To rank better with WordPress blogs and websites on Google result pages and other search engines, there are few things you’ll want to do right away. and they’re simple things.
You probably have read countless blogs and tutorials online about optimizing WordPress. there are some really good ones and some really bad ones. This post is going to show students and new users how to and what to do when starting a new WordPress blog or website in 2018 and beyond to rank successfully.
As you may already know, Google is the king of search and what they recommend, you should probably follow and do them. To to rank better, follow Google recommended practices.Below are some steps that when taken will better rank in Google search result pages.
So, follow these steps in 2018 to rank successfully.
Step 1: Select a Better Host
There are many web hosts out there and some are better than others. how do you pick a good host and what type of host to select might be the first key.
WordPress.org has listed a few hosts that you can select from. check this page to see a recommended list select by WordPress.org.
After selecting a host from the list, be sure to select a dedicated host or virtual dedicated hosting type with full SSH and root access. I’d probably not recommend a shared hosting for someone looking to rank better than the rest.
Step 2: Install WordPress with SSL/TLS Certificates
Now that you’ve selected a dedicated / virtual dedicated host, make sure to choose a Ubuntu Linux OS to install on the host. the steps below are documented on a Ubuntu host.
The best WordPress setup for 2018 should be the one below. It shows you how to install WordPress with MariaDB, PHP 7.2 and Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS Certificates.
Follow the link below to setup WordPress on a Ubuntu host.
Step 3: Setup WordPress
If you followed the link above and did everything, you should have a working WordPress website with Nginx, MariaDB, PHP and Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS Certificates.
After installing WordPress, logon to the Admin Dashboard ==> Settings ==> Permalinks
Then choose the Post name options as highlighted below and save your settings.
Step 4: Install Recommended Plugins
Now that WordPress is setup, go and install these recommended plugins. They will help you rank better with Google search engine. Google is the king of search. so ranking better in Google you’ll probably dominate your competitors.
This will help you speed up WordPress pages and Google loves it. So install WordPress AMP plugin
This will help you optimize WordPress for better ranking.
This will backup your site so you don’t lose your work
This will help you optimize your site for speed. Google loves fast websites. For this one, you may want to be careful. I installed this on my blog and enabled Object, Opcode and Database caching only. Nginx is caching my pages and it does it better
If you’re going to be uploading lots of images to your website, make sure to install this or similar plugin. it will help reduce the size of your images before saving.
Step 5: Sign up for Google Analytics and Search Console
Now that you blog is functioning, you probably should signup for Google Analytics and install its tracking code to your pages. It’s a great service and helps you analyze your blog pages and performance.
Google Search Console helps you optimize analyze your pages and provides tips on optimizing them to rank better. Both are free.
Sign up for their free service above
Following and implementing the above steps should help you rank better with Google and other search engine providers. there is no magic anyone can do it. moreover, they’re mostly free to use and implement.
So, to rank better, use a good host, install WordPress with SSL/TLS certificates, install AMP plugin and sign up for Google Analytics and Search Console. After that everything will fall in place.
Enjoy!
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