WordPress is a highly popular open source content management system that is not only best for blogging, but also for hosting websites. If you don’t want to power a e-commerce website with lots of back end complexity, WordPress is the best solution. Aside from being simple and cost effective, it is also SEO friendly. Let’s have a close look at the benefits of WordPress in terms of SEO for your site.

* As WordPress offer customized permalinks, you can add all details about your business in your URL itself after the customary slash. This will help your site in charting the rungs in the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPS).

* By using RSS feeds you can alert your existing customers about any blog posts or other website updates.

* WordPress also has a way with Google Analytics. Therefore, you can check how users access your site, the most popular pages on your site and so on. There are many all-in-one plugins that can help in automizing your SEO efforts.

* Crawlability – It’s important for websites to be crawlable by all search engines in order to get indexed properly. This will ensure their higher rankings on search engines. The WordPress link structure and internal logic is not only simple, but is shared universally amongst millions of sites. Therefore, it is a familiar ground for all big search engines, which means Google spiders can easily find what they are interested in and can index and rank the site content with confidence.

* Plug-Ins – The number and variety of SEO plugins have grown considerably. The Platinum SEO pack, or all in one SEO Plug in are both easy and quick and can help you in reaching your SEO goals.

* Speed of content creation – WordPress is designed for continual and speedy publishing of content. Therefore, WP sites which grow fast and add new content also add breadth to your niche keyword families quickly. Therefore, your large website also becomes a sort of “bait” for inbound links from other sites.

* Pings, comments and trackbacks – These are interactive features that let other individuals and blogs interact with a WP site. This will bring traffic and tons of inbound links (in case of trackbacks and pings) and visitors and free content (in the form of fresh comments on the blog posts).

* New Content “Bump”- Another useful feature of WordPress which is also shared by other big blogging platforms is “new content lift”. Any new post will receive a boost in rankings during the first few days after it is published. That’s obvious as blog posts are intended to be current and topical. Google consider this new content as noteworthy and rewards it with an initial bump in the rankings. The exact ranking of a site will settle after few days.

* WordPress allows pinging Google and many other search engines as and when something new turns up. This helps search engines in setting their spiders to check and verity the effect of all such updates on a WP site. With so many benefits of WP websites in terms of SEO, millions of users are now designing their websites by using this platform.

Author Bio: Blogger who researches and talks about how wordpress benefits your seo campaign for Integrity SEO

If you’ve started looking for themes for your business site, you will understand that there are literally hundreds of thousands of possibilities out there for you to utilize. However, with so much choice around, how do you know which best is for you and your business? Again, there are plenty of themes around which will fulfill your criteria upon first sight, but there are a few necessary questions you may want to ask yourself before leaping.

What is a Theme?

For many people crafting their business from scratch, this will be the first time they have ever engaged with WordPress, let alone considered what a ‘theme’ is. A theme is what makes your site look the way it does. By applying different themes, you can change the entire layout, color patterns, and overall aesthetic in just minutes.

The most important thing to remember is when it comes to picking a WordPress theme; you have two options, ‘free’ or ‘premium’ themes. As a business owner, you want to pick a premium theme. Of course, this costs money – but it is worth it. A premium theme is an investment; there are teams of people dedicated to keeping it up to date, bug-free, security-safe, and web tight. The last thing you want to happen is for your site to be hacked. Remember…no site, no online presence, no income. Avoid this by investing in a premium theme. On top of everything else, their design and aesthetic appeal are often far superior to free theme choices.

Choosing the right theme

There is so much advice that can be found online concerning choosing the right theme for your business; this can be confusing when trying to choose something which will work for your specific business brand.

Since you will be investing in a premium theme, you don’t want to waste your strict business budget by choosing a theme that doesn’t actually suit your needs. Product photography, product development, marketing, and branding will demand your budget so it is imperative to avoid website redesigns in the early stages and get it the right the first time. Sometimes, it can feel a little overwhelming with so much choice, but there is one thing to remember – your site should be individual and a complete reflection of you and your business. Please read up on the advice given by online business coaches and bloggers, but what may work for their business may not work for yours.

What is your business?

Businesses require different needs from a website. For example, some businesses set up a website purely as a first base for customers, where they can read about the company and what it offers, and maybe view a gallery of past work or projects. Other businesses are based purely online and sell various products online and will generally require a lot more from a website.

Make sure you understand exactly what it is you are seeking. A basic portfolio website is easy to cater to. However, a demanding e-commerce business requiring strong product pages, video, 360-degree photography, and social media links must be built within a theme which enables these plugins.

Consider CRO

Conversion rate optimization basically refers to the experience visitors gain when on a particular website. The goal is to transform these visitors into actual paying customers. Different design layouts can dramatically affect a customer’s decision whether they will spend their money with you or not.

You must make sure the theme you are investing in will connect with your customers, allow them to see your products in the best light possible, and most of all, you MUST create a sense of trust and security, so customers feel you are a genuine company. Conversion Rate Optimisation itself is big business, and CRO consultants can significantly boost business profits. So as you are starting, make sure your theme ticks the boxes before investing to save you future CRO consultancy fees.

Here are a few good questions to ask when it comes to choosing a theme:

• Does your theme come from a credible developer? Make sure your premium theme comes with solid web support, for you will probably be constantly utilizing it when it comes to maintaining your site. A credible developer who has a track record for creating and distributing themes will offer good web support. If you are unsure, do a quick Google search to bring up a wealth of information & reviews regarding the developer.
  
• What is your price range? You get what you pay for; the more expensive a theme, usually the better it is. However, you can get pretty decent themes for around sixty pounds. However, don’t be conned with a very expensive theme that does little; always research the one you are about to purchase. Check annual renewing fees also.
  
• SEO options? The very best themes have inbuilt SEO tools which help your website stand out in search engines. Look at themes that offer this as standard.
  
• Responsive theme? We live in an age where people access the internet in many different ways, whether on their smartphones, tablets, or laptops. Responsive themes adapt to such platforms.
  

As you can see, there are a few things to think about when choosing a WordPress theme. First, don’t rush your design decision; your website needs to convey the correct message to your visitors and match your brand feel. Do your research and pick the right theme for you and your business. There are plenty of reviews that can be found online relating to each theme; make sure you assess what is being said about particular themes you are considering, and if you still feel unsure, you could always contact other businesses which use the particular theme to ask them how user friendly it is, or if there are any problems they have encountered.

Find over 10,000 premium themes here.

About the author: Hannah works for VoucherCloud, and has recently worked on their website redesign and launch. Vouchercloud offers voucher codes for their customers, such as Debenhams discounts and Travelodge offers where customers can save from top brands. Many planning, consultancy, and time have gone into their new website. However, Hannah began working with smaller brands, so she understands how important it is to get design right when on an unforgiving business budget.

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