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WordPress runs about 43 percent of all websites, and it gives you control over almost every SEO setting that matters. But installing WordPress does not make a site rank. The difference between a WordPress site on page 1 and one on page 10 is how the SEO work was done. This guide walks through it in order, from the settings most people skip to the content and links that actually move rankings.
Check these WordPress settings first
These take a few minutes and affect every page on your site.
- Permalinks: under Settings, then Permalinks, choose "Post name" so your URLs read like /wordpress-seo/ instead of /?p=123.
- Search engine visibility: under Settings, then Reading, make sure "Discourage search engines from indexing this site" is not ticked. It is often left on by mistake after a site launches.
- HTTPS: your site address should start with https. Most hosts include a free SSL certificate.
- Hosting: slow, cheap hosting is the most common reason WordPress sites feel slow. For Canadian customers, a host with Canadian or North American servers helps.
Choosing an SEO plugin
You need exactly one SEO plugin. Running two at once creates duplicate tags and conflicting sitemaps. These are the three most common choices:
| Plugin | Best for | Free version includes |
|---|---|---|
| Yoast SEO | Beginners who want lots of guides and support | Titles, meta descriptions, sitemaps, basic schema |
| Rank Math | Owners who want more features without paying | Schema, multiple focus keywords, redirects, Search Console link |
| All in One SEO | A guided setup wizard | Titles, sitemaps, social tags, on-page checks |
Any of them works well when set up properly. Pick one, configure it fully and spend your time on content instead of switching plugins.
Pick your keywords before you write
Every important page should target one main search. Decide what it is before you write, not after.
Think about what the person wants. Someone searching "how to fix a leaky tap" wants an article. Someone searching "plumber near me" wants a service page with a phone number. Match the type of page to the search, or Google will not rank it.
Free tools cover most needs: Google Search Console shows what you already appear for, Google Keyword Planner shows search volume and Google's autocomplete shows how people really phrase things.
A single "Services" page rarely ranks for everything. Separate pages for "kitchen renovation", "basement renovation" and "bathroom renovation" each get their own chance to rank.
On-page SEO in WordPress
Title tag
Put your main keyword near the start and keep it under 60 characters. Edit it in your SEO plugin's snippet box.
One H1
In most themes, the page title becomes the H1. Do not add a second one in the page content.
Meta description
About 150 to 160 characters that give people a reason to click. It does not change rankings, but it changes clicks.
Image alt text
Describe what the image shows, as you would to someone who cannot see it. This helps accessibility and image search.
Use H2 headings for main sections and H3 headings inside them. This structure helps both readers and Google understand the page. For more on the difference between work on your site and work off it, read on-page vs off-page SEO.
Technical SEO for WordPress
- XML sitemap: your SEO plugin creates one. Submit it in Google Search Console.
- Canonical tags: your plugin handles these, which stops duplicate versions of a page competing with each other.
- Robots.txt: make sure it does not block pages you want to rank.
- Updates: keep WordPress, your theme and every plugin updated. Old plugins are the most common way WordPress sites get hacked.
- Security: use strong passwords, limit admin users and keep daily backups.
Core Web Vitals and page speed
Google measures how your pages feel to real visitors with three numbers. You can check yours for free with PageSpeed Insights.
| Metric | What it measures | Good score |
|---|---|---|
| LCP | How fast the main content appears | 2.5 seconds or less |
| INP | How quickly the page reacts to a tap or click | 200 ms or less |
| CLS | How much the layout jumps while loading | 0.1 or less |
The usual WordPress fixes, in order: compress images and serve them as WebP, add a caching plugin, remove plugins you do not need and switch away from heavy page builder themes if your scores stay poor.
Content that ranks
Google is good at spotting content written only to rank. What works is content that shows real experience: your process, your prices, your local knowledge and honest answers to the questions your customers ask.
One thorough article usually beats five thin ones. And do not forget your old posts. Updating a post with fresh information, better examples and fixed links can bring it back up the rankings faster than writing something new.
Internal links
Internal links connect your pages and tell Google which ones matter most. A simple way to organize them:
- Create one main page for each core topic, like your main service.
- Write supporting posts that go deeper on parts of that topic.
- Link every supporting post back to the main page.
- Link the main page out to its best supporting posts.
Make sure no important page is left with zero links pointing to it.
WordPress SEO for local businesses
- Add LocalBusiness schema with your name, address, phone and hours
- Show your address and phone as text in the footer and on your contact page
- Make sure they match your Google Business Profile exactly
- Create a separate page for each city or area you serve
- List your business in Canadian directories like Canada411 and Yellow Pages
Common WordPress SEO mistakes
- "Discourage search engines" left on: this setting under Settings, Reading is often switched on during development and forgotten at launch. It tells Google not to index your site.
- Too many plugins: every extra plugin adds code. Remove the ones you do not use and replace heavy ones where you can.
- Thin archive pages indexed: tag, author and date archives can create many low-value pages. Most small business sites should noindex them.
- Changing permalinks without redirects: changing a page URL without a 301 redirect throws away the rankings that page had earned.
- Huge, uncompressed images: phone photos uploaded straight to the media library slow pages down. Resize and compress before uploading.
- Mixed content after moving to HTTPS: old image and script links on http:// can trigger browser warnings. Update them to https://.
Keeping WordPress SEO healthy every month
- Update WordPress, your theme and plugins, after a backup
- Check Google Search Console for indexing errors and fix them
- Test your main pages for speed on a phone
- Fix broken links and redirect any deleted pages
- Publish or refresh at least one useful piece of content
The WordPress SEO checklist
- Permalinks set to "Post name"
- Search engine visibility not blocked
- Site on HTTPS with good hosting
- One SEO plugin, fully set up
- Sitemap submitted in Google Search Console
- Unique title and meta description on every key page
- One H1 per page with clear H2 sections
- Images compressed with alt text
- Core Web Vitals in the good range on mobile
- Internal links connecting related pages
- WordPress, theme and plugins kept updated
Want someone to look at your WordPress site for you? Run our free SEO audit or see how our WordPress SEO service works.