Tag: SEO

SEO Checklist

Ah SEO. Where do you begin with a field that has exploded over the last few years and shows no signs of slowing down? SEO is one of those very particular subjects that is truly Art applied to Science. And when it comes to WordPress, there are certain SEO items that merit special attention.

For those just beginning with SEO, our recommendation is to--above all--learn SEO from sources that you can trust, resources like Matt Cutts, Moz (formerly SEOMoz) and Copyblogger (particularly for SEO copywriting and content marketing). Learn the difference between black-hat, white-hat, and absolute nonsense. When working on a specific platform, like WordPress, listen to the experts and experiment yourself--but always return to basic, common-sense SEO best practices when in doubt. Or, as an alternative, hire an SEO specialist or consultant--and be sure to vet them as genuine, tried-and-true authorities before proceeding.

So with that word of gentle warning, we offer to you the seven most important SEO items to check off your list when optimizing a WordPress site. Some of these are easy items to finish, but some will take dedication (SEO is, after all, an ongoing effort on any platform). At any rate, completing this SEO checklist will have you well on your way to an SEO-healthy WordPress site.

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You've probably heard about bounce rates, but do you know how they affect the success of your brand online?

Bounce rates measure the percentage of people who hit your site, view a single page, and then leave. In other words, if you have a high bounce rate, it means the majority of your visitors don't stick around to see what else is on your site. In general, this means that something could have been done better--you do want visitors to stick around, right? For this reason, your bounce rate is often used as a metric for the success of your site.

However, in certain instances, a high bounce rate could indicate that the information a visitor was seeking was quickly found--ideal, especially because it indicates a measure of user-friendliness. This is why you shouldn't take the number at face-value: a lower bounce rate doesn't always imply a more successful site. So how do you use this metric?

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Search Engine Optimization is no longer just a buzzword--it's a science. And it's critical for your website to be found.

Unfortunately, SEO is as entrenched with myths and untrue rumours as the internet in its early days. Even today, it's easy to find poorly repeated material spread around the web full of false information. To make matters more esoteric still, major search engines such as Google guard their frequently-changing algorithms with a careful eye, releasing only the need-to-know information to the public as they see fit.

Nevertheless, there are best practices for SEO--practices that make a difference when done correctly. Here's 5 lesser-known elements that affect your search engine ranking--for better or worse.

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