WordPress is SEO-friendly but needs an SEO plugin to perform well
Start with permalinks, site visibility and Google Search Console before adding plugins
On-page SEO covers titles, meta descriptions, headings, and images
Site speed directly affects rankings, and caching plugins deliver quick wins
Common mistakes include ignoring mobile users and forgetting image alt text
You’ve built your WordPress website, added your services and content, and published it to the world.
But when you search for your business on Google, you’re nowhere to be found.
The answer to this is usually SEO. Search engine optimisation determines whether potential customers find your website or your competitors’. For small businesses, getting this right can mean the difference between a steady stream of enquiries and an empty inbox.
WordPress is one of the most SEO-friendly platforms available.
With the right settings and a bit of know-how, you can make real improvements without hiring an agency. This guide shows you exactly how to do SEO yourself on WordPress, step by step.
Table of Contents
Why WordPress SEO Matters for Small Businesses
Google handles billions of searches each day. When someone in your area searches for what you offer, you want your website to appear.
Without proper SEO, your beautifully designed WordPress site might as well be invisible.
WordPress powers over 40% of all websites globally, and it’s popular for good reason. The platform generates clean code that search engines read easily, handles technical elements like XML sitemaps automatically, and integrates smoothly with SEO plugins that make optimisation accessible to non-technical users.
What SEO Actually Does for Your Business
SEO brings visitors who are actively looking for your products or services.
Unlike social media or paid advertising, organic search traffic tends to be highly targeted. Someone searching “plumber near me” or “accountant in Manchester” has a specific need right now.
For small businesses competing against larger companies with bigger marketing budgets, SEO helps level the playing field. You don’t need to outspend competitors, you need to be more relevant to what local customers are searching for.
WordPress SEO Basics: Essential Settings to Check
Before installing any plugins, check these fundamental WordPress settings. Getting these wrong can stop search engines from indexing your site altogether.
Site Visibility Settings
The most basic of checks.
WordPress includes a setting that tells search engines not to index your site. This is useful during development but disastrous if left enabled on a live website.
When this option is ticked you are instructing search engines to ignore your website, and not show any pages in the search results.
To check this, go to Settings > Reading in your WordPress dashboard. Look for the checkbox labelled “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” and make sure it’s unchecked. If it’s ticked, untick it immediately, save your changes and clear the cache.
Permalink Structure
Permalinks are the permanent URLs for your pages and posts. WordPress defaults to ugly URLs like yoursite.com/?p=123, which tell search engines nothing about your content.
To fix this, go to Settings > Permalinks and select “Post name.”
This creates clean URLs like yoursite.com/your-page-title, which both visitors and search engines prefer. They’re easier to read and include relevant keywords naturally.
If your site has been live for a while with the default structure, changing permalinks will break existing site links. You will need redirects to preserve any search engine value you’ve built and to prevent 404 errors. This is one situation where professional help prevents problems.
WordPress Permalinks: Full Guide to Better URLs
Google Search Console Setup
Google Search Console is a free tool that shows how Google sees your site. It reveals indexing problems, displays which search queries bring visitors, and flags technical issues affecting your rankings.
Create an account at search.google.com/search-console, verify your site ownership using one of the provided methods, and submit your XML sitemap. Your SEO plugin generates this sitemap automatically. Check the console regularly for errors and opportunities.
Homepage and Blog Settings
Decide whether your homepage should display a static page or just your latest posts. Most business websites work better with a static homepage that introduces your services clearly.
Set this under Settings > Reading. Choose “A static page” and select your homepage. If you have a blog, create a separate page for it and assign that as your posts page.
Essential WordPress SEO Plugins
WordPress plugins extend what your site can do, in almost limitless ways.
For SEO, a good plugin handles technical tasks, guides your content optimisation, and generates sitemaps automatically.
Yoast SEO
Yoast has been the most popular WordPress SEO plugin for over a decade. The free version covers everything most small businesses need: XML sitemaps, meta title and description editing, readability analysis, and basic schema markup.
The traffic light system (red, orange, green) shows at a glance how well each page is optimised. It’s particularly helpful for beginners because it tells you exactly what to fix. Yoast Premium adds redirect management, internal linking suggestions, and support for multiple focus keywords at roughly £100 per year.
Rank Math
Rank Math arrived later but has grown rapidly by offering more features in its free version. You get multiple keyword tracking, redirect management, advanced schema options, and Google Search Console integration without paying anything.
The interface uses a 100-point scoring system rather than traffic lights. Some users find this more detailed, while others prefer Yoast’s simpler approach. Both plugins do the job well.
Which Should You Choose?
For beginners, Yoast’s simplicity makes it easier to learn. For users comfortable with technology who want maximum features without paying, Rank Math offers excellent value. Either choice works. Pick one and learn it properly rather than switching back and forth.
We use both SEO plugins across client sites at Respect Experts but our preference is the Pro version of Rank Math.
On-Page SEO in WordPress
On-page SEO covers the elements on each page that tell search engines what it’s about. Your SEO plugin makes managing these straightforward.
Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
The title tag appears in browser tabs and search results. The meta description is the snippet of text shown below your title in Google search. Both affect whether people click through to your site.
With Yoast or Rank Math installed, you’ll see fields for these below your content editor. Write titles under 60 characters including your main keyword. Write descriptions under 160 characters that accurately describe the page and encourage clicks.
Each page needs unique metadata because each targets different searches.
Heading Structure
Headings (H1, H2, H3) organise your content for readers and search engines. Your page should have one H1 tag, usually the main title.
The use H2s for major sections and H3s for subsections.
In the WordPress editor, select text and choose the heading level from the block options. Don’t use headings just to make text bigger. Use them to create a logical outline of your content that both visitors and search engines can follow.
Image Optimisation
Images improve user experience but can slow your site if not optimised. Before uploading, compress images using free tools like TinyPNG. Rename files descriptively so “blue-widget-product-photo.jpg” replaces “IMG_4521.jpg.”
Add alt text to every image through the WordPress media library or block editor. Alt text helps visually impaired users and gives search engines context about your images. Describe what the image shows in plain language without keyword stuffing.
Image Optimisation in WordPress: A Practical Guide
Schema Markup
Schema markup is code that helps search engines understand your content and services better.
It can generate rich results in Google showing star ratings, FAQs, business hours, and more. Your SEO plugin handles basic schema automatically, but you can also add specific types for FAQs, products, or local business information through the plugin settings.
Internal Linking
You should link related pages and posts together within your content. If you mention a service on your blog, make sure you link to that service page.
Internal links help visitors find relevant information and distribute SEO value across your pages.
Your SEO plugin may suggest internal linking opportunities. Take these suggestions seriously because they genuinely improve site structure.
Speed Optimisation for WordPress
Page speed is a confirmed Google ranking factor. Slow sites frustrate visitors and rank lower.
Fortunately, WordPress offers excellent tools for improvement.
Why Speed Matters
Most mobile visitors leave sites that take longer than three seconds to load. Every second of delay reduces conversions.
For small businesses, slow loading directly costs you customers.
Google’s Core Web Vitals measure real-world speed and user experience. Sites scoring poorly on these metrics face ranking disadvantages compared to faster competitors.
Quick Wins for Faster Loading
Start with image compression if you haven’t already. Then consider a caching plugin like WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache.
These create static versions of your pages that load much faster than dynamic WordPress pages.
A content delivery network (CDN) like Cloudflare serves your site from servers closer to each visitor, reducing load times. Basic Cloudflare plans are free and straightforward to set up.
If your site remains slow after these improvements, hosting may be the bottleneck.
Cheap or free shared hosting often struggles with WordPress’s demands. Better hosting from providers specialising in WordPress frequently solves persistent speed problems.
For detailed help, our WordPress speed optimisation service tackles performance issues systematically.
Common WordPress SEO Mistakes
Knowing what to avoid saves time and prevents damage to your rankings. These mistakes appear frequently on small business sites.
Leaving Default Settings Unchanged
The WordPress defaults work OK but aren’t optimised and will always need to be tweaked for your site. The permalink structure, site title, and tagline all need attention. Review these settings before assuming everything is fine.
Ignoring Mobile Users
Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site doesn’t work properly on phones, you’re losing visitors and rankings.
Test your site on actual mobile devices, not just desktop browser simulations. Choose a responsive WordPress theme and avoid elements that don’t translate to mobile, like hover-only navigation.
Forgetting Image Alt Text
Every image without alt text is a missed opportunity. Search engines can’t “see” images and rely on alt text to understand visual content.
Screen readers also use alt text, making this an accessibility requirement too. Audit your existing images and add alt text to any missing descriptions.
Duplicate Content Issues
WordPress can create multiple URLs pointing to the same content through categories, tags, and date archives. This confuses search engines about which version to rank. Your SEO plugin handles most duplicate content through canonical tags, but make sure these settings are enabled and configured correctly.
Skipping Keyword Research
Writing content without understanding what people actually search for means guessing. Free tools like Google’s Keyword Planner help identify relevant terms with reasonable search volume. Your SEO plugin then helps you optimise content for those terms.
When to Get Help
DIY WordPress SEO works well for basic optimisation but it takes a long time to implement properly.
You can configure settings, install plugins, write optimised content, and monitor results yourself. Many small businesses see genuine improvements from these efforts alone.
However, some situations benefit from professional expertise. Technical problems like redirect chains, crawl errors, or penalty recovery require diagnostic skills that take time to develop.
Competitive industries may need advanced strategies beyond basic optimisation. Significant site changes like migrations or redesigns carry SEO risks that professionals know how to manage.
At Respect Experts, we’ve worked exclusively with WordPress for over 10 years.
We understand how WordPress handles SEO at a technical level, not just which buttons to click. When DIY reaches its limits, professional support can take your rankings further.
Consider professional help if you’ve implemented basic optimisation but aren’t seeing results after several months. SEO takes time, but persistent lack of progress often indicates issues that need expert diagnosis.
Moving Forward with WordPress SEO
WordPress gives small businesses genuine SEO advantages. The platform handles technical requirements, integrates with powerful plugins, and scales as your business grows. What matters is using these tools correctly.
Start with the basics: check your settings, set up Google Search Console, install an SEO plugin, and optimise your most important pages.
Build from there, adding speed improvements, regular content, and internal links over time.
SEO is never a one-time task. Search engines update their algorithms, competitors improve their sites, and your business evolves. Treat SEO as ongoing maintenance, in both time and budget.
If you’d like help with WordPress SEO specifically, our team combines deep WordPress expertise with proven SEO knowledge. Whether you need a one-off audit or ongoing support, we’re here to help UK small businesses succeed online.
Frequently Asked Questions
SEO improvements typically take three to six months to affect rankings significantly. Google needs time to recrawl your site and reassess its quality. Some changes, like fixing technical errors, may show results faster. Patience is necessary, but consistent effort does produce results over time.
Read more: How Long Does SEO Take to Work?
Yoast’s simpler interface makes it easier for complete beginners. The traffic light system gives clear feedback without overwhelming detail. Rank Math offers more features in its free version but has a steeper learning curve. Both plugins work well, so choose based on your comfort with technology.
For most small business websites, the free versions provide everything you need. Rank Math’s free version includes features like redirect management that Yoast reserves for premium. Start free and upgrade only when you need specific premium features that aren’t available in your chosen plugin’s free tier.
Search “site:yourwebsite.com” in Google. This shows all pages Google has indexed from your domain. If nothing appears, check your site visibility settings in WordPress and submit your sitemap through Google Search Console.
Plugins are tools that help you implement SEO yourself. They guide your optimisation and handle technical elements automatically. Agencies provide expertise, strategy, and implementation. Most small businesses can handle basic SEO with plugins but benefit from professional help for complex issues or competitive markets.
Yes, most WordPress SEO tasks require no coding or technical background. SEO plugins guide you through optimisation with plain language suggestions. Settings changes happen through the normal WordPress dashboard. Advanced technical SEO may need professional help, but basics are genuinely accessible to anyone.
Regular updates signal to search engines that your site is active and current. For blogs, aim for consistent publishing, as even monthly is better than sporadic activity. Review and update key service pages annually to keep information accurate. Quality matters more than frequency.
Plugins help with SEO but don’t guarantee anything. Common issues include weak content, strong competition, missing technical elements, or insufficient time for changes to take effect. An SEO audit can identify specific problems. Sometimes the answer is patience; sometimes it’s strategic changes.
Review old content for update opportunities. Add current information, improve optimisation, and expand thin posts with valuable detail. If content is truly outdated and irrelevant, consider redirecting or removing it. Quality matters more than quantity, so fewer excellent posts outperform many poor ones.