Wordpress

WordPress Basic Setup

1) Basic WordPress Setup (Pre-indexing Checks)

Unblock Search Engines

Go to Admin > Settings > Reading > Uncheck “Discourage search engines from indexing this site.”

Set Permalinks

Navigate to Settings > Permalinks > Select “Post name” (/%postname%/). (Changing this later can cause 404 errors and SEO issues).

Site Title/Tagline/Language/Time Zone

Enter accurate information in Settings > General (for branding + setting Korean language/time zone).

Force HTTPS

After installing SSL (via hosting/Cloudflare etc.), set up a 301 redirect from HTTP to HTTPS (most hosting providers/plugins can do this).

Install Minimal Essential Plugins

  • SEO: Yoast SEO or Rank Math (choose only one).
  • Google Integration: Site Kit by Google (easily connects Search Console and GA4).
  • Cache/Speed: WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache (choose based on hosting compatibility).
  • Image Optimization: Imagify / ShortPixel.
  • Redirects: Redirection.

Theme Check

Use a responsive (mobile-optimized) and lightweight theme. Avoid excessive use of page builders (which can add heavy scripts).

2) Connect Google Search Console & Verify Site Ownership

Prepare a Google Account and access Search Console.

Choose Property Type

  • For tracking the entire domain (including subdomains/protocols): Domain property (requires DNS verification).
  • For specific URLs only: URL prefix property (requires HTML file upload/tag etc.).

Verification Method

  • Easy connection with Site Kit plugin (automatic verification after logging in through WordPress).
  • Alternatively, add a DNS TXT record (via your domain registrar) and verify.

3) Submit Sitemap

Check the sitemap URL automatically generated by your SEO plugin:

  • Yoast: /sitemap_index.xml
  • Rank Math: /sitemap_index.xml (similar)

In Search Console > Sitemaps > Submit the URL above.

Confirm it shows as “Success” after submission.

4) Check robots.txt (Allow Crawling)

While WordPress can use a default robots.txt (virtual), the following format is sufficient:

User-agent: *
Disallow:
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap_index.xml

If you previously blocked access with Disallow: / during development, remove it immediately.

5) Request Indexing & Basic Verification

In Search Console > URL Inspection, enter your homepage/main page URLs and request indexing.

Search Google for site:example.com to check the current number of indexed pages (it’s normal for it to be 0 initially).

6) Content Creation: Create Pages that Match ‘Search Intent’

Follow this checklist for each page:

  • Select 1 main keyword + 2-4 secondary (long-tail) keywords (must match user intent).
  • Title Tag: Around 50-60 characters, main keyword near the beginning. Brand name at the end.
  • Meta Description: Around 120-160 characters, include a call to action.
  • H1: Only one per page, structure with H2/H3. Avoid keyword stuffing.
  • Slug (URL): Short, meaningful (English or Korean), use hyphens.
  • Body Content: Provide a more comprehensive answer than competing pages (e.g., guides, checklists, examples, images).
  • Images: Use meaningful filenames, add ALT text (descriptive).
  • Internal Links: Link related articles to each other (use descriptive anchor text, not “click here”).
  • Avoid duplicate/thin content (minimize exposure of category/tag archives).
  • E-E-A-T Trust Factors: Include an about/bio section, contact info, real case studies/data, references, and publication/update dates.

7) Technical SEO (Must-dos for WordPress)

Canonicalization: SEO plugins usually handle this automatically.

Page Speed / Core Web Vitals (CWV):

  • Improve LCP/CLS/INP: Optimize images, lazy load, preload fonts, disable unnecessary scripts.
  • Compress/Combine HTML/CSS/JS with a cache plugin (set exclusions if breaking occurs).
  • Hosting: Recommend support for PHP 8+, HTTP/2/3, and object caching (Redis).
  • Use a CDN (Cloudflare etc.).
  • Mobile Optimization: Responsive layout, touch targets, check CLS (layout shifts).

Structured Data (Schema, JSON-LD):

  • Apply Organization, WebSite (+SearchAction), BreadcrumbList, Article/BlogPosting, LocalBusiness (if local business).
  • Utilize default schema from plugins (Yoast/Rank Math) + add custom markup as needed.

Multilingual/Local Targeting (if applicable): Set hreflang (e.g., ko-KR) (automatic with multilingual plugins).

8) Off-Page SEO (Links & Trust)

Realistic Link Building: Partner/collaborator/association/community profiles, high-quality guest posts, media mentions, being featured on useful resource pages.

Local Businesses: Register for Google Business Profile, ensure NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency, manage reviews.

Social Media: Create profiles on social channels and link to your website (brand signal).

Do NOT buy harmful links (risk of penalty).

9) Measurement/Monitoring Routine

Check GA4 + Search Console dashboard via Site Kit.

Utilize Search Console Menus:

  • Performance: Check impressions, clicks, CTR, average position by query/page.
  • Pages (Indexing Status): Resolve exclusion/error reasons (soft 404, redirect, crawled-currently not indexed, etc.).
  • Core Web Vitals/Experience: Implement suggested improvements.
  • Monitor Security & Manual Actions.
  • Repeat URL Inspection → Request Indexing for new page publications.

10) Common WordPress Mistakes (To Avoid)

  • Leaving search engine blocking on or Disallow: / in robots.txt during development.
  • Massive exposure of thin archives like templates/categories/tags/pagination.
  • Changing permalinks without 301 redirects for old URLs.
  • Excessive slow themes/plugins (causes slow loading → impacts ranking/bounce rate).
  • Duplicate content/keyword cannibalization (multiple articles on similar topics).
  • Staging/test sites getting indexed (block with basic authentication or noindex).

Execution Plan (Checklist)

Today

  • Unblock search engines, set permalinks, force HTTPS.
  • Install Site Kit → Connect Search Console/GA4 and verify ownership.
  • Install SEO plugin (Yoast or Rank Math) / Basic setup.
  • Submit /sitemap_index.xml, URL inspect main pages → request indexing.
  • Set up cache and image optimization plugins.

Within 1 Week

  • Write 3-5 core landing pages (in-depth content matching intent).
  • Design internal link structure (create parent/child topic hub pages).
  • Implement PageSpeed Insights recommendations.

2-4 Weeks

  • Resolve Core Web Vitals and indexing exclusion issues.
  • Secure safe initial backlinks from brand/partner channels.
  • Set up Google Business Profile (if local business) and encourage reviews.

2-3 Months

  • Performance report (queries/pages): A/B test improvements for titles/descriptions on low-CTR pages.
  • Refresh long-tail content that’s just below top rankings (avg. position 8-20).

Recommended Plugins/Tools (Avoid Overlap)

  • SEO: Yoast SEO or Rank Math
  • Google Integration: Site Kit by Google
  • Cache/Speed: WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache
  • Image Optimization: Imagify / ShortPixel
  • Redirects: Redirection
  • Security (Optional): Wordfence
  • Backup (Optional): UpdraftPlus

Final Check Mini-Checklist

  • Check indexing status with site:yourdomain.
  • Ensure homepage/main page title/description/H1/slug/ALT/internal links are complete.
  • /sitemap_index.xml submitted, Sitemap specified in robots.txt.
  • No mobile/speed/Core Web Vitals warnings.
  • New/modified pages processed with URL Inspection → Indexing Request.