Instructions on How to Implement Search Engine Optimization in WisePlatform.
The most important aspects of search engine optimization are often defined as the technical features of the website, the content of the website, and the reputation of the website. The success of these ultimately determines the company's visibility in search engines. Each content producer can influence the website's content (and thus also its reputation).
WiseCMS's article management automatically generates an SEO title and SEO description for a page based on the article's title and lead paragraph. If you want to optimize the text more precisely for a certain keyword, both of these can be edited from the article's settings.
Article Management
SEO Title
What is an SEO Title?
The SEO title is said to be the most important single part of search engine optimization.
- The SEO title is the name of the content that tells search engines what topic the page is about.
- It is different from the actual visible title of the article.
- The chosen keyword for the article should be included in the SEO title, preferably at the beginning.
- It appears in the search engine results listing.
- It should be unique and there should not be multiple articles with the same SEO title on the same website.
- The recommended length is a maximum of 65 characters.
How do I edit the SEO title?
→ Go to the article's editing mode.
→ Open the "Settings" section from the content editor.
→ Enter the desired SEO title in the provided field.
→ Press "Publish"
SEO Description (Meta Description)
What is an SEO Description?
- It appears in search engine results (as well as in social media shares).
- Its primary purpose is to attract users to click on the search result, and thus it does not directly affect search engine rankings.
- It is good to include the article's keyword and, for example, a call to action.
- The recommended length is a maximum of 156 characters.
How do I edit the SEO description?
→ Go to the article's editing mode.
→ Open the "Settings" section from the content editor.
→ Enter the desired SEO description in the provided field.
→ Press "Publish"
Images
WiseCMS's article management suggests that content producers write a caption for the image. This opportunity should be utilized, as search engines interpret images based on the image file names and captions.
- It is advisable to include a keyword in the caption if possible.
- In addition to the actual visible caption, it is also beneficial to write an alternative alt-text for the image, which also affects the page's visibility in search engines.
URL
For search engines, the URL addresses of a website are also important. They should be clear and descriptive of the page's content. It's also good to keep the visible URL address of an article short.
WiseCMS creates the visible URL address based on the article's title and any categories that may have been added to the article.
If you want to shorten the URL address further, this can be done in the article's content editor under:
→ "Settings"
→ "Article Address"
Add a slash and the desired end part of the URL address in the field.
For example, WiseNetwork's open job positions can be found at www.wisehelp.fi/jobs
Links
There are both internal and external links, and both types affect a website's visibility in search engines.
Internal Links
- Internal links refer to links that lead to other pages within our website.
- Every subpage of the site should be accessible with no more than three clicks.
- Links should logically guide the reader forward, meaning they should relate to the same topic or be interconnected in some way.
- Internal links give search engines an idea of the website's structure.
- It's good to use natural and descriptive text in links and, where possible, to include a keyword in the link.
- Links should also be formatted so that they are easy to notice.
In WiseCMS's article management, there is a "link button" that makes it easy to interlink the site's content and guide the reader forward.
The text for the link button can be written by the user, and they are formatted in a way that makes it easy for visitors to notice and recognize them as links.
External Links
- External links lead from external websites to our own.
- They are a foundation for search engine visibility.
- The more quality external links a website receives, the more trustworthy and high-quality search engines consider it.
- Social media visibility and shares also affect search engine visibility.
It's beneficial to gather external links by asking, for example, partners and clients if they can link to your company's pages from their own websites.
The power of social media should not be underestimated. Instead, invest in interesting content that is liked and shared on social media.
In WiseCMS, articles can be equipped with ready-made social media sharing buttons, accessible from the settings of the article content editor.
Navigation
The navigation of a website also plays a role in search engine optimization. The most important aspect is that the navigation is easily understandable, and its use is smooth. Complex navigation structures are difficult for both users and search engines to understand. Search engines favour easily navigable sites and rank these higher in their search results.
When building navigation, it is important to consider the search terms people use to find information online. If possible, these phrases should be used in the navigation headings.
Redirections
Redirection refers to, for example, directing an outdated page or a broken link to a new URL address.
All pages containing outdated information (such as old campaign pages) should be redirected to content pages that best match the content of the page. This ensures that any external links already earned by the site are not lost, and the visitor finds the information they want in its most current form, improving their user experience.
Keyword Research - The First Step in Search Engine Optimization
Keyword Research
The first step in search engine optimization is to conduct keyword research to identify the search terms and phrases that are beneficial for a business to be found online.
Performing keyword research is very rewarding, as sometimes the words found through research may be completely different from those a company itself would like to be found with online. The business needs to identify search terms and phrases related to their industry that consumers use to find information online. It is not advisable to perform SEO for keywords that nobody searches for!
Conducting keyword research is often a laborious step and involves several different methods:
- Use common sense: List words and word combinations, in singular and plural, that you imagine people would use to search on Google.
- List key words from your material/subject and from old articles.
- Look at competitors' websites for keywords they use.
- Take advantage of Google's predictive text input.
- If possible, use a paid keyword tool. This helps to find potential search terms and their search volumes.
Questions about improving search engine visibility? – contact us!
WiseNetwork is more than willing to assist clients using their system in optimizing their content to be more search engine friendly. If you are interested in search engine optimization, please get in touch!
A support request can be made from the admin management side of the system from any view by clicking on the support icon (a person with headphones on).