What are the first steps to begin SEO promotion on WordPress?

The first steps to begin SEO promotion on WordPress involve a comprehensive approach to optimizing the website for search engines. Here's a more detailed breakdown of the initial steps:

1. Keyword Research and Analysis:
  - Utilize keyword research tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Google Keyword Planner to identify relevant keywords with high search volume and low competition. Analyze keyword trends and user search behavior to understand the intent behind the search queries.

2. On-Page Optimization:
  - Implement keyword-optimized title tags, meta descriptions, and heading tags (H1, H2, H3) across the website's pages. Ensure each page has unique and compelling meta tags to improve click-through rates from search engine results pages (SERPs).
  - Optimize the website content by strategically incorporating targeted keywords in a natural and reader-friendly manner. Focus on providing valuable and informative content that addresses user queries.

3. Technical SEO Audit:
  - Conduct a technical SEO audit to address issues such as crawlability, mobile-friendliness, site speed, URL structure, and canonicalization. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix to identify and resolve performance bottlenecks.

4. Content Creation and Optimization:
  - Develop a content strategy that aligns with the identified keywords and user intent. Create high-quality, original, and engaging content to attract and retain website visitors. Optimize content with relevant keywords, internal links, and clear calls to action.

5. WordPress SEO Plugins:
  - Install and configure SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO or Rank Math to streamline on-page optimization, XML sitemap generation, and schema markup implementation. Leverage these plugins to enhance content readability, keyword usage, and meta tag optimization.

6. User Experience (UX) Optimization:
  - Prioritize user experience by ensuring intuitive navigation, clear calls to action, and mobile responsiveness. Employ a responsive WordPress theme and optimize the website layout for various devices and screen sizes.

7. Local SEO (If Applicable):
  - If the website targets local audiences, optimize for local SEO by including relevant location-based keywords, creating a Google My Business profile, and obtaining local business citations and reviews.

8. Performance Monitoring and Reporting:
  - Set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor website performance, track organic traffic, measure user engagement, and identify opportunities for improvement. Regularly analyze key SEO metrics and KPIs to make data-driven decisions.

9. Link Building Strategy:
  - Develop a link building strategy to acquire high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites within the website's niche. Focus on natural link acquisition through content outreach, guest blogging, and industry partnerships.

It's irrelevant which platform the website uses, whether it's Wordpress, Bitrix, Opencart, or something else, the first step should be optimizing the site. How can I determine the necessary improvements for a website? It's best to conduct (or request) an SEO audit, which will identify areas that need attention. If an audit isn't feasible, using online checkers to test the site's loading speed with pagespeed and mobile-friendliness is crucial. Once these aspects are checked, it's important to evaluate the site's usability and make design adjustments if necessary.

Optimizing the Website

If the site is in good shape, then it's time to focus on optimization. Identifying the keywords to target and correlating them with relevant website pages is recommended. Registering the site on Yandex.webmaster and yandex.metrica is necessary if not done already. After compiling the semantic core, the next step is to optimize the landing pages. Writing unique meta tags (title, description, and keywords) for the main and other pages is crucial. Internal linking should be established by hyperlinking to other sections of the site within the text. Each page should have its own unique canonical tag derived from the h1 header, and any errors should be rectified in the webmaster panel.

Content Preparation

Unique content should be prepared for all site pages. Why is this necessary for non-promoted pages? The simple answer is that search engines assess the entire site without distinguishing between promoted and non-promoted pages. When crafting content, readability should be emphasized in addition to text uniqueness. The content should be comprehensible to humans rather than tailored only for search robots. After writing the content, it should be appropriately formatted and placed on the page. Headings should be specified, the text should be divided into paragraphs, images should be processed, and previews should be added. It's advisable to add new content pages to Yandex webmaster for reindexing by search bots.

Backlink Quality

Enhancing the site's visibility, trustworthiness, popularity, and traffic requires increasing its backlink profile. Backlinks come in various forms: organic, purchased, crowd, blog, and social. Each type influences the website's ranking, so having a diverse backlink profile is essential.

Understanding Backlink Types

    - Organic links are those that naturally appear on a site. To avoid a lengthy waiting period, one can manually register on relevant resources.
 
    - Purchased or semi-natural links are found within thematic articles and are posted on profile and information websites. While these links involve a cost, choosing the right donor site can yield substantial benefits for search result rankings and site metrics.

    - Crowdlinks are considered the most natural by search engines, making it challenging to select suitable sites. Well-moderated forums remove incoming links, while mediocre forums allow any type of message, often leading to links from low-quality and penalized sites, eventually causing the forum to be filtered.

There exists a vast number of websites powered by Wordpress, one of the most widely used and straightforward CMS platforms. From an SEO standpoint, the underlying content management system doesn't significantly impact the website's performance, but there are distinct nuances associated with Wordpress.

All Wordpress-based websites utilize templates that come with a significant amount of extraneous code, particularly in free templates. This superfluous code can decrease website speed, ultimately hampering SEO. Furthermore, free templates may incorporate concealed links, which are disfavored by search engines and can diminish their authority.

Inadequately optimized templates may result in page duplication, improper title hierarchy, and the proliferation of spammy titles, all of which diminish the website's quality.

To effectively promote a Wordpress-powered website through SEO, it's essential to install a core set of plugins. We recommend employing plugins for correctly generating URLs in Latin characters, as well as a plugin for populating all essential meta tags.

The website must feature a Sitemap.xml, which some templates can generate autonomously. However, if you opt for a free template, it is probable that you will require a plugin.

The process of propelling a Wordpress site to the top echelons of search results doesn't diverge from the promotion of websites on different CMS platforms.

What I do for my blogs is...focus on high-quality content with relevant keywords. I use SEO plugins like Yoast to optimize titles and descriptions. Build backlinks from reputable sites.  Don't forget mobile-friendliness and site speed. Keep your content fresh and updated!

Tips for WordPress SEO Promotion
1. Optimize Permalinks
Use clean and descriptive URLs.
Include primary keywords in the URL.
Avoid using default permalink settings like ?p=123.
2. Use SEO-Friendly Themes
Choose a theme that is fast, mobile-friendly, and coded with SEO in mind.
Ensure the theme supports schema markup for better search engine understanding.
3. Install an SEO Plugin
Plugins like Yoast SEO, All in One SEO Pack, or Rank Math can simplify on-page SEO.
These plugins offer features like meta tag optimization, XML sitemaps, and readability analysis.
4. Optimize Your Content
Use primary and secondary keywords naturally in your content.
Write compelling meta titles and descriptions.
Utilize headings (H1, H2, H3) to structure your content.
5. Improve Site Speed
Use caching plugins like W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache.
Optimize images using plugins like Smush or ShortPixel.
Choose a reliable hosting provider.
6. Mobile Optimization
Ensure your site is responsive and provides a good user experience on mobile devices.
Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool to check your site.
7. Create Quality Content
Focus on providing valuable and relevant content to your audience.
Regularly update your blog with fresh content.
Use multimedia elements like images, videos, and infographics.
8. Optimize Images
Use descriptive filenames and alt text for images.
Compress images to reduce loading time.
Use image sitemaps to help search engines index your images.
9. Use Internal Linking
Link to related posts and pages within your website.
Helps in distributing link equity and improving site navigation.
Use relevant anchor texts for internal links.
10. Build Backlinks
Reach out to industry influencers and bloggers for guest posting opportunities.
Create shareable content to attract natural backlinks.
Use broken link building techniques.
11. Leverage Social Media
Share your content on social media platforms.
Add social sharing buttons to your posts.
Engage with your audience on social media to drive traffic and build authority.
12. Optimize for Local SEO
Use a local SEO plugin to optimize your site for local searches.
Include local keywords in your content.
Add your business to Google My Business and other local directories.
13. Create and Submit XML Sitemaps
Use an SEO plugin to create an XML sitemap.
Submit the sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
14. Monitor and Analyze Performance
Use Google Analytics to track your website's performance.
Monitor your keyword rankings and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Regularly check for and fix any crawl errors in Google Search Console.
15. Use Structured Data Markup
Implement schema markup to help search engines understand your content better.
Use plugins like Schema Pro or WP SEO Structured Data Schema.
By following these tips, you can significantly improve your WordPress site's SEO performance and boost your search engine rankings.

You can boost your WordPress SEO by using SEO-friendly themes, installing plugins like Yoast SEO, and optimizing your content with relevant keywords... ensure your website is mobile-friendly, speed up load times, and use alt tags for images... create high-quality, engaging content, and build backlinks... regularly update your site and use internal linking to improve navigation and user experience.

Ensure your theme is SEO-friendly — this means fast loading times, mobile optimization, and clean code. Use plugins like Yoast to handle metadata, but don't forget about user experience, a well-structured layout keeps visitors engaged. Focus on creating visually appealing content that incorporates targeted keywords seamlessly. Image optimization is key, use alt tags and compressed files to improve load times.

Most of case we follow below WordPress SEO promotion tips:

Technical SEO Tips

• Use an SEO-Friendly Theme: Choose lightweight, responsive, and schema-ready themes.
• Install an SEO Plugin: Use plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, or All in One SEO for better optimization.
• Ensure Fast Loading Speed: Optimize images, use caching plugins (e.g., WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache), and consider a CDN.
• Use HTTPS: Secure your site with an SSL certificate (Google favors HTTPS sites).
• Mobile Optimization: Make sure your website is mobile-friendly using responsive design.

On-Page SEO

• Optimize Title Tags & Meta Descriptions: Include focus keywords naturally.
• Use SEO-Friendly URLs: Use short, keyword-rich permalinks (avoid ?p=123).
• Use H1–H6 Headings Properly: Structure content with clear hierarchy.
• Optimize Images: Use alt tags with relevant keywords and compress file size.
• Add Internal Links: Help users and search engines navigate your site.
• Use Schema Markup: Add structured data for rich snippets (e.g., FAQ, star ratings).

Content Strategy

• Keyword Research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs.
• Regular Blog Posting: Consistently publish quality, original content around target keywords.
• Update Old Content: Refresh outdated posts to maintain rankings.
• Answer User Intent: Write content that solves real problems or answers questions.

Off-Page SEO

• Build Backlinks: Gain links from relevant, high-authority sites via guest posting, outreach, etc.
• Engage on Forums & Communities: Share content on Quora, Reddit, and niche forums.
• Social Media Sharing: Promote content via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
• Get Listed on Directories: Submit your site to reputable local and niche directories.