SEO Roadmap: A Beginner-Friendly Guide to Getting Started

Start your SEO journey with this easy-to-follow roadmap — built for WordPress users with the SEOPress plugin.

Understand SEO Basics - Get the foundation right to grow online.

Before optimizing your website, it’s essential to understand how search engines like Google actually work. This step builds your SEO foundation: understanding how pages are ranked and what terms like “crawling,” “indexing,” or “SERP” mean. With the basics covered, you’ll make better, smarter decisions from the start.

Understand how Google sees your site : This guide explains how Google crawls and ranks pages—and what practical steps you can take to improve indexing and visibility.
👉 Read the guide
Get fluent in SEO terms : From “backlink” to “title tag,” this glossary makes sure you’re never lost when reading SEO tips or configuring your site.
👉 Browse the glossary

Set Up WordPress + SEOPress - Get your site indexed and ready to rank.

Before any SEO efforts can pay off, your site must be visible to Google. This step helps you connect essential tools like Google Search Console, submit your sitemap, and prepare your WordPress site to be found—and ranked.

Choose a name that works for you : Your domain name impacts branding and ranking. Learn how to pick one that supports your SEO goals from the start.
👉 Read Picking the Right Domain Name for SEO
Make your site discoverable : Ensure search engines can access and index your pages properly. Learn how to fix visibility issues and speed up indexing.
👉 Read Getting Your WordPress Site Indexed by Google
Connect and monitor your SEO : Learn to link your site to Google Search Console, a powerful tool to monitor performance, fix issues, and improve visibility.
👉 Read Getting Started with Google Search Console
Help Google find everything : Your sitemap helps Google discover all your important content. This guide shows how to create and submit it easily with SEOPress.
👉 Read Managing WordPress Sitemaps in Google Search Console

Optimize Your Content - Create content that ranks—and converts.

SEO isn’t just about being seen—it’s about being relevant. This step shows you how to choose the right keywords and optimize every page and post to match what your audience is searching for.

Target the right audience : Learn how to choose effective keywords and naturally integrate them into your content to increase relevance and rankings.
👉 Read Optimize WordPress Posts for a Keyword
Craft compelling, clickable titles : Your title tag is often the first thing users see. Make sure it’s keyword-optimized and built to drive clicks.
👉 Read How to Optimize Your WordPress Site’s Title Tag
Improve click-through rates : Write compelling meta descriptions to better explain your content in search results and attract more visitors.
👉 Read How to Change Your WordPress Meta Description
Fine-tune every detail : Master the essential on-page SEO elements—from headers to image alt text—for better rankings and user experience.
👉 Read Introduction to On-Page SEO with WordPress

Track Your Progress - Measure what matters. Improve what works.

Once your SEO strategy is in place, you need to know what’s working. This step helps you track your keyword rankings, monitor your performance in Google, and uncover new opportunities for growth and improvement.

See what people search for Discover which queries bring visitors to your site, how you rank, and where you can gain more visibility.
👉 Read Track SEO Performance and Find Keywords with Search Console
Monitor your SEO gains over time Follow your keyword positions day by day and adjust your content strategy based on real data.
👉 Read How to Track Keyword Rankings

Build Backlinks - Increase authority and climb the ranks.

Backlinks—links from other websites to yours—are one of the most powerful ranking factors. This step shows how to understand, audit, and improve your backlink profile to boost your domain authority and search visibility.

Why links matter to Google Understand why backlinks are crucial, how they influence rankings, and what makes a quality link.
👉 Read The Importance of Backlinks
Clean, optimize, and strengthen your link profile Identify harmful or broken links and discover which sites are linking to you—with clear steps to improve your backlink strategy.
👉 Read Audit the Backlinks of Your WordPress Site

Explore More Tools - Go further with advanced features.

Beyond the basics, SEOPress includes powerful tools to maximize your visibility: schema markup, image optimization, Core Web Vitals, and more. These features help you enhance performance, answer user intent, and gain a competitive edge.

Boost visibility in search results Display FAQs directly in search results using structured data, improving click-through rates and user satisfaction.
👉 Read Adding FAQ Schema to WordPress
Make every image count Optimize image names, alt text, and compression to improve loading speed, accessibility, and SEO value.
👉 Read An Introduction to Image SEO
Improve speed and user experience Learn how to meet Google’s performance standards to improve rankings and create a faster, smoother website.
👉 Read Core Web Vitals and WordPress SEO
Don’t miss a thing A complete SEO checklist to make sure your WordPress site is fully optimized—every detail covered.
👉 Read SEO Checklist for WordPress

Final Step, Apply Your SEO Plan - Stay consistent and keep growing.

You don’t need a full-time team to succeed with SEO. With a clear, structured weekly plan, you can stay on top of your strategy and make consistent progress—even with just 2 hours a week.

Structure, focus, and results A time-efficient, actionable SEO plan that guides you week by week—perfect for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and busy teams.
👉 Read Introducing Your 2-Hour-a-Week SEO Plan with SEOPress

Back to all starter guides

Beyond the Basics: Mastering SEO

Free SEO Guides, Tools, and Tutorials

SEO Glossary

The SEO Glossary is a clear, WordPress-friendly guide to key SEO terms and concepts — from basics to advanced topics — helping you navigate, optimize, and strategize with confidence in the world of search engines.

WordPress SEO Glossary