If you run an online business, you need to make sure your website is optimized for search engines. The internet is a crowded place, and if your audience cannot find you, your chances of making sales will be pretty slim. So how do you ensure that readers find you?
If you’re one of the millions of small business owners that have opted to utilize WordPress for building your website, then you want to make sure you’re choosing an SEO-friendly WordPress theme.
Is There Such a Thing as an SEO-Friendly WordPress Theme?
When most people think of search engine optimization (SEO), they think of the optimization of the content on a website. After all, search engines like Google and Bing have one primary goal – to help people find what they need. But if you have a website built in WordPress and you’re only focusing on optimizing your content (and not your overall website design), then you’re missing out on a whole other way to optimize your site.
What is an SEO-Friendly WordPress Theme?
An SEO-friendly WordPress theme is a theme that takes into consideration more than just your on-page SEO. WordPress themes that are considered SEO-friendly take into consideration your technical SEO as well, which includes your:
- Meta Title
- Meta Description
- Categories
- URL Structure
- Page Speed
- Site Structure
Why is it Important to Optimize Your WordPress Theme?
Optimizing your WordPress theme is essential for a few reasons. First, it’s the first impression that your site makes on your visitors. If your theme is un-optimized, it’s going to reflect poorly on your website. And second, it’s going to help your visitors navigate your website more easily.
One of the primary goals of an SEO-friendly WordPress theme is to help you give your audience the best overall user experience (UX). That means you want to make your website look good, and it also means you want to make it easy for your visitors to find what they’re looking for – so frustrated users won’t leave your site to locate what they need elsewhere.
The good news? There are dozens of SEO-friendly WordPress themes out there that are ready to help you get started, including:
- Hello (My recommendation)
- Divi
- SEO Crawler
- MH Magazine
- TheGem
- Schema
- Astra
4 Must-Have Elements of an SEO-Friendly WordPress Theme
With so many SEO-friendly WordPress themes available, it can be easy to become overwhelmed with choosing the right one for you. The good news? There are plenty of tried-and-true steps you can follow to help you choose the right one for your business. Before you dive into the options available, you want to make sure you know what makes for a great SEO-friendly WordPress theme.
Here are four must-have elements:
1. Responsive Design
Responsive design refers to a viewable website design that looks and functions the same across all types of devices, including desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. In other words, you can be sure that your website will look the same on your desktop computer and your mobile phone.
2. Loading Speed
The best SEO-friendly WordPress themes are going to be fast-loading. And why is loading speed so important? It’s essential because slow-loading websites can affect your SEO. When your website loads slowly, it can cause visitors to give up on your site and start looking for a faster website – like your competitors. And when you lose your visitors, you lose your income.
3. Simple Navigation
One of the best things you can do for your SEO-friendly WordPress theme is to make sure it has a simple navigation system. Studies have shown that approximately 94% of consumers want an easy-to-navigate website when they are looking for products/services.
With a simple navigation system, you make it easier for your visitors to find what they need. That way, they’ll be more likely to stay on your site and keep coming back for more.
4. Simple, Clean Coding
When it comes to SEO-friendly WordPress themes, it’s essential to make sure that the coding on your website is clean and simple. If your website has code that’s difficult to read, it will make it harder for search engines to understand what your website is about. And if search engines don’t know what your website is about, it’s going to be harder for your website to rank well on search engines.
Messy, complicated coding can also lead to several usability issues, including:
- Slow page-loading time
- Inability to navigate your website easily
- Loss of visitors, etc.
"With over 18 years of experience developing successful, SEO-friendly websites for clients across various industries, I know what it takes to create a high-performing website that will get you the results you want. "
SEO-Friendly Website Development Done Right the First Time
When it comes to SEO-friendly website development, it’s important to make sure you have a plan in place before you start building your website. Otherwise, you’re going to end up with a website that’s difficult to optimize, and that’s going to make it harder for your website to rank well on search engines.
So, what does it take to make sure you have a plan in place before you start building your website?
You want to make sure you’re working with an SEO-friendly web developer. With over 18 years of experience developing successful, SEO-friendly websites for clients across various industries, I know what it takes to create a high-performing website that will get you the results you want.
Ready to get started? Then contact me today for more information!
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