Most clients of ours are local businesses located in North Scottsdale commercial areas such as Airpark. Quite often they will ask us questions pertaining to how to show up in Google search results.
When it comes to building websites, we tell them that we use the most popular web publishing platform called WordPress. This usually leads to more questions such as can using WordPress help their website show up on the first page of Google.
The short answer is yes, WordPress can be a great tool to help you position your website for better Google search results.
That said, a common mistake is thinking that just using WordPress means Google will magically send you thousands of visitors. In reality, search engines like Google do not care what tool you used to build your website. They only care if your website is fast, easy to understand, and full of helpful information.
Here is a simple look at why WordPress is great for search results, where people get stuck, and how to use it correctly.
Why WordPress Can Help Your Website Get Found
Here are a few ways WordPress can help your website get found in search engine results.
It Organizes Your Content Automatically
Google loves websites that are organized like a well-labeled filing cabinet. WordPress does this naturally. It forces your website to have clean, simple web addresses (for example https://yourwebsite.com/services/) and lets you easily sort your pages into clear categories (for example https://yourwebsite.com/services/on-site/ where on-site is the category of services), which helps Google understand exactly what you are talking about.
It Enables You to Use Handy “SEO Assistants” (Plugins)
Within your WordPress website, you can install extra tools called plugins. Free plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math act like a personal assistant for your website. When you write a blog post, these tools give you a simple checklist. They remind you to add a title, write a short summary for Google, and tell you if your text is easy for a human to read.
It Gives You Total Control
Some simple website builders block you from changing the hidden, technical parts of your website. WordPress gives you the keys to everything. If a Google rule changes tomorrow and you need to update a hidden setting to keep your ranking, WordPress actually lets you do it.
It’s Built for Writing and Updating
Google loves active websites that share helpful, fresh information. Because WordPress started out as a blogging tool, it is incredibly easy to use. If you can type an email, you should be able to publish a beautiful page on WordPress. And when you publish web pages of useful and accurate information regularly, it can improve your website’s ability to show up in Google results.
Simple Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Rankings
Because WordPress lets you change whatever you want, it is easy to make mistakes that can push your website down in the search results. Here are the most common traps to avoid:
The “Too Many Tools” Trap
Since plugins are so helpful, many beginners install dozens of them. But every tool you add makes your website a little heavier and more complicated. If your website takes more than a few seconds to load, visitors will leave out of frustration, and your search rankings may drop because your website’s slower speed is negatively impacting user experience.
Choosing Beauty Over Speed
WordPress websites are based on themes (a design layout) and if your web designer creates a custom theme, with too much code, reliance on plugins, and use of too many large-sized graphics, it can slow down the speed of your website pages. Thus, it is important that your web designer build an efficient search engine friendly website.
Writing for Search Engines Instead of Humans
When your Search Engine helper plugin tells you to use a certain word three times, this can actually hurt your search engine goals. Google is smart. It knows when you are just repeating words to trick the system. Write your articles like you are talking to a friend over coffee. If humans love reading it, find it useful, and Google finds it accurate, your website should do better in the search results.
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