Alright, we understand brand, research, and content in this point. Not only that, you have tools here through hubs and the SiteContent platforms to help you create high quality, high ranking, keyword rich content.

Now we want to prep your website for Search engines, and that means opening up the communication with Google through their Google Console and Google Anatytics platforms.

Tasks for this Lesson:

• Understanding the Fundamentals of SEO
• Why Google is The CORE Focus of Your Business
• Setting Up “The SEO Framework Plugin”
• The importance of Meta Tags and Descriptions

Google currently owns about 90% of the search market share globally, and that has been a constant for the last 5-6 years. So when you think of “ranking”, the main focus of your efforts needs to be getting ranked in Google. That is where the bulk of the traffic and opportunity is.

The good news is that you are working within a community of Google SEO experts here at WA, and you have access to the elite tools and training to help you outrank your competition. This starts with the Hubs platform, and flows through Jaaxy and the SiteContent interface. Those help you fulfill the content creation process.

But there are a few other aspects of ranking that are important. Proper META tag structuring, and this can be done efficiently (and automatically) through The SEO Framework plugin.

Before we get into the set–up process, I first want to outline the importance of META tags and why a plugin like “The SEO Framework” is going to be important to your business.

Why Meta Tags STILL Matter

Meta tags have been a core component of SEO for many years, and despite changes in algorithms and search engine strategies, they remain vitally important. Their significance lies in various aspects:

• Enhancing Visibility in Search Engines. Meta tags, particularly title tags, are fundamental for SEO as they directly impact how your webpage appears in search engine results. A well-optimized title tag is crucial for improving your site's visibility and click-through rate.
  
• Improving User Engagement. The meta description, while not directly influencing search rankings, plays a key role in user engagement. A compelling meta description can significantly increase the likelihood of a user clicking on your website link.
  
• Informing Search Engine Crawlers. Meta tags like the robots tag instruct search engines on how to index your content. Proper use ensures that search engines correctly understand and index your pages.
  
• Social Media Interaction. Open Graph and Twitter Card tags, though not impacting traditional SEO, are essential for how your content is displayed when shared on social media platforms.

And to offer some clarity in the different types of meta tags, here is a breakdown. Do know that this may be a little over the top, but it is good to understand this as you move forward within the SEO world.

• Title Tags. Crucial for SERP rankings and user click-through rates.
• Meta Descriptions. Impact user engagement by serving as a brief preview of the webpage content.
• Header Tags (H1, H2, etc.). Provide structure to content, making it easier for search engines to understand and index.
• Social Media Tags (Open Graph, Twitter Cards). Control content appearance on social platforms, influencing social media traffic.
• Meta Robots Tags. Guide search engines on how to crawl and index pages.
• Schema Markup. Enhances the way search engines interpret the context of content, leading to better presentation in SERPs
• Meta Viewport Tags. Essential for mobile optimization, affecting mobile user experience and search rankings.

In essence, meta tags are a multifaceted tool to help you enhance your visibility within search engines. This can also improve user engagement, guide search engines to index your content properly, and extend your reach on social media platforms.

You typically don't have to put too much emphasis into your tags as much of it can be done for you through SEO Plugins that you can utilize within Wordpress, one of which has been pre-installed with your website and that we will be discussing in the next section.

Setting up THE SEO FRAMEWORK for Meta tags

Setting up "The SEO Framework" plugin on your WordPress site is a straightforward process. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Log into your WordPress back-office, then head to the Plugins tab where you are going to find THREE pre-installed plugins. You will want to "Activate" The SEO Framework plugin (see below).

Then we are going to do some basic configuration within the plugin, setting up the "Title" and the "Description" meta tags for our website. To access these settings, click on the Settings.

This will take you into the Settings, which can seem a bit overwhelming but we are only going to be updating the Homepage Settings, so scroll down to that area of the settings page.

Below, you can see I added a Meta Title, and in this case I include my brand "Skillful Basketball" with some additional information about me website. These make it more captivating, versus just using my brand. Ideal length for this is around 60 characters.

The Meta Description is basically just information pertaining to how your website will help people in your particular niche. So write accordingly. Ideal length for this is around 160 characters.

After that, scroll down to the very bottom of the page and Click "Save Settings" and you are done.

Now that this plugin has been Activated and set-up, you no longer have to worry about manually setting up the Meta tags for every page and post you create moving forward. This will be done for you automatically, and will be generated based on the post titles and the first segment of content within your articles.

So you are off and running here, nice work!

The Next Steps for SEO

The next step, getting Google to discover us and find us more efficiently. We have our meta tags sorted, and you have a solid comprehension of those and their importance, now we are going to divert our attention to getting "indexed" and "ranked", both core and very much critical components of SEO.

Tasks for this Lesson:

• Understanding the Fundamentals of SEO
• Why Google is The CORE Focus of Your Business
• Setting Up “The SEO Framework Plugin”
• The importance of Meta Tags and Descriptions