Table of Contents
Let’s learn about WordPress content visibility on SERPs. “SERP” stands for Search Engine Results Page.
The following methods are beginner-friendly and don’t require extensive knowledge of SEO, technical measures, and complex concepts.
Let’s describe the critical points in more detail.
WordPress Content Visibility on SERPs
Sitemap
As its name suggests, a sitemap holds a site’s URLs. In the .xml format, a sitemap file is automatically updated when a new piece of Content is published in WordPress. An example of Content is a page or post in WordPress.
The point of impact is the frequency with which a sitemap file is crawled. Search engines like Google’s bots keep crawling sitemap files for new resources.
So, as described, a sitemap file helps web admins:
- Improve site links in WordPress
- Let search engines crawl, index, and rank Content in WordPress
- Finally, the whole process of URLs in a sitemap helps web admins improve content visibility on search engine pages
Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free tool from Google. It helps publishers inform Google about new Content. Once you’ve published a post, you should submit the post URL to Google Search Console.
GSC’s Inspect URL option helps you perform the submission process. This means Google will crawl, index, and finally rank your new piece of Content.
The whole process of submitting Content to Google helps web admins:
- Let Content rank on Google search result pages
- Improve content visibility after updating a piece of Content
Robots.TXT File
A Robots.TXT file holds instructions for search engines. These instructions are known as “Directives”.
The directives help web admins allow, deny, or limit crawling frequencies for search engines. For example, by using a Robots.TXT file, content publishing can allow or deny access to specific directories on a WordPress website.
Search engines follow directives in a Robots.TXT file. However, sometimes – search engines like Google may ignore following instructions.
Note: If you need to learn how to create, edit, and manage a Robots.TXT file, consult WordPress specialists, WordPress developers, or SEO experts who know about the Robots.TXT file.
Related Resource: Why Your Content is not Ranking on Search Pages
SEO Tools
SEO Tools, also known as SEO audit tools – help web admins run automated routines to improve content SEO.
For example, here is a list of features SEO tools offer:
- Help content publishers remove site structure errors
- Help web admins perform content submission to various search engines
So, there is a case when improving content visibility on search engine pages.
Once you’ve signed up for an SEO tool like Semrush, the automated submission feature can help you submit new content to search engine directories.
Submitting Content with SEO tools automatically improves content visibility on Google. If a page is crawled and indexed promptly, its ranking positions, impressions, and content visibility on search pages will improve.
Note: SEO tools are paid in most cases. However, free options or trial plans can help track search page content positions. For example, Ubersuggest provides free daily searches. Go ahead and create your account, and see if you can track content visibility on search pages. Once familiar with Ubersuggest, you can sign up for a premium plan.
Google Chrome extensions to track Content on SERPs
While tracking content visibility on search pages, Google Chrome extensions can also help.
In this case, extensions like FatRank help users track keywords’ positions on search pages. In this scenario, entering a keyword and site address in FatRank can quickly help:
- To find your site’s ranking on search pages
- It can also help you see if your site is not ranking with Google 100 positions
Note: The paid version of FatRank can help you even more. Compared to free options, Premium versions have more features, such as tracking and email alerts when a keyword’s position on search pages changes.
Check Google Index
Google provides site operators, also called Google operators or commands. These operators help publishers track content visibility on Google Search Results Pages (GSRPs).
So, let’s talk about Google’s SITE operator.
The SITE operator helps web admins list a site’s indexed pages in Google. In other words, it is a way to access Google’s database.
When placed in the Google search bar, you can see if a specific page is indexed in Google. This way, you can see the visibility of the Content on Google.
Here is how you can use Google’s SITE operator.
site:domainname.com
Note: Once entered into Google, find the page in question. If you can’t find the specific page, your chances of not being indexed in Google are high.
Track Keywords’ Ranking positions
Have you ever thought about manually tracking keywords’ positions?
In this case, once you enter a keyword in Google – you can see where your site ranks for the keyword. However, you’ll need to check each keyword in this manner manually.
Manual ways, such as the one described above, also help users check, track, and fix content visibility on search pages.
You should now have a list of focus keywords. Check each keyword individually and update the “Google Content Sheet” accordingly.
Pay attention to Ranking possibilities
You can also check if Google Search Console shows related keywords for a piece of Content.
In this case, a single article can rank for hundreds of related keywords. For example, along with ranking at a specific position for the central/focus keyword, an article can also rank for relevant, secondary, or related keywords at different positions on search pages.
To find if an article is ranked for related terms, use the “Filter” options in Google Search Console (GSC).
Key Points
- Once you create a WordPress website, checking for a Sitemap is one of the first things you must do. If you need to learn how to proceed, ask WordPress consultants instead.
- Similarly, a Robots.TXT file is necessary to see if the file is not preventing de-indexing. To find if your site includes one browser to /robots.txt location.
- Signing up for a Google Analytics and Search Console account is necessary, especially once you’ve created your site. In this case, a Google account works well during the signup process.
- A Google search can also return free SEO tools to check for keywords’ position on Google pages.
- Head over to the Chrome Web Store to see freely available extensions for keyword tracking.
- Use the SITE operator on Google to see the keywords’ position. You can also use other operators, such as allintitle, inurl, and intext operators, to find specific pages on Google.
- Use manual routines to check for content rankings. You can also experiment by searching for keywords from different locations to see if your site appears on search pages.
- Look into GSC data to see if relevant keywords drive traffic. The tool is freely available from Google and requires integration with a WordPress plugin, such as Monster Insights.
Wrapping Up
WordPress Content Visibility on SERPs
That’s it.
Tracking keywords’ position is necessary for various purposes, such as:
- To measure SEO performance
- To find out if your site is converting users from readers into paying subscribers
- To help you improve even more.
If you need more knowledge, ask us. We can help you fix SEO errors, perform WordPress maintenance, and compile a content strategy.