WordPress SEO means search engine optimization on a WordPress website: settings, plugins, the theme and the structure of the content. WordPress gives a good starting point, but the default settings are not enough. This guide goes through what to check and in what order.

Is WordPress good for SEO?

Yes, when it is built with care. WordPress produces a tidy HTML structure, addresses can be made readable, and plugins take care of the sitemap, metadata and schema. Problems usually come from a heavy theme, too many plugins and content with no clear structure.

1. Basic settings

  • Search engine visibility. Under Settings → Reading, the option that discourages search engines must not be ticked. It is sometimes left on from the development phase.
  • Permalinks. Under Settings → Permalinks choose a readable format, for example the post name or the category and post name. Do not change the structure on a live site without redirects.
  • HTTPS and one official address: either with www or without.
  • The site title and tagline in order under Settings → General.

2. An SEO plugin

One SEO plugin is enough, for example Yoast SEO. It takes care of:

  • a title and meta description for each page
  • the XML sitemap
  • canonical addresses
  • noindex for pages you do not want in search, such as internal search results
  • the basis of schema markup
  • editing the robots.txt file

The plugin’s green light is not the goal. It is a checklist, not a judgement of whether the page answers the customer’s search.

3. Pages, posts and categories

  • Pages are permanent content: services, the company and contact details.
  • Posts are guides and topical articles. They are grouped into categories.
  • Categories are best kept few and clear. Each category is an archive page of its own.
  • Tags are often kept out of search if they only produce thin list pages.

Plan the structure before you write: the content strategy guide and the internal linking guide.

4. Theme, speed and images

  • Choose a lightweight theme and remove plugins you do not use.
  • Use caching on the server or with a plugin.
  • Upload images at the right size and in a modern format such as WebP. Give images alt text.
  • Serve fonts from your own server, and only the weights you need.
  • Measure the result: the Core Web Vitals guide.

5. Multilingual WordPress

Language versions are made with a translation plugin, for example Polylang. Each language has its own address, pages are connected as translations of each other and the plugin produces the hreflang tags. Translate the title, meta description, the end of the address and image alt texts as well. See the multilingual SEO guide.

6. Address changes and maintenance

  • When you change a page’s address, create a 301 redirect from the old address to the new one.
  • Keep WordPress, the theme and plugins updated. A hacked site can drop out of search.
  • Take backups and test large changes on a staging site first.
  • Watch Search Console for indexing errors after updates.

WordPress SEO checklist

  • Search engines are not discouraged.
  • The permalink structure is readable.
  • An SEO plugin is installed and the sitemap is submitted in Search Console.
  • Every page has its own title and meta description.
  • Internal search results and thin archives are not in search.
  • Images are the right size and have alt text.
  • The site is fast on mobile.
  • Language versions are connected to each other.
  • Contact form submissions are measured. See the conversion tracking guide.

As a service this is WordPress SEO. The technical background is in the technical SEO guide and the whole picture in the search engine optimization (SEO) guide.

Sources