Source: http://www.semrush.com/blog/9-biggest-wordpress-optimization-mistakes-many-users-make/
WordPress is among the most widely used platforms today because of its SEO friendly features. Make sure to avoid these common mistakes in optimizing your WorPress site as they negatively impact your on-page or off-page SEO.
1. Choosing Wrong Themes – Choose a theme that is mobile-friendly and has no questionable footer links.
2. Sticking to Original Settings – WordPress is indeed good for SEO right out of the box, however, it is recommended to make some modifications to the General Settings page such as:
- Title
- Time Zone – for local SEO
- URL
- Language – for non English sites
3. Installing WordPress on Subdomains – If you decide to start a new blog, always install on the main domain because this helps with your ranking.
4. Not Checking on Your Site’s Speed – Google gives credit to sites that load fast.
5. Having Too Many Sidebar Links – Sitewide links do not help improve rankings.
6. Not Investing in SEO – Do not neglect SEO as it helps increase search engine rankings and site traffic.
7. Not Optimizing Images – Alt and title attributes can help with your rankings.
8. No SEO Plugin on the Site – Always install an SEO plugin, and make sure that it is configured properly and does not have any conflict with other plugins.
9. Publishing All Comments
– Don’t allow automatic publishing of visitor comments.
– Minimize automatic spam comments by using a plugin that checks this.
– Include a captcha plugin.
– Check all comments and approve only legit ones.