This episode launched a three-part series on search engine optimization with a professional SEO interview. I sat down with Shane Eubanks, who manages SEO for a major Berkshire Hathaway company during the day and builds his own WordPress sites at night. We also celebrated World Backup Day with a discussion about protecting your digital assets.<\/p>\n
Before diving into SEO, a quick but critical reminder: back up your data. Your WordPress database, your computer files, your phone, your important documents. Use a cloud backup service like Backblaze<\/a> for your computer and a plugin like UpdraftPlus<\/a> for your WordPress site. Backup is the unsexy task that saves your business when something inevitably goes wrong.<\/p>\n SEO is an 80\/20 game. You can get 80 percent of the benefit from 20 percent of the work. Here is the foundation:<\/p>\n On-page SEO<\/strong> ensures Google understands what your page is about. Target keywords in your title tag, headings, URL, and content. Use an SEO plugin like Rank Math<\/a> or Yoast<\/a> to make this straightforward.<\/p>\n Off-page SEO<\/strong> proves your page deserves to rank. Backlinks from authoritative sites, social media engagement, and brand mentions all signal to Google that your content is worth surfacing to searchers.<\/p>\n The bottom line:<\/strong> write genuinely great content, do the basic technical optimization, and the rest of SEO becomes much easier.<\/p>\n Shane prepared 23 tips for our series. Here are the first five from this episode, updated for 2026:<\/p>\n Set up Google Search Console<\/a> immediately. It takes five minutes and gives you direct insight into how Google sees your site.<\/p>\n Set up Google Analytics 4<\/a> and link it to Search Console. Use the Google Site Kit<\/a> plugin for seamless WordPress integration.<\/p>\n Google Site Kit or a dedicated analytics plugin helps you track outbound clicks, affiliate link performance, and user behavior without leaving your WordPress dashboard.<\/p>\n Both Rank Math and Yoast create XML sitemaps automatically. Submit yours to Google Search Console so search engines discover all your pages.<\/p>\n In 2026, well-coded themes like GeneratePress, Kadence, and Astra provide SEO-friendly code, fast load times, regular security updates, and professional support. The small investment pays for itself in performance and peace of mind.<\/p>\n The plugin ecosystem has matured.<\/strong> Many tools mentioned in the original episode have been replaced or consolidated. Rank Math and Yoast SEO now handle sitemaps, schema markup, and most technical SEO in a single plugin.<\/p>\n Google's ranking factors have expanded.<\/strong> Core Web Vitals, E-E-A-T, helpful content assessments, and AI-powered understanding of search intent all play major roles in 2026 rankings. The foundational advice, set up your tools, optimize your pages, use quality infrastructure, remains essential.<\/p>\n This is part one of a three-part series. For more WordPress SEO strategies, listen to the Late Night Internet Marketing Podcast<\/a> on Apple Podcasts<\/a>.<\/p>\nSEO Fundamentals<\/h2>\n
Shane Eubanks' First Five WordPress SEO Tips<\/h2>\n
1. Register with Google Search Console<\/h3>\n
2. Install Google Analytics<\/h3>\n
3. Use a Quality Analytics Plugin<\/h3>\n
4. Generate an XML Sitemap<\/h3>\n
5. Use a Premium Theme Framework<\/h3>\n
What Has Changed Since This Episode<\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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