Difference between revisions of "Working with Wordpress"
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===Focus Keyword=== | ===Focus Keyword=== | ||
| − | Your focus keyword is the word or phrase that you would put into a search engine to find this post. Picking a good focus keyword requires strategy in order to increase your chances of having your post ranked higher in search results. See link [https://yoast.com/focus-keyword/] for more on how to choose an appropriate focus keyword. Please also note that your focus keyword must also be in your meta description, so it should be a word or phrase that could be used in a sentence (ex. "Egan dog" for a post about Ed's dog would not be a good focus keyword because the phrase would be hard to use in a sentence in your meta description). | + | Your focus keyword is the word or phrase that you would put into a search engine to find this post. Picking a good focus keyword requires strategy in order to increase your chances of having your post ranked higher in search results. See link [https://yoast.com/focus-keyword/] for more on how to choose an appropriate focus keyword. Please also note that your focus keyword must also be in your meta description, so it should be a word or phrase that could be used in a sentence (ex. "Egan dog" for a post about Ed's dog would not be a good focus keyword because the phrase would be hard to use in a sentence in your meta description). We cannot specify more than one focus keyword per blog post, so be thoughtful in your choice. |
===Meta Description=== | ===Meta Description=== | ||
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"Stop words" may be pointed out in the analysis, especially in your focus keyword or slug. These are words are often ignored by search engines, so if you include them in your URL or focus keyword, it could affect your chances of coming up as a search result. A list of Google stop words can be found here: [http://www.gobloggingtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Google-stopwords.txt]. Here is a tip on how to determine whether or not to use stop words in your title, keyword, or slug: | "Stop words" may be pointed out in the analysis, especially in your focus keyword or slug. These are words are often ignored by search engines, so if you include them in your URL or focus keyword, it could affect your chances of coming up as a search result. A list of Google stop words can be found here: [http://www.gobloggingtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Google-stopwords.txt]. Here is a tip on how to determine whether or not to use stop words in your title, keyword, or slug: | ||
| − | "Search for the title of your blog post, with stop words and without them. If the results are different in both the cases, then it is clear that Google is considering the stop words. So, it makes sense for you to retain stop words in your title" [http://www.gobloggingtips.com/stop-words/]. | + | ""Search for the title of your blog post, with stop words and without them. If the results are different in both the cases, then it is clear that Google is considering the stop words. So, it makes sense for you to retain stop words in your title"" [http://www.gobloggingtips.com/stop-words/]. |
Revision as of 10:45, 28 September 2016
Contents
Summary
This page is a short summary of how to effectively use the Yoast SEO tools in WordPress to optimize your blog post's searchability and readability.
Yoast SEO
Yoast SEO is a tool which analyses blog pages and attempts to identify areas for improvement, both in terms of how the text is structured and how it is presented in search engines. If you want a more in-depth description of Yoast SEO and some of its main features, you may visit their online webpage [1].
The Yoast SEO tool has two tabs: Content and SEO. The Content tab focuses on analysis of trends within your content to check for basic readablity components. The SEO tab allows you to adjust your settings for how search engines find your post. In both tabs, the tool uses a color-coding system to indicate your performance for difference aspects of its analysis. If it is red, you should fix it. If it is yellow, you should probably try to fix it. If it is green, leave it be. However, not all points need to be green; we will survive!
To get to the Yoast SEO tool for any post in the McNair blog:
- Go to the McNair Center dashboard by scrolling over the "The McNair Center" tab at the top of the McNair blog homepage and clicking "dashboard"
- On the left side of the screen, click on "Posts"
- Scroll over the title of your chosen blog post, then click the "Edit" button which appears
- Scroll past the content box for the blog. Below the content box, you should find the "Yoast SEO" tool
Content tab
The Content tab uses algorithms to determine whether your text may be too complex for readability by a general internet readership. It will provide you with information about trends in your writing and offer suggestions for altering the text to make it easier to read and understand. These are relatively straightforward, but more information on content analysis can be found at the Yoast SEO webpage [2].
SEO tab
This describes some of the more common features of the SEO tab. More information on SEO analysis can be found at the Yoast SEO webpage [3].
Slug
The "slug" is the part of the URL that identifies your article (ex. for mcnair.bakerinstitute.org/wiki/taylor_jacobe "/taylor_jacobe" is the slug). To choose your slug, use the "Snippet Editor" feature and use the "Slug" box.
Focus Keyword
Your focus keyword is the word or phrase that you would put into a search engine to find this post. Picking a good focus keyword requires strategy in order to increase your chances of having your post ranked higher in search results. See link [4] for more on how to choose an appropriate focus keyword. Please also note that your focus keyword must also be in your meta description, so it should be a word or phrase that could be used in a sentence (ex. "Egan dog" for a post about Ed's dog would not be a good focus keyword because the phrase would be hard to use in a sentence in your meta description). We cannot specify more than one focus keyword per blog post, so be thoughtful in your choice.
Meta Description
The meta description is what is shown in the Google description when a link to your page comes up as a search result. It is important to use your focus keyword (see above) in your meta description. If there is no meta description or the meta description does not contain the focus keyword, Google will grab a random piece of text (usually the first sentence or two) from your blog and use that as the description. This is not optimal in terms of drawing in readers. To create the meta description, use the "Snippet Editor" feature in the SEO tab and input the description in the "Meta Description" box. See link [5] for tips on making a good meta description.
Common Pitfalls
Alt Attributes
For images, the alt tag describes the picture and its purpose. This function can also be used for disability access, as the description can be read aloud by a computer, allowing for individuals who are blind or cannot read to understand what the picture contributes to the post. See link for more details on how to create an alt tag and why it is important [6].
Stop Words
"Stop words" may be pointed out in the analysis, especially in your focus keyword or slug. These are words are often ignored by search engines, so if you include them in your URL or focus keyword, it could affect your chances of coming up as a search result. A list of Google stop words can be found here: [7]. Here is a tip on how to determine whether or not to use stop words in your title, keyword, or slug:
""Search for the title of your blog post, with stop words and without them. If the results are different in both the cases, then it is clear that Google is considering the stop words. So, it makes sense for you to retain stop words in your title"" [8].
