Free tools:

• Google Keyword Planner — Shows search volume for any keyword. Access via Google Ads (free account, no need to run ads)
• Google Search — Type your topic and look at autocomplete suggestions and "People Also Ask" for keyword ideas
• Ubersuggest (3 free searches per day) — Shows volume, difficulty, and keyword suggestions
• Answer the Public — Shows questions people search around any topic

Paid tools (worth the investment for serious content):

• Ahrefs — Industry standard keyword research
• Semrush — Comprehensive keyword and competitor analysis

For each potential keyword, assess:

• Search volume: Is anyone searching for this? Even 100 monthly searches can be worth targeting if the intent is commercial. Avoid keywords with zero volume.
• Keyword difficulty: How competitive is this keyword? For new or low-authority sites, target keywords with low difficulty scores. For established sites, mid-difficulty is achievable.
• Search intent: What does the searcher actually want?

Search your target keyword in Google (ideally in an incognito window) and study the top 10 results:

• What format do they use? (list posts, tutorials, comparison tables, long-form guides)
• How long are they? (use a word count extension to estimate)
• What subtopics do they cover? (note the subheadings)
• What questions do they answer?
• What do they miss? (this is your opportunity to do better)

Your post should match or exceed the depth of the top-ranking content for your keyword — covering the same topics but doing it better, more comprehensively, or from a unique angle.

Your post title — the H1 heading — is the most important on-page SEO element.

Rules for SEO-optimised post titles:

• Include your exact target keyword. Use it naturally, ideally near the beginning of the title. Google puts significant weight on H1 keyword presence.
• Make it compelling for humans. An SEO-optimised title that no one clicks is worse than a purely human-written one. Use power words: "complete," "proven," "step-by-step," "ultimate," "2025."
• Keep it under 60 characters for the SEO title (meta title) — though the H1 displayed on the page can be slightly longer.
• Address the searcher's intent. If they're searching "how to fix WordPress 404," your title should promise a fix — not just describe the problem.

In WordPress: your post title (in the editor) is the H1. Your SEO title (in the Rank Math or Yoast panel) can be slightly different and more keyword-forward if needed.

WordPress generates a URL slug from your post title. Often this is too long and contains unnecessary stop words.

1. In the block editor, click the post title area
2. Below the title, click the URL slug to edit it
3. Keep it short, keyword-rich, and hyphens-between-words

Remove articles (the, a, an), prepositions (in, on, for), and other stop words from slugs. Keep only the core descriptive keywords.

The meta description doesn't directly affect rankings — but it significantly affects click-through rate, which does.

Write your meta description in the SEO plugin panel (Rank Math or Yoast).

Rules:

• 150–160 characters maximum (Google truncates longer ones)
• Include your target keyword (Google bolds it in search results)
• Describe specifically what the reader will get from the post
• Include a value proposition or call to action
• Be human and specific — avoid generic filler phrases like "In this article, we will discuss..."

Google uses heading structure (H1, H2, H3) to understand the organisation of your content and identify the most important topics covered.

Heading structure rules:

• One H1 per page — this is your post title. Never use more than one H1.
• H2 headings for main sections — each major topic or step in your post gets an H2.
• H3 headings for subsections — subdivisions within H2 sections use H3.
• Include keywords in headings naturally — use your target keyword and related semantic keywords in H2 subheadings where they fit naturally. Don't force keywords into every heading.

Example structure:

H1: How to Fix WordPress 404 Errors on Posts and Pages
  H2: What Causes WordPress 404 Errors?
  H2: Fix 1: Re-Save Permalink Settings
  H2: Fix 2: Check and Regenerate the .htaccess File
    H3: Locating the .htaccess File
    H3: Correcting .htaccess Content
  H2: Fix 3: Enable mod_rewrite on Apache

With your structure set, write the post content with these SEO principles in mind:

• Include the target keyword in the first 100 words. Ideally in the very first paragraph. This signals to Google what the post is about from the start.
• Use semantic keywords and variations. Google understands related terms — you don't need to repeat the exact keyword constantly. Use synonyms, related terms, and entity variations naturally. For "WordPress 404 error," related terms include: "page not found," "broken link," "permalink," "404 page," ".htaccess."
• Keyword density — don't overthink it. Aim to mention your focus keyword every 200–300 words naturally. Don't keyword-stuff — Google penalises unnatural repetition.
• Write for the searcher, not for Google. Google's algorithms are sophisticated enough to reward genuinely helpful content. Write clear, comprehensive, accurate answers to what the searcher is looking for.
• Content length — match the topic, not a target. Longer content tends to rank better for informational queries because it covers more of what searchers want. But length for the sake of length is worthless. Write as much as the topic needs — no more, no less.

Every image in your blog post is an SEO opportunity:

• File names matter: Before uploading, rename image files descriptively. wordpress-404-error-message.jpg is better than screenshot1.jpg.
• Alt text is essential: Add descriptive alt text to every image, including the target keyword where it fits naturally. Alt text is how Google understands image content.
• Compress images: Unoptimised images slow your page — hurting your Core Web Vitals score. Use ShortPixel or Imagify to compress.
• Set image title: The title attribute (different from alt text) appears on hover and adds context.

In the WordPress block editor:

1. Click any image block
2. In the right panel, fill in Alt text and optionally Title

Internal links are one of the most underused on-page SEO tactics. Every blog post should link to 2–4 related posts or pages on your site.

Why internal links matter:

• They pass link equity (PageRank) from established pages to newer ones
• They help Google understand the relationship between your content
• They keep visitors on your site longer
• They signal to Google which pages are most important

How to add internal links effectively:

• Link from high-traffic, established posts to newer related posts
• Use descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text (the linked text): WordPress login redirect loop not click here
• Add internal links to your most important pages from as many posts as relevant
• Build topic clusters — interlink all posts in a topic series

Linking to authoritative external sources (Google, WordPress.org, major publications) signals to Google that your content is well-researched and contextualised within the broader web.

External linking best practices:

• Link to authoritative, relevant sources (government sites, established publications, tool official docs)
• Use target="_blank" to open external links in a new tab (keeps users on your site)
• Add rel="nofollow" to links that you don't editorially endorse (paid links, user-generated content)
• Don't link to competitors directly — link to neutral authoritative sources instead

Open the Rank Math or Yoast SEO panel below the post editor.

SEO Title field:

• Should include your target keyword, ideally near the start
• Under 60 characters
• Different from (but related to) your H1 post title — you can make the SEO title more keyword-forward
• Rank Math and Yoast show character count and a preview of how it appears in Google

Meta Description field: 150–160 characters, keyword included, compelling and specific (as described in Step 3).

Focus Keyword field: Enter your target keyword. The plugin will score your content's keyword usage and give specific improvement suggestions.

The featured image appears in:

• Your blog index
• Social media shares
• Google Discover and image search results

For SEO:

• Use a descriptive filename before uploading
• Add alt text with relevant keywords
• Use a relevant, original, or properly licensed image
• Compress to a reasonable file size (under 100KB ideally)