Best Practices SEO While Developing A Website

This is a simple rundown on how to successfully use the Yoast plugin for best SEO practices on our websites.

This article assumes you have Yoast installed on the site and you have gone through the setup configuration wizard.

1. Create SEO-Friendly Content

a. Proper Use of Headings

• H1 Tag: Use one H1 heading per page or post. This should be the main title of the content.
• H2 Tags: Use H2 headings for main sections of your content. These should divide your content into clear sections.
• H3 Tags: Use H3 headings for subsections within the H2 sections. This helps organize content hierarchically.
• Best Practices:
  • Keep headings relevant and include target keywords where natural.
  • Avoid keyword stuffing in headings.
  • Ensure the flow of information from H1 to H3 is logical and easy to follow.

b. Content Length

• Aim for a minimum of 350 words per page or post. We aim for 750 words when possible. 
• Ensure content is informative, valuable, and keyword-optimized.
• Break up content with headings, bullet points, and images to improve readability.

2. Optimize Meta Descriptions with Yoast SEO

• Scroll down to the Yoast SEO section in the WordPress editor for the page or post.
• Click on the SEO tab.

a. Meta Title

• Yoast will automatically generate a meta title based on your page title, but you can customize it.
• Include your primary keyword near the beginning of the title.
• Keep it under 60 characters to ensure it displays properly in search engine results.

b. Meta Description

• Enter a meta description in the provided field. (You can use Chatgpt for this step. Provide chatgpt with the url of the page to let chatgpt review the page for best results. )
• Best Practices:
  • Keep it under 160 characters.
  • Include the primary keyword naturally.
  • Make it compelling to encourage click-throughs.
  • Provide a brief summary of the content, focusing on user intent.

3. Optimize for Focus Keyphrase

• In the Focus Keyphrase field, enter the primary keyword you want the page or post to rank for.
• Yoast will analyze your content and give feedback on keyword usage:
  • Use the keyphrase in the first paragraph.
  • Include the keyphrase in at least one H2 or H3 heading.
  • Use the keyphrase naturally throughout the content.
  • Ensure keyphrase density is within Yoast’s recommended range.

4. Analyze Content with Yoast SEO Analysis (if budget allows – but good to keep in mind when choosing your headings etc.)

• Yoast provides an SEO analysis below the content editor.
• Follow the recommendations to improve your SEO score:
  • Ensure your keyphrase is used adequately in headings, text, and meta information.

5. Review and Update Readability Analysis

• Yoast also provides a readability analysis with recommendations:
  • Aim for a Flesch Reading Ease score of 60-70.
  • Keep sentences concise and avoid large blocks of text.
  • Use transition words to improve flow.
  • Use short paragraphs and simple language for better readability.

6. Set a Featured Image

• Scroll to the Featured Image section in the WordPress editor.
• Upload an image that represents the content.
• Ensure the image is optimized for SEO with a descriptive file name and alt text.

7. Check for Green Lights

• Yoast uses a traffic light system to indicate SEO and readability scores:
  • Aim for as many green lights as possible.
  • Address any red or orange lights by following Yoast’s suggestions.

8. Publish Your Content

• Once all Yoast SEO and readability criteria are met, publish or update your page/post.
• Regularly review and update content to maintain SEO performance.

Following these steps ensures that your content is optimized for search engines, making it more likely to rank well and attract traffic.