SEO: Search Engine Optimization

Step by step:

1. Decide the canonical format. Pick one: https://example.com/ (no www) or https://www.example.com/. Either is fine for SEO — consistency is what matters.
2. Check the current chain from a terminal:

curl -IL http://www.example.com
curl -IL https://www.example.com

Count the hops. More than one 301 before the final 200 means there’s a chain to fix.

3. Remove the server-level redirect if your host adds one automatically (e.g., Hostinger’s "Force HTTPS" toggle in hPanel → Websites → SSL). This is usually what causes the *extra* hop — the host redirects to HTTPS, and then WordPress redirects again to strip or add www.
4. Add one redirect rule in .htaccess (Apache/LiteSpeed) that handles all entry points in a single hop:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.example\.com [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^ https://example.com%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

Note: Never edit inside those managed blocks — plugins and WordPress core regenerate them and will silently discard your changes.

5. Match WordPress’s own settings: WP Admin → Settings → General → set both "WordPress Address (URL)" and "Site Address (URL)" to the canonical form.
6. Re-verify with the same curl commands. You should see exactly one 301 before the 200.

Common Mistakes:

• Editing inside a plugin’s managed .htaccess block instead of above it.
• Creating a redirect loop by fixing WordPress’s URL but forgetting the server-level toggle (or vice versa).
• Mixed content warnings after switching to HTTPS-only — check for hardcoded http:// image or script URLs in old posts.

References:

• MDN — HTTP redirections: developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Redirections
• Google Search Central — canonicalization: developers.google.com/search/docs

Step by step:

1. Go to Google Search Console (search.google.com/search-console) and choose Add Property → Domain (not "URL prefix"). The Domain property type automatically covers http, https, www, and non-www in one property — this is why fixing your redirect chain first matters less for GSC coverage, but still matters for users and PageSpeed.
2. Copy the TXT record value Google gives you (google-site-verification=...).
3. Add it as a TXT record in your domain’s DNS zone:
   • Type: TXT
   • Name/Host: @
   • Value: the string Google gave you
   • TTL: default or 3600
4. Return to Search Console and click Verify. DNS propagation is typically 5–15 minutes but can take up to 24 hours.

Common mistakes:

• Adding the TXT record to the wrong DNS zone (e.g., a subdomain zone instead of the root).
• Verifying with "URL prefix" instead of "Domain" — you’ll end up needing four separate properties to see the full picture.
• Giving up before propagation finishes — retry after 15 minutes before assuming it’s broken.

References:

• Search Console Help — verify ownership: support.google.com/webmasters

Step by step:

1. If you’re running Yoast SEO, it generates a sitemap automatically at https://example.com/sitemap_index.xml (not sitemap.xml — that path redirects to the index). Confirm it loads and lists your actual content sitemaps (posts, pages, categories).
2. In Search Console: Sitemaps → enter sitemap_index.xml → Submit.
3. Check back after a few days for "Success" status with no "Couldn’t fetch" or parsing errors.
4. Spot-check that every URL inside the sitemap uses your canonical domain form (no stray www or http:// entries) — Yoast normally handles this automatically once your WordPress URL settings from Phase 1 are correct.

Common mistakes:

• A sitemap that’s accidentally blocked by robots.txt (check https://example.com/robots.txt for a stray Disallow).
• Noindexed pages still appearing in the sitemap — Yoast excludes these by default, but custom post types or manual noindex tags can slip through.
• Forgetting to resubmit after a domain migration or URL structure change.

References:

• Sitemaps protocol: www.sitemaps.org
• Yoast SEO documentation: yoast.com

Step by step:

1. In Search Console, use URL Inspection on your canonical homepage (https://example.com/). You want to see "URL is on Google." If it says "Discovered — not indexed" or "Crawled — not indexed," click Request Indexing.
2. Inspect the non-canonical variant (https://www.example.com if that’s not your chosen form). It should show "Page with redirect" with Google-selected canonical pointing to your real URL. This is correct — the www version should *not* be independently indexed.
3. Repeat spot-checks on a few key pages (not just the homepage) — service pages, top blog posts — to confirm they’re indexed too.

Timeframes: Search Console data typically lags 3–5 days behind reality. Don’t panic-check daily; give changes a week before troubleshooting further.

References:

• Search Console Help — URL Inspection tool: support.google.com/webmasters

Step by step:

1. Focus keyword per page. In Yoast, set one primary focus keyword per post/page — the specific phrase a reader would type into Google to find that content. Don’t target the same keyword on two pages (keyword cannibalization).
2. Meta title. Keep to roughly 50–60 characters so it doesn’t get truncated in search results. Lead with the keyword or the core benefit, not your brand name (unless brand recognition is the point).
3. Meta description. Roughly 140–160 characters. This doesn’t directly affect rankings but drives click-through rate — write it like ad copy, not a summary.
4. Header hierarchy. One H1 per page (usually the title), H2s for major sections, H3s for subsections. Don’t skip levels or use headers purely for visual styling.
5. Internal linking. Link relevant pages to each other using descriptive anchor text (not "click here"). This helps both users and crawlers understand site structure.
6. Images. Add descriptive alt text (for accessibility and image search — not keyword-stuffed) and compress before upload. Aim for WebP where possible; tools like ShortPixel or the built-in compression in most modern hosting panels can automate this.

Common mistakes:

• Writing meta descriptions that get auto-truncated or duplicated across pages (Yoast will warn you).
• Treating alt text as a keyword-stuffing opportunity — it should describe the image for someone who can’t see it.
• Multiple H1s per page from theme/page-builder templates.

References:

• Google’s SEO Starter Guide: developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide
• Yoast SEO documentation: yoast.com

The three metrics:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) — how long until the main content renders. Target: under 2.5 seconds.
• INP (Interaction to Next Paint) — responsiveness to user interaction (replaced FID in 2024). Target: under 200ms.
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) — visual stability; how much content jumps around while loading. Target: under 0.1.

Step by step:

1. Check Search Console → Experience → Core Web Vitals for field data (real user measurements) grouped by URL.
2. Cross-check specific pages with PageSpeed Insights for a lab-data breakdown and specific fix suggestions.
3. Common WordPress fixes:
   • Use a caching plugin (LiteSpeed Cache if you’re on LiteSpeed hosting) to reduce server response time.
   • Lazy-load below-the-fold images.
   • Reserve explicit width/height on images and embeds to prevent layout shift.
   • Minimize plugin count — each one adds render-blocking CSS/JS; audit for ones you don’t actually use.
   • Use a lightweight, well-coded theme (e.g., GeneratePress) instead of a heavy page-builder theme.

References:

• web.dev — Core Web Vitals: web.dev
• PageSpeed Insights: pagespeed.web.dev

• Monthly: Check Search Console for new coverage errors, manual actions, or a sudden drop in impressions/clicks.
• Quarterly: Re-run Core Web Vitals checks, especially after theme/plugin updates. Re-audit on-page SEO for your top-traffic pages — search intent and competition shift over time.
• After any migration, redesign, or URL structure change: repeat Phases 1–4 in full. This is the single most common cause of a traffic cliff.