Platform SEO
WordPress SEO Checklist: Settings, Plugins, Content and Technical Checks
WordPress makes SEO straightforward, as long as a few settings are right.
WordPress is flexible, which means SEO problems on WordPress usually come from configuration: a setting left on after development, an SEO plugin set up inconsistently, or archives creating thin duplicate pages.
This checklist covers the settings first, then content and technical checks, with Google’s guidance behind each one.
Short answer: A WordPress SEO checklist: untick “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” under Settings > Reading; use readable permalinks (such as Post name); configure one SEO plugin for titles, meta descriptions, sitemaps and canonicals; submit the sitemap in Search Console; decide which archives (tags, authors, dates) should be indexed; write unique titles and descriptions; add alt text; keep themes and plugins updated; and check key pages render correctly in URL Inspection.
Key Takeaways
- The “Discourage search engines” setting is the most common WordPress indexing blocker.
- Use readable permalinks and don’t change them on established sites without redirects.
- Use one SEO plugin; two can output conflicting tags.
- Thin tag, author and date archives are often better noindexed.
- Updates and security matter: hacked sites can lose visibility.
Core settings
| Setting | Where | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Search engine visibility | Settings > Reading | “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unticked on the live site |
| Permalinks | Settings > Permalinks | Readable structure such as Post name |
| Site address | Settings > General | https and the preferred www or non-www version |
| Discussion | Settings > Discussion | Comment moderation on, to reduce spam links |
Changing permalinks on an established site changes every URL. Set up 301 redirects first.
SEO plugin setup
- Use one SEO plugin (such as Rank Math or Yoast), not two.
- Set title and meta description templates, then write custom ones for key pages.
- Enable the XML sitemap and submit it in Search Console.
- Check canonical tags are self-referencing on indexable pages.
- Decide which post types and taxonomies should be indexed.
Archives and thin pages
Tag, author, date and attachment pages can create many thin pages. Many sites noindex those that don’t help visitors, or don’t create them at all. Google says noindex only works if the page isn’t blocked by robots.txt, so it can be crawled and the tag seen. See indexing problems.
Content
- Unique titles and meta descriptions (title tags).
- One H1 per page, usually the post or page title.
- Categories that reflect real topics; avoid many near-duplicate tags.
- Descriptive alt text on images.
- Internal links between related posts and pages (internal linking).
Technical
- Check robots.txt doesn’t block important content or CSS/JS.
- Review the Core Web Vitals report; heavy themes and too many plugins often slow sites.
- Keep WordPress, themes and plugins updated; remove unused ones.
- Check the Security issues report in Search Console.
- Inspect key pages with URL Inspection.
For WooCommerce stores
Stores have extra issues: product filters, variants and product data. See the WooCommerce SEO checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my WordPress site not on Google?
Check Settings > Reading first. Then see how to get your website on Google.
Do I need an SEO plugin for WordPress?
It’s the easiest way to manage titles, descriptions, sitemaps and canonicals. Use one, configured carefully.
Should I noindex tag pages?
If they’re thin and don’t help visitors, noindexing them, or using fewer tags, is common.
Want your WordPress site set up properly for search?
We configure WordPress, themes and SEO plugins correctly, fix indexing issues and improve the pages that matter.
Sources
- Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide
- Google Search Central: Google Search technical requirements
- Google Search Central: Block search indexing with noindex
Last reviewed October 14, 2026.
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