Page Speed Optimization
Page speed is a critical factor for both user experience and search engine rankings. WPRocket helps boost your site’s speed with minimal manual setup.
- Core Functionalities:
- Optimizes caching, lazy loading, and file compression.
- Reduces server response times to improve load speeds.
- Benefits:
- Helps your WordPress site rank higher by improving performance metrics like Core Web Vitals.
- Enhances user experience, leading to lower bounce rates and more organic traffic.
Conclusion: Optimizing Your WordPress Site for SEO
By using both the built-in features of WordPress and SEO plugins, you can effectively improve your site’s performance in search engines. Let’s summarize the steps:
- Use WordPress’s Built-In Functionalities:
- Customize titles and meta descriptions directly in the editor.
- Add descriptive alt tags to images to make your content more accessible and SEO-friendly.
- Structure content with proper headings (H1, H2, H3) for better readability and search engine visibility.
- Enhance SEO with Plugins:
- Use tools like Yoast SEO or Rank Math SEO to optimize keywords, create XML sitemaps, and improve your content’s SEO score.
- For advanced needs, try LPagery for bulk page creation and WPRocket to improve page speed.
- Focus on Quality Content and Internal Linking:
- Create engaging, valuable content that naturally attracts links.
- Use internal linking to guide users and help search engines crawl your site more effectively.