I love using Wordpress, not because it is just so incredibly easy to use, but for the sheer fact that when it comes to its capability with search engine optimisation, it is just so open for modification that it is uncanny. The strange thing here is that as a platform, even though it has been around for quite some time now, it still lacks some basic SEO functionality. That’s alright, because I am going to go over some of the basics today.

That said, as a rule of thumb, I will generally set up one blog with optimum settings, then make a copy so I can simply migrate Wordpress blogs that I want to use to a new domain, on an “as I need it” basis. This is more of a power tip however, but one that comes in extremely handy, especially if you are developing a large portfolio.

To start with, you are going to want to become familiar with the SEO plugins that are available. There are a few that you can use such as Platinum SEO, All in One SEO, and there is also a great new plugin from Yoast. These plugins all allow you to add in some meta data to your posts, which as we all know is extremely handy when it comes to making your content appear much more relevant to the search engines. A vital step.

It is also worth looking into a plugin that will create a fully functioning XML sitemap for you. You can search for these on the Wordpress plugin directory, there are many available, and the majority of them will worth with the big three search engines. Simply create a sitemap, then submit it to webmaster tools for each of the major search engines.

This next tip is not entirely related to a plugin, but more related to functionality which is actually located within Wordpress. I’m talking about Permalinks. You see, by default, the link structure within Wordpress is not great at all. It is not keyword rich, and offers no benefit at all in the search engines when it comes to competing for the attention of those people who may be searching for your content. The key here is to select a permalink structure that will use your post title, as this will give you the opportunity to embed your keywords in your URL’s, making them much more optimised for search.

Now, I could speak about the many ways and other pluginsthat will help you optimise your blog for the search engines, but there is just too much to cover in one simple post. At the end of the day, here’s what I recommend that you do. Search in the Wordpress directory for the pluginsthat you need (simply search for the functionality that you need), and test the pluginsthat you find. Once you have found the right configuration, make sure that you make a copy of the blog so that you can simply clone and migrate wordpress blogs on new domains when you need to. This is especially a powerful skill to have if you own a large number of blogs, and are ever expanding.

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