On-Page SEO – Meta Title, Meta Description & URL Structure

Objective: Teach students how to optimize a WordPress website’s meta title, meta description, and URL structure using the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin with hands-on practical implementation.

1. Introduction to On-Page SEO

• What is On-Page SEO?
• Why are Meta Title, Meta Description, and URL Structure important?
• How search engines use these elements to rank pages in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).

2. Meta Title Optimization

🔹 What is a Meta Title?

• The title that appears in search engine results.
• Helps search engines understand the page content.
• Influences click-through rates (CTR).

🔹 Best Practices for Writing a Meta Title
✅ Keep it between 50-60 characters.
✅ Use primary keywords at the beginning.
✅ Make it engaging and clickable.
✅ Avoid keyword stuffing.
✅ Add branding (if needed).

🔹 Practical Implementation in WordPress (AIOSEO Plugin)
1️⃣ Login to WordPress.
2️⃣ Install & Activate the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) Plugin (if not installed).
3️⃣ Go to Pages or Posts → Open any post.
4️⃣ Scroll down to AIOSEO Settings → Click on Meta Title.
5️⃣ Enter an optimized title (Use AIOSEO title tag variables if needed).
6️⃣ Preview how it appears in search results.
7️⃣ Save & Update the post.

3. Meta Description Optimization

🔹 What is a Meta Description?

• A short summary (160 characters) displayed below the Meta Title in search results.
• Helps in CTR improvement but does not directly impact rankings.

🔹 Best Practices for Writing a Meta Description
✅ Keep it under 160 characters.
✅ Use keywords naturally.
✅ Make it compelling (use Call-To-Action words like “Learn More,” “Get Started,” “Try Now”).
✅ Avoid duplication across pages.

🔹 Practical Implementation in WordPress (AIOSEO Plugin)
1️⃣ Go to AIOSEO Settings under the post/page.
2️⃣ Click on the Meta Description field.
3️⃣ Write a well-optimized description (use AIOSEO variables if needed).
4️⃣ Preview how it looks in search results.
5️⃣ Save & update the post.

4. SEO-Friendly URL Structure

🔹 What is a URL Structure?

• The format of a webpage’s URL that makes it SEO-friendly and easy to read.

🔹 Best Practices for SEO-Friendly URLs
✅ Keep it short & readable (3-5 words max).
✅ Include the target keyword.
✅ Use hyphens (-) instead of underscores (_) or spaces.
✅ Avoid stop words (a, the, and, of, etc.).
✅ No unnecessary numbers or symbols.

🔹 Practical Implementation in WordPress (AIOSEO Plugin & Permalinks)
1. Setting Up SEO-Friendly URLs in WordPress:
1️⃣ Go to WordPress Dashboard → Settings → Permalinks.
2️⃣ Choose Post Name (e.g., example.com/best-seo-tips).
3️⃣ Click Save Changes.

2. Changing URL for a Specific Page/Post:
1️⃣ Open a post or page in WordPress Editor.
2️⃣ Click on the URL Slug (Permalink Settings).
3️⃣ Edit to a short, keyword-rich URL.
4️⃣ Save & Update.

5. Practical Exercise

✔️ Task 1: Optimize a post/page’s Meta Title & Description using AIOSEO.
✔️ Task 2: Change the URL structure of a post/page.
✔️ Task 3: Analyze their changes using AIOSEO’s TruSEO Score.
✔️ Task 4: Use Google Search Console to see how Google reads these optimizations.