SEO Options

SEO Options

Image optimization

If you activate this section, every image you upload to your website will first be converted to the output format you choose: .webp, .jpg, or .jpeg, and then it will be compressed between 40% and the selected 90% of the original size without loss of quality. You can modify the parameters in the following fields. Note that the highest compression is 40%, while the lowest is 90%.

You can upload images in formats such as .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .webp, .heic, .tiff, .tif, and .jfif to convert them to the chosen output formats.

The original images in all mentioned formats can be quite large, and by activating this service, images of at least 2 MB will be reduced to just a few kilobytes without loss of quality.

Furthermore, horizontal images with a larger width, for example, 3500 pixels, will be resized to a width between 1200 pixels with their respective height. Vertical images will not be modified; instead, they will be compressed.

You can use this service for images that you’ll use in posts, pages, or documents. Do not use it for images intended for website design and customization unless you know what you’re doing.

For images intended for Store products, until recently, WooCommerce did not support the .webp format. Therefore, conduct your own tests before proceeding with insertion. However, we can anticipate that if you configure 45% compression, with the .jpg output format and a width of 1200 pixels, the results are remarkable.

If you wish to deactivate it after uploading specific images, the uploaded images will not be lost.

Important for Google or Bing Images:

Before uploading the image, rename it in a way that is readable for search engines. For instance, change the name from ‘668dskkd87d5.heic’ to ‘my-iphone-image.heic’, because when it’s converted to the target format, the service will add the alternate text as “My iPhone Image,” and it will automatically display in the ALT attribute as “My iPhone Image.” This point is crucial for SEO.

This action serves two critical functions for technical and content SEO, as well as for SEO in Google or Bing Images.

Renaming the image to readable text helps search engines index the image in image search results. The other very important and crucial part is that it automatically inserts the ALT attribute when uploading the image in the Alternative Text field of WordPress, thus avoiding the significant penalties that most websites worldwide face for manually neglecting the ALT attribute.

HTML code compression

Zip the template HTML only when you’re done configuring and designing.

Anywhere on your website, right-click with your mouse and from the menu that appears, click on ‘View Page Source’ in Edge, Chrome, and Firefox, or ‘Page Source’ in Opera. There, you will see that the page source code is organized line by line downward with its respective spaces. Upon activating HTML compression, if you check again, you will notice that the entire code is compressed into a single line without spaces.

Compressing the HTML of a web page serves an important purpose in terms of SEO and performance. Imagine a web page as a book; HTML would be the language it’s written in. Compressing the HTML is like using a more efficient and compact language to tell the same story.

When you compress the HTML of a web page, you reduce the size of the files, which means they’re transmitted more quickly over the internet. This is crucial because faster web pages tend to rank better in search results. Search engines value a page’s loading speed, as a faster and smoother experience is more satisfying for users.

Furthermore, by reducing the size of HTML files, you also decrease bandwidth consumption, which can translate to cost savings if you’re using hosting services or servers that charge based on resource usage.

In summary, HTML compression benefits SEO by enhancing the loading speed of the web page, which can result in improved search engine rankings and a more positive experience for visitors.

Cache

This cache operates on the server. When a client requests a page, the PHP cache function checks if the page is in the cache. If it’s cached, the server delivers the cached version. If it’s not cached, it generates the page, stores it in the cache, and then sends it to the client.

This server cache helps web pages load faster. Imagine it like having a quick version of the page stored in a secret place. When someone visits the page, instead of creating everything from scratch, it displays this quick version.

This specific service does several things:

• When a page or image is updated, it removes the stored quick version.
• It checks if there’s a stored quick version, and if found, displays it instead of building the page from scratch.
• If there’s no stored quick version, it creates a new quick version and saves it for next time.

In summary, the code helps web pages load faster by displaying stored quick versions instead of building everything from scratch every time.

CSS and JS asset compiler

When you have finished configuring and styling, compile all theme CSS and JS assets into a single file per extension. This service does not include assets from third-party plugins.

Important.- When activating this section you must Save first for the Compile button to work.

TSEO PRO uses several CSS and JS assets of its own and from third parties by default. They are not many, as they are actually between three and four of each type. But if you want to achieve even greater speed, you can compile and compress them into one of each type, reducing the six assets to just two:

• compiled-tseopro.css
• compiled-tseopro.js

If you consider that you should have them compiled to gain a little more speed, keep in mind that every time there is a new update of TSEO PRO, you will need to deactivate, clear cookies and cache, and reactivate the compiler so that any CSS and JavaScript changes brought by the new version of TSET PRO are compiled again.

However, if you are using an ISP service with HTTP/2 or HTTP/3, you should know that the loading issue with HTTP/1.1 was addressed with HTTP/2 in 2015 and with HTTP/3 in late 2021. Therefore, if you have any of these protocols on your hosting service or server, you would not need to use the compiler, as you would hardly notice the difference. Along with this, it’s also important to know that the entire TSEO PRO theme is fully optimized.

Additional Explanation of HTTP Protocols:

• HTTP/1.1: This is the previous version of the HTTP protocol. It uses a persistent connection to transmit multiple requests and responses on the same TCP connection. However, each request must wait its turn to be processed, which can lead to network congestion and slower load times, especially when dealing with multiple resources.
• HTTP/2: This version introduced significant improvements compared to HTTP/1.1. One of the most important features is multiplexing, which allows sending and receiving multiple requests and responses on a single connection, avoiding the need to wait in line. Additionally, HTTP/2 uses header compression, reducing the amount of data sent with each request. It also optimizes resource prioritization and enables data compression, all of which contribute to faster load times and improved performance.
• HTTP/3: This is the latest version and is based on the QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) protocol. QUIC is designed to overcome some of the limitations of TCP, such as latency and congestion. HTTP/3 uses QUIC as its transport layer, enabling more efficient and faster communication. HTTP/3 also addresses some performance and security issues present in previous versions.

In summary, the main difference between these versions lies in the improvements in terms of performance, efficiency, and security. HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 have been designed to accelerate web page loading and enhance the user experience compared to HTTP/1.1.

Google Tag Manager Analytics

Add the Google Analytics tracking ID

Get your tracking code at https://analytics.google.com/

Google Analytics is a powerful tool that helps website owners understand how visitors interact with their pages. It works like an online detective, tracking and analyzing data about who visits your site, how they got there, and what they did once they were there.

When someone visits your website, Google Analytics collects important information, such as the page they visited, how long they stayed, which links they clicked on, and where they came from (e.g., from a Google search, social media, or another website). All this information is grouped into reports that show you patterns and trends.

These reports are like maps that guide you through the paths your visitors take. They help answer questions like: Which pages are the most popular? What articles are being read the most? Where are my visitors coming from? How many new visitors do I have each month? Armed with these insights, you can make informed decisions about how to improve your website and tailor it to your users’ needs.

In summary, Google Analytics is a valuable tool that provides detailed information about visitor behavior on your website, enabling you to make smart decisions to enhance user experience and achieve your online goals.

Google Search Console

Add Google Console Tracking ID

Add and get your code at https://search.google.com/search-console/

Google Search Console, formerly known as Google Webmaster Tools, is an essential tool provided by Google to assist website owners in monitoring and enhancing their presence in Google’s search results. It acts as a “control panel” that offers valuable insights into how Google views and displays your website in its search results.

With Google Search Console, you can perform several crucial tasks:

1. Ownership Verification: Confirm that you’re the owner of the website and gain access to your site’s data.
2. Indexing: Ensure that Google is indexing your pages correctly and rectify any indexing issues.
3. Crawling: Observe how Google crawls and navigates your website, and optimize the way it’s indexed.
4. Crawl Errors: Identify problems with your site’s pages that Google couldn’t crawl properly.
5. Search Performance: See which search terms lead users to your site, how often it appears in results, and how many clicks you receive.
6. Sitemap: Submit a sitemap to Google to aid in indexing.
7. User Experience Improvement: Identify mobile usability issues, speed problems, and more.

In essence, Google Search Console provides vital information to ensure your website is being properly indexed and displayed in Google’s search results. This can help you identify opportunities to enhance your site’s performance and provide a better experience to users who discover you through Google search.

Sitemaps

Without activating any plugins or sitemaps for this section, WordPress has its own default sitemap system starting from version 5.5, where its index file is named wp-sitemap.xml.

The WordPress system also generates all the corresponding sitemaps for each type of content: Posts, Pages, Categories, Products, Tags, and more. However, this can be counterproductive in the case of tags, as search engines may consider tag URLs as duplicate content, which is detrimental to SEO.

In the case of Posts, the generated file is named wp-sitemap-posts-post1.xml and contains around 2,000 URLs. If there are more URLs than that, a second file is generated named wp-sitemap-posts-posts2.xml, and so on.

By activating our Sitemap service, the system formats the default WordPress sitemap layouts and incorporates our corporate design. Additionally, it adds functionalities for deactivating or activating different default sitemaps, allowing control over sitemaps such as post or product tags to be turned off or left on if preferred (not recommended).

Moreover, it introduces functionalities on editing pages to specify whether a specific sitemap should include a post or not and to modify meta robots if necessary.

Sitemap News

You can also activate the sitemap-news.xml that TSEO PRO includes. This displays the latest 10 posts per day with the <news:news> format, which is crucial for news feeds on both Google and Bing.

If you activate sitemap-news.xml, make sure to publish on the blog daily, as news feeds will check daily, and it’s not advisable for them to find an empty sitemap.

General schemas

Enable the following schemas to improve content SEO.

In a WordPress website, “schemas” (also known as structured markup or structured data) play a crucial role in enhancing how search engines and other online services understand and display your content. Schemas act like a special language that informs search engines about the meaning of each part of your content.

Imagine you’re organizing an event and have a poster with important details like the date, location, and schedule. Schemas do something similar for your website, but in a language that machines can understand. This helps search engines display relevant information in search results, such as event timings, product reviews, and more.

Schemas are also beneficial for social media and other platforms that might show previews of your pages. By providing structured information, you ensure that these platforms present your content more attractively and accurately. In summary, schemas enhance visibility and user experience by making it easier for search engines and other services to understand and effectively present your content.

Breadcrumbs

A breadcrumb is a secondary navigation system indicating a user’s location on a website. It enhances user experience by enabling easy navigation through different levels of the site hierarchy. Breadcrumbs are especially crucial for SEO. They help search engines understand the structure of a site and can lead to enhanced SERP listings, potentially boosting click-through rates and reducing bounce rates.

Meta Tags

By enabling meta tags, schemas, and sitemaps, the boxes are activated on all Pages, Posts, Documents, and Products (if WooCommerce is activated) to configure the SEO for each publication. To help identify them, they have a green background behind each title, as shown in the illustration below.

Meta tags are small snippets of information that are added to a web page’s code. These tags provide instructions and additional data to search engines and other online services on how to display and understand the content of the page.

Think of meta tags as special labels that tell search engines what to expect when they visit a page. Some of the most common meta tags include:

1. Description Meta Tag: Provides a brief description of the page’s content. Search engines often display this description in search results, helping users understand what the page is about before clicking.
2. Keywords Meta Tag: Although its importance has diminished over time, in the past it was used to indicate relevant keywords for the page. However, many modern search engines no longer rely on this tag for ranking.
3. Title Meta Tag: Defines the page’s title, which appears in the browser tab and as the main title in search results. A clear and relevant title can increase visibility and clicks in results.
4. Robots Meta Tag: Informs search engines which parts of the website should be indexed and which should not. It can be used to control the visibility of pages in search results.

These are just a few of the many available meta tags. By using meta tags effectively, you can influence how your page is displayed in search results and how search engines index it.

Open Graph

Open Graph is like a special “magic tag” that makes sharing a link from a website on social platforms like Facebook or Twitter show an attractive and relevant summary of the content instead of just the link.

Imagine you’re sharing an interesting article. Thanks to Open Graph, instead of just seeing the title and the link, you get a snippet of the article along with a representative image and a short description. This makes your posts look much more eye-catching and helps you effectively convey the message you want to share.

How does it work? When website creators add special information to their pages, like the title, a description, and a featured image, Open Graph uses it to create this appealing preview when you share the link on your social media. It’s as if Open Graph helps dress up the link to impress your friends and followers.

Activation and Basic Configuration of Open Graph

The default configuration means that if you publish a post without a featured image, Open Graph will take the default image as shown in the illustration above. On the other hand, if you insert a featured image, it will be displayed as the main one.

In a nutshell, Open Graph is a tool that makes your shared links look much better on social media, letting you showcase more about the content you’re sharing and grabbing the attention of those who see it.

International SEO

Automatic International SEO Configuration with TSEO PRO

With TSEO PRO, we’ve simplified the international SEO setup process in WordPress for multisite installations. When you activate international SEO, the tool automatically generates hreflang tags across all editors: Pages, Posts, Docs, and Products.

Why is this important? Hreflang tags signal search engines about the language of your content and are crucial to direct users to content in their native language. However, if not configured correctly, they can adversely affect your SEO.

Key Features:

1. Return Link Metabox: Upon activating international SEO, a metabox is generated in each editor. Here, you can select the corresponding return link for each language, ensuring each linguistic version has a proper reference link.
2. Metarobots and hreflang: If you decide that a page or post shouldn’t be indexed (noindex), TSEO PRO will automatically deactivate the hreflang tags for that entry. However, if the entry needs to be indexed but doesn’t have a return link, you can disable the hreflang tags by checking the “Deactivate this post” box.
3. Sitemap Exclusion: If you prefer that a page or post not be crawled by search engines, you can exclude it from the respective sitemap through the “Exclude from sitemap” metabox.
4. International SEO for the main page of each site: As TSEO PRO uses the front-page.php to customize the homepage, it also automatically generates primary hreflang tags for all front-page.php within the WordPress multisite.

Additional Considerations: It’s essential to understand that an incorrect setup of hreflang tags can negatively impact your ranking. TSEO PRO is designed to help you avoid these mistakes, providing an intuitive and automated international SEO solution.

Real example from this page: