SEO for WordPress can seem deceptively simple. Throw in a few tags, put your keyword in the text a bunch of times, and you’re done, right? Wrong. You’ll probably get no where if that’s all you ever did. WordPress SEO is more than just a couple of keywords and tags, and there are much more things to cover in order to maximize your WordPress SEO.

Here are some common SEO mistakes you’ll find in far too many WordPress sites… including (maybe) your own.

1. Too Much Indexing

Your newest and hottest content needs to be indexed by every search engine out there. Your dummy page, on the other hand, doesn’t. If a search engine is indexing every single page on your site, whether it needs it or not, you’re generating more noise and not enough relevant results.

2. Not Offering An XML Sitemap

Again, if you don’t tell a search engine what to index, it’s just going to index everything. Make sure you’re offering an XML sitemap on a regular basis.

A simple example of XML Sitemap.

3. Relevant Tags

If you’ve got a massive block of text at the bottom of each post, search engines can’t make heads or tails of it, making this one of the most egregious SEO mistakes. Keep your tags specific and relevant.

This is not how you want to keep your tags.

4. Too Few Internal Links

Internal links are good for a lot more than just driving traffic to other posts on your blog; they also help search engines better categorize your site. Think of it this way; with just the one page, they have to draw all their conclusions from that page. Internal linking means search engines will compare several pages to find the common theme.

5. Irrelevant External Links

Just like your internal links need to be clear and relevant, your external links should be putting your site into a context. Again, search engines will compare your site and the sites you link to against each other to look for common themes. So look carefully at your external links before posting, to ensure they define you the way that you want.

6. Leaving Alt Tags and Titles Blank for Images

Search engines are great at text; images, not so much. Alt text and titles for images often tell search engines what they’re about, making it easier for your content to be found online. There’s a lot of argument about which is more important, but it doesn’t matter: Cover your bases with both.

Don’t ever leave them blank.

7. Keyword Overdose

Keyword overdose is an enormous SEO mistake in two ways. The first is that if you use a phrase too often, it will lead to over optimization and most search engines will start to punish you for that. The second is that there is no better way to drive away readers and reduce links to your site. The best way is to keep them at an optimal level and avoid over optimization.

8. Relevant Headers

Just like people look at headlines to get the gist of the story and keep reading, so do search engines. Make sure your H1, H2, and H3 headers are all relevant to your post, preferably in different ways.

9. Not Having a Google+ Account

Being on Google+ and linking your blog helps you claim your Google Authorship. Authorship offers you a way to build credibility on the web, which will benefit you both personally and in terms of your business. Plus, that little headshot can draw a surprising amount of traffic.

10. Missing the Forest for the Trees

This is, by far, the biggest SEO mistake. Most blogs are tightly focused on one topic, and everything in your SEO strategy, including everything above, should be focused on that topic. If you don’t have that big picture focus, none of your hard detail work will matter.
SEOPressor will help you keep both the big picture in focus, and keep an eye on the details, so search engines and readers alike know exactly what your site is all about.

Updated: 11 December 2024