Initial WordPress setup

Objective:

Optimize your new self-hosted WordPress site for search engines after installation from WordPress.org.

Desired Outcome:

Improved website indexing and a functional Yoast SEO plugin.

Applicability:

This guide is specific to self-hosted WordPress websites.

Importance:

Setting up an SEO-friendly website from the beginning ensures proper page understanding and search engine visibility.

Location:

Perform these steps within your WordPress admin panel.

Audience: Website managers or SEO specialists.

Steps:

1. Configure Permalinks:
   • Access your WordPress admin panel (usually at your-website.com/wp-admin/).
   • Navigate to Settings -> Permalinks (default setting: “Day and Name”).
   • Choose the “Post Name” option.
   • Save your changes.
2. Set a Static Homepage:
   • Within the WordPress admin panel, go to Appearance -> Customize.
   • Click on Homepage Settings and select “A static page” under “Your homepage displays.”
   • If you have a homepage “Page” set up, select it in the Front Page field. Publish the changes.
3. Install and Activate Yoast SEO Plugin:
   • In the WordPress admin panel, go to Plugins -> Add New.
   • Search for “Yoast SEO”.
   • Install and activate the plugin.
     • A new “SEO” option will appear on your WordPress admin sidebar.
     • New features for page and post optimization will be available when editing.
     • You can also access the Yoast SEO icon at the top right corner of any post or page.

Yoast SEO Features:

• Page/Post Edit Screen:
  • “SEO” tab:
    • SEO Title: Headline displayed in search results.
    • Slug: Customizable URL following your domain name (e.g., https://yoururl.com/this-is-the-slug).
    • Meta Description: Short paragraph displayed under the headline in search results.
  • Focus keyphrase: Analyzes content for keyword optimization (use as a guide, not a strict requirement).
• Social tab:
  • Facebook Title, Description, and Image: Control how your page appears when shared on Facebook.
• Advanced tab (scroll down on SEO tab):
  • Indexing and Following options for search engines.
  • Meta Robots options for controlling image indexing, page caching, and search result snippets.
  • Breadcrumb title: Customize post/page title length for breadcrumbs navigation.
  • Canonical URL: Specify the original page URL if your content is similar to another existing page (to avoid duplicate content issues).

Completion:

Congratulations! You’ve established your new WordPress website with essential SEO configurations for search engine indexing.