WordPress Website SEO: What Is It and How Much Does It Cost?
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) used for creating websites. According to Alexa, a website traffic analysis company, as of August 2018, there were approximately 64.7 million websites using WordPress. And if you’re looking to create your own website using WordPress, you’re in luck because there are a variety of different options available to make your site shine.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of “tweaking” a website’s content and design to improve its organic search engine rankings.
But what is SEO, and how much does it cost to perform? The following will answer all your questions about WordPress SEO.
What Is SEO?
SEO is a broad term that stands for Search Engine Optimization. Essentially, SEO is the process of optimizing your site to make it appear higher in search results when a person performs a search using a search engine.
SEO can be performed on a variety of platforms including WordPress. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be focusing on WordPress SEO. And to make things easier for you, we’ve compiled a list of the most essential things you must know.
Why Is SEO Important?
Organic search engine rankings determine the order in which your site appears when a person uses a search engine to find content.
For example, if you have a retail store, you might want your products to show up first in the search engine results when someone performs a search. This could mean significant revenue if you’re using online marketing to promote your store.
Getting top spot in the search engines for your chosen keywords is a competitive and time-consuming process. Finding the right mix of keywords can be tricky, and a lot of trial and error is required. When performed correctly, SEO can have a dramatic effect on your site’s revenue.
What Is The Difference Between On-Page And Off-Page SEO?
On-page SEO is what’s called “on the page” SEO—the process of optimizing your site’s content to improve its rankings. On the other hand, Off-page SEO is the process of getting your site “above the fold” in the search engine results. This involves a variety of tactics like link building and social media engagement.
On-page SEO can be complicated. You’ll need to consider how different elements of your site—like your title, headings, and content—interact to create a cohesive whole. On the other hand, Off-page SEO is about getting as many links as possible, from various sources like blog posts, directories, and social media.
There are specific strategies you can use to target off-page SEO. For example, you can choose to focus on acquiring a lot of high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites.
How Do I Start Optimizing My Site?
If you already have a functioning website, the first step is to analyze its current performance in the search engine rankings. To do this, you can use free tools like Google’s SEO tool or Yoast’s SEO tool.
After you have an idea of where you stand, you can map out a plan to raise your site’s organic search rankings.
Raising your site’s search engine ranking doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. But with a little bit of patience, you can be on your way to higher organic search rankings and increased website traffic.
What Should My Site’s Content Focus On?
Your site’s content should contain the following elements:
- High-quality, relevant content
- Frequently updated content
- Long-form content, such as podcasts and videos
- Bold, eye-catching headings
- Images
- Call-to-action (CTA)
Your site’s content should reflect your brand’s voice, style, and goals. However, it should not be overly promotional or stuffed with keywords. Doing so can negatively impact your site’s organic search rankings.
How Long Does It Take To See Results?
It will take time for your efforts to truly show in the search engine results. However, once you reach the optimal condition for your chosen search terms, you will see a significant increase in your site’s organic search rankings.
If the above paragraphs were starting to give you a pretty good idea of what SEO is, let’s move on to talking about the cost of performing SEO. The following paragraphs will break down the average cost of SEO per month, depending on how large your website is.
How Much Does SEO Cost?
If you have a small website, the cost of SEO per month might be as low as $100. However, as your website grows in size, the cost of SEO will increase significantly.
The average cost of SEO for a midsized website (1-2 million pages) is around $500 per month. For large websites (more than 2 million pages), the average cost goes up to around $1,000 per month.
The following are some of the major costs associated with SEO:
- Design: The cost of a designer’s time is anywhere from $150 to $500 per month.
- Hosting: This is the cost of your web host.
- Content: The cost of content creators is around $100-$200 per month.
- Analytics: The cost of traffic and conversion tools is around $100 per month.
- SEM (Search Engine Marketing): The cost of paying for ads on Google, Bing, and other search engines is between $500 and $1,000 per month.
- Guest blogging: You’ll need to pay writers to create high-quality content for you. The cost per article ranges from $100 to $500, plus you need to invest in quality guest posting venues.
As you can see above, SEO can be costly. However, if you need help raising your site’s search engine rankings, you can contact a SEO expert. They will help you develop a strategy and implement it on your site. Not only will this allow you to take your site to the next level, but it will also help you save a lot of money in the long run.