SEO with WordPress and Yoast

Here is a streamlined, step-by-step SEO checklist tailored for building your first WordPress with WooCommerce store.

Google Search Console & Google Analytics

First, create your own Google Search Console and Google Analytics account. Go to the site, create an account, and follow their setup recommendations.

Google Search Console

  • What it does for SEO: Shows how Google sees your website.
  • Key feature: It tells you what exact words people typed into Google to find your site, which pages get the most clicks, and if Google finds any technical errors on your website.

Google Analytics

  • What it does for your website: Shows what people do once they arrive on your website.
  • Key feature: It tracks how many people visit your site, how long they stay, which pages they view most, and whether they buy a product or leave right away.

Quick Summary: Use Search Console to see how people find your site on Google, and Analytics to see what people do once they are on your site.

Simple SEO Checklist for Your First WordPress Store

Follow these basic steps to help search engines like Google find and understand your website.

Step 1: Site-Level SEO (Setting Up Your Whole Site)

Do these settings once for your entire website.

  1. Set your Site Title and Tagline: Go to Settings > General. Enter your business name and a short description that includes what you sell.
  2. Turn off search engine blocking: Go to Settings > Reading. Make sure “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is UNCHECKED.
  3. Install Yoast SEO: Go to Plugins > Add New, search for Yoast SEO, install it, and activate it.
  4. Connect Google Site Kit: Go to Plugins > Add New, install Site Kit by Google, and follow the on-screen steps to connect Google Search Console and Google Analytics.
  5. Set up basic Yoast settings: Open the Yoast SEO menu in your dashboard and complete the First-time configuration wizard.

Step 2: Page-Level SEO (Home, About, Contact)

Do these steps on every main page of your site.

  1. Use clear page titles: Give every page a simple, clear name (e.g., About Us, Contact Us, Shop).
  2. Write short, clear text: Explain who you are and what you offer in plain sentences.
  3. Fill out the Yoast box: Scroll to the bottom of the page editor to find the Yoast SEO section:
    • Focus Keyword: Type the main word people would search to find this page.
    • SEO Title: Write a title that includes your page name and business name.
    • Meta Description: Write a 1 to 2 sentence summary telling people why they should click your link on Google.
  4. Fix Yoast bullets: Check the Yoast analysis at the bottom of the editor and try to turn red or orange dots into green.

Step 3: Category-Level SEO (Product Categories)

Organizing your products correctly helps search engines understand what you sell.

  1. Name your categories clearly: Use simple terms customers actually search for (e.g., T-Shirts, Mugs, Hats).
  2. Write a short description: Go to Products > Categories, edit each category, and write 1 or 2 sentences describing what is in that section.
  3. Fill out Yoast for categories: Scroll down to the Yoast SEO box on the category edit screen and add an SEO Title and Meta Description.

Step 4: Product-Level SEO (Individual Store Items)

Do these steps every time you add a new product to WooCommerce.

  1. Use specific product titles: Include the brand, item type, or main feature in the title (e.g., Blue Cotton T-Shirt instead of just T-Shirt).
  2. Write helpful product descriptions: Describe what the item is, what it does, and why someone should buy it. Avoid copying text directly from manufacturers.
  3. Set a Focus Keyword in Yoast: Enter the specific product name as your focus keyword in the Yoast box.
  4. Write the Meta Description: Write a short, enticing summary in Yoast that encourages shoppers to click.

Step 5: Image-Level SEO (Photos and Graphics)

Search engines cannot “see” images, so you need to describe them with text.

  1. Rename image files before uploading: Give image files descriptive names on your computer before uploading them (e.g., blue-cotton-tshirt.jpg instead of IMG_0001.jpg).
  2. Keep file sizes small: Make sure your image file sizes are under 500 KB so your site loads quickly.
  3. Add Alt Text to every image: When uploading an image to the Media Library, fill in the Alt Text box with a short, simple description of what is in the picture.

Yoast SEO Guidelines

Here is a reference list showing the major Yoast SEO fields, along with their recommended character/length counts:

  • SEO Title: 50 to 60 characters (Yoast measures title width in pixels, but staying under ~60 characters prevents Google from cutting it off).
  • Meta Description: 120 to 155 characters (Fewer than 120 may trigger a warning for being too short, and over 155 will get truncated with an ellipsis).
  • Focus Keyphrase: 1 to 4 words (Keep it short and specific to what someone would actually type into a search engine).
  • Slug (URL Extension): 3 to 5 words (Keep it concise, separated by hyphens, and make sure it includes your focus keyphrase).
  • Alt Text (Image Descriptions): Up to 125 characters (Keep descriptions concise so screen readers and search engines can quickly read them).
  • Post / Page Body Text: Minimum of 300 words (Yoast recommends at least 300 words for standard pages/posts so search engines have enough content to evaluate).
  • Product Description Text (WooCommerce): Minimum of 200 words (Product pages can be slightly shorter than regular blog posts, but still need enough detail for search engines).

Using AI to Help Write Your SEO Content

You don’t have to write all your SEO text completely from scratch—feel free to use AI tools (like ChatGPT or Gemini) as your writing assistant! AI is great for quick market research to uncover trending search terms and customer shopping habits for your specific industry.

Additionally, AI can easily craft copy that fits exact Yoast SEO guidelines. For instance, you can ask AI to:

  • “Generate 3 catchy meta descriptions under 155 characters using the focus keyword ‘handmade soy candle’.”
  • “Write an engaging 2-sentence category description for a graphic design poster shop.”
  • “List popular search terms people use when shopping for affordable desk accessories.”

Just remember to review and tweak whatever the AI generates to make sure it sounds natural, matches your brand, and accurately reflects what is on your website.

Looking Ahead: Optimizing for AI Search

As search tools evolve, AI platforms (like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews) now read websites to give users instant conversational answers. To increase the possibility of AI engines citing and mentioning your website or store, keep these three acronyms in mind:

  • GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): The goal is to get your products and brand cited or mentioned in an AI-generated answer.
  • AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Structuring your content to directly answer specific questions so an AI or voice assistant picks it as the top answer.
  • AIO (AI Optimization / AI Overviews): Formatting your pages specifically to be featured in Google’s AI summary boxes at the top of search results.

Three Simple Steps to Help AI Find Your Site:

  1. Add a FAQ section: Add a short Q&A on your product pages that answers common questions directly (e.g., “How do I wash this t-shirt?”).
  2. Use bullet points and bold headers: AI loves organized, scannable data—bulleted lists and short paragraphs make it easy for AI to read and quote your content.
  3. Write direct answers near the top: Start key pages with a clear, 1-to-2 sentence summary defining what the page or product is before diving into longer details.