The Yoast SEO plugin is a popular choice for WordPress users looking to improve their website's search engine rankings. It offers a range of features to help with meta keyword optimization.
To set up meta keywords in Yoast SEO, you need to navigate to the plugin's dashboard and click on the "SEO" tab. From there, you can access the meta keywords settings.
With Yoast SEO, you can add a maximum of 255 characters to your meta keywords, which is a crucial aspect of meta keyword optimization. This means you need to be concise and focused when adding keywords to your website's pages.
Yoast SEO also allows you to add a custom meta keywords field to your WordPress pages, giving you more control over your website's meta keywords.
Why Meta Keywords Matter
Meta keywords matter because they help Google rank your website better, leading to more traffic and a growing audience. This is especially true if you add keywords that people often search for.
A great meta description will reel in more of your target audience, as they read on your meta description and click on your post. This is because a well-written meta description lets Google know what your site is about.
If you don't add the correct keywords and meta descriptions to your site, Google's search engine won't know how to properly classify and rank your site. This means your audience won't find your content.
Adding meta descriptions to your website becomes easy through WordPress plugins, making it a simple matter of finding a plugin that works for you.
Setting Up Yoast SEO
To set up Yoast SEO, download the free Yoast plugin, which is a powerful tool designed to optimize your site's SEO. Installing and activating the plugin is a straightforward process.
Once you've activated the plugin, navigate to the Yoast dashboard in your WordPress dashboard, where you'll find the Yoast SEO section under any post or page you've edited. This is where you'll configure your site's keywords and meta descriptions.
The Yoast SEO section includes fields like focus keyphrase, SEO title, slug, and meta description. The focus keyphrase is the search term you want your page to rank for.
To configure your plugin, click on the Yoast icon in your left sidebar and follow the installation wizard. You'll be asked a number of questions about your site, including whether your website has been published or is under construction, and the type of website you're creating.
Here's a summary of the questions you'll be asked:
- Whether your website has been published or is under construction
- The type of website you're creating
- Whether your site represents a person or an organization
- The type of website content you'd like to appear in search results
- If your site will have multiple authors
- How you want your site title to appear in search results
- Whether you'd like to allow Yoast to track your site's data for research purposes
- Whether you want to sign up for the Yoast newsletter
After answering these questions, click on Update to save your changes and complete the installation process.
Organizing Your Website
A well-organized website is crucial for search engine optimization (SEO), and Yoast SEO plugin helps you achieve this by suggesting relevant keywords for your website's structure.
Yoast SEO plugin recommends a clear hierarchy of categories and subcategories to help search engines understand your website's content.
A clear hierarchy also makes it easier for users to find what they're looking for.
Yoast SEO plugin suggests using a maximum of three levels of subcategories to avoid overwhelming search engines.
Using a consistent naming convention for categories and subcategories is essential for search engines to understand your website's structure.
Yoast SEO plugin recommends using a descriptive and keyword-rich title for your website's categories and subcategories.
A well-organized website with clear categories and subcategories can improve user experience and increase the chances of your content being found by search engines.
Posts and Pages
To add keywords and meta descriptions to your WordPress posts, you'll need to open the WordPress blog post editor for the post you want to modify. Scroll down to the Focus Keyphrase section and add the keyword you'd like to rank for.
This enables Yoast to comprehensively scan your post's content to give you a content score. You can improve your content score to green once you've included the target keyword a healthy number of times and in key areas of your posts, including headers and post titles.
You'll also want to fill in your post's meta description, which should be clear and enticing to earn more clicks when people find you on search engines. Make sure to include your keyword as part of your meta description, like "how to start a website" in the beginning of the description for good measure.
Updating keywords and meta descriptions for pages is pretty similar to updating posts. You'll want to open your desired page from under the Pages section in your WordPress dashboard, scroll to the bottom, and find the Yoast plugin areas where you can fill in your keyphrases and meta descriptions.
To add a meta description to your post or page using AIOSEO, you'll need to edit the post or page, scroll down to the ‘AIOSEO Settings’ box, and enter a description into the ‘Meta Description’ field. This field will let you know how many characters you have used, as Google will only show 160 characters on search results pages.
You can also add tags to your meta description using AIOSEO's Dynamic Tags, such as the author's name or the post title. Simply type the ‘#’ character into the meta description box and choose from a dropdown menu of available tags.
If you want to save time, you can use AIOSEO's AI-powered Title / Description Generator, which uses ChatGPT to automatically craft high-quality meta descriptions based on the main theme of your content. This will generate 5 meta description suggestions, which you can select and tweak according to your needs.
Using Tags and Categories
You can add keywords and meta descriptions to your WordPress categories, just like your posts and pages. From your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Posts, then Categories, and fill in the corresponding keywords and meta descriptions in the Yoast SEO plugin at the bottom of the page.
Meta tags are hidden in the code of your content, allowing search engines to read them. Optimizing WordPress meta tags can help you rank higher in search results, which drives traffic to your website.
To access your WordPress categories, simply scroll to the bottom of the Posts page in your dashboard.
6 How to Organize Categories
Organizing categories is crucial for a well-structured website. You can add keywords and meta descriptions to your website's category pages by navigating to Posts, then Categories from your WordPress dashboard.
To save time, you can fill in the corresponding keywords and meta descriptions in the Yoast SEO plugin at the bottom of the page. Once you're done, simply hit Update to save your changes.
How to Use Tags
Meta tags are a basic and essential part of search engine optimization, or SEO, and can help you rank higher in search results.
You can add meta tags to your WordPress website manually by editing header.php or functions.php files, but using a plugin is a faster and easier way.
The Meta Tag Manager plugin is a great option for adding meta tags to your WordPress website, and it can be accessed at Settings > Meta Tag Manager.
You can use the Meta Tag Manager plugin to add custom meta tags for specific pages, or to enable meta tags for specific content types like page, media, and post.
To add a meta description tag for the front page, go to Settings > Meta Tag Manager > Custom Meta Tags section and click on the Add Meta Tag button.
By using the Meta Tag Manager plugin, you can add as many meta tags for your pages as per your requirements, and even enable the meta tag builder for different content types.
Track Keyword Performance
Tracking keyword performance is a crucial step in refining your SEO strategy. All in One SEO's Search Statistics and Keyword Rank Tracker feature allows you to see how your chosen keywords are ranking in search results right from the WordPress dashboard.
You can easily access valuable information like keyword position, clicks, average click-through rate, impressions, position history, and more. This feature is a game-changer for bloggers and website owners.
By tracking these metrics, you can see what's working and what's not. This will help you adjust your keyword strategy so that you can improve your rankings and drive more traffic to your site.
Yoast SEO
Yoast SEO is a must-have plugin for any WordPress user who wants to optimize their content for search engines. You can find it under any post or page you've edited once you activate the Yoast SEO plugin.
The focus keyphrase is a crucial field in Yoast SEO, as it's the search term you want your page to rank for. Use a specific and relevant keyword that accurately describes your content.
The SEO title, also known as the page title, is another important field in Yoast SEO. Keep it under 60 characters and include your focus keyphrase for better results.
The slug is a part of your URL that describes the content of a page or post. This helps search engines understand what your page is about.
The meta description appears under the page or post title on Google and provides information about the content. It should be a concise and accurate summary of your page's content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are meta keywords still relevant in 2024?
No, meta keywords are no longer a factor in SEO as of 2023 and beyond. Focusing on high-quality content and other SEO best practices is more effective for improving your website's visibility.
Should I remove meta keywords?
Removing meta keywords is unlikely to harm your website, but consider investing your time in more impactful SEO strategies.
Sources
- https://stackoverflow.com/questions/67772097/how-to-add-meta-keyword-in-wordpress-using-yoast-seo-plugin
- https://www.sociummedia.com/blog/wordpress-seo/
- https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/how-to-add-keywords-and-meta-descriptions-in-wordpress/
- https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-add-keywords-and-meta-descriptions-in-wordpress/
- https://www.nexcess.net/blog/how-to-add-meta-tags-to-wordpress/
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