It is often taken as a given that WordPress websites are going to be search engine-friendly. And to be fair, that’s usually the case. A lot of WordPress sites rank well in Google because the CMS is easy for search engine spiders to crawl and encourages content creation in a straightforward way.
However, that’s not the same as saying your WordPress business website will necessarily stand out in Google’s search listings. In fact, there are a number of reasons the search engine might ignore your WordPress site altogether, or at least bury you so deeply in the rankings that no one ever finds your website at all.
Today, we want to look at a few of the reasons this could happen to you…
Your Website Doesn’t Have Its Own Domain
Sure, you can save a few dollars by hosting your website in WordPress instead of its own domain. But by doing so you give away ownership of your pages and your content. You also signal to Google and the other search engines that you’re maintaining your website as a hobby rather than a serious concern. Add all those details together and it’s easy to see why your posts aren’t going to rank very highly.
Your Theme Doesn’t Work
The theme you choose for your WordPress website matters more than you might think. Although a lot of business owners tend to choose based on aesthetics, the fact of the matter is that some templates and layouts are more search-friendly than others. That’s particularly true when you consider that certain themes might rely on bloated code, outdated plug-ins, or graphical elements that slow your website down.
There Are Technical Problems with Your Site
This builds on the last point we made. There are certain technical, behind-the-scenes factors that affect the search visibility of your website. These include the time it takes for your pages to load, whether your layout and content are compatible with mobile devices, and whether you have any broken links or plug-ins on your pages. Each of these issues is problematic for users, which means Google will send its search users elsewhere—whether you’re using WordPress or not.
You Aren’t Actually Posting or Optimizing Content
Simply installing WordPress doesn’t do anything magical. It might make the process of creating and posting content easier, but it won’t actually do it for you. It’s no secret that nearly all high-ranking websites feature regular blog posts and updates. You need to follow their example, and make sure you are using the right tools and advice to optimize everything you publish, if you expect search traffic to find its way to your pages.
Readers Don’t Like Your Content
Speaking of content, you need to be a source of high-quality articles and ideas if you’re going to attract search traffic. For one thing, engagement is now a major search signal, meaning Google will pay attention to the amount of time users are spending on your website. And for another thing, there isn’t really much point in attracting a high volume of search traffic if no one is hanging around to engage with your content. So, write for your target audience first and then search optimize your content only after you’re happy with the ideas you presented. Contact us to get help with your content development!
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