Struggling to rank your WordPress site on Google? You’re not alone. WordPress powers over 43% of the internet, yet most site owners never fully unlock its SEO power.
The good news? You don’t need a full redesign or an expensive agency. You just need to fix what’s broken. And if you’d rather let experts do it for you, check out these WordPress SEO Services that help WordPress sites rank faster and smarter.
1. Optimize Your Permalink Structure
By default, WordPress URLs look like this:
yoursite.com/?p=123
These are ugly and unreadable by both users and Google.
Fix: Go to Settings > Permalinks and choose “Post name.” It changes your URL to:
yoursite.com/seo-tips
Cleaner URLs improve click-through rates and help search engines understand your content.
2. Install a Powerful SEO Plugin
WordPress doesn’t come with built-in SEO tools. You’ll need a plugin.
Top Picks:
- Yoast SEO – beginner-friendly
- Rank Math – advanced features for free
- All in One SEO – fast and simple
Once installed, configure titles, meta descriptions, and set focus keywords for every post.
3. Fix Slow Page Load Times
Google uses page speed as a ranking factor. If your site is slow, your rankings suffer.
Fixes:
- Install a caching plugin (e.g., WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache)
- Compress images using ShortPixel or TinyPNG
- Use a lightweight theme and remove unused plugins
Test your speed using Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix.
4. Use a Mobile-Friendly Theme
Over 60% of traffic comes from mobile devices. Google indexes mobile-first.
Fix: Choose a responsive theme from the WordPress repository or ThemeForest. Test it with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool.
If you’re ready to take your optimization to the next level, check out Blogrify’s detailed SEO Optimization post to discover proven strategies that boost rankings fast.
5. Improve Internal Linking
Internal links guide visitors and help search engines crawl your site.
Fix: Add links to older posts within your new articles. Use descriptive anchor text.
Example: In this guide, we linked to our WordPress SEO Services to help you go deeper if you need hands-on help.
6. Optimize Your Images for SEO
Images bring in traffic through Google Image Search. But only if they’re optimized.
Checklist:
- Use descriptive file names (e.g., wordpress-seo-guide.jpg)
- Add ALT text that includes relevant keywords
- Resize and compress images to reduce load time
7. Target the Right Keywords
Ranking starts with choosing the right keywords. Target terms your audience actually searches for.
Fix: Use tools like:
- Ubersuggest
- Google Keyword Planner
- AnswerThePublic
Look for long-tail keywords with moderate traffic and low competition. Then, naturally include them in your title, URL, H1, and first 100 words.
Final Thoughts
WordPress is powerful, but it won’t rank on Google without the right setup. These 7 fixes are your blueprint to a faster, higher-ranking site.
Ready to boost your rankings even faster? Let our experts at SERP Rankers handle your SEO while you focus on building your business. Start with a free strategy session today.