WordPress makes SEO approachable, but the defaults leave value on the table. Here is the checklist that covers the essentials.
Permalinks
Set Post name under Settings → Permalinks. It gives you clean URLs like /best-coffee-grinders instead of /?p=123.
Titles and meta
Use an SEO plugin (Yoast or Rank Math) to control titles and descriptions per page, or write them by hand and check with the title generator.
Sitemap and robots
WordPress plugins generate a sitemap automatically. Verify it and see the WordPress robots.txt to block admin and search paths.
Schema
Most plugins add basics automatically; add custom JSON-LD where they fall short with the schema generators.
Images and speed
Compress and size images, enable caching, and lazy-load below the fold.
Internal links
Link related posts with descriptive anchors and build a hub of pillar content. See internal linking.
Measure
Submit the sitemap in Search Console and watch the reports from GA4.