In today’s digital landscape, having a website optimized for search engines (SEO) is essential to stand out from the competition. At Seed, we are experts in Drupal, and we share key recommendations to ensure the success of any website.
1. Create Friendly URLs
It’s crucial that URLs are clear, descriptive, and easy to understand for both users and search engines.
Example:
Instead of using a URL like:
www.yoursite.com/node/123
Opt for something like:
www.yoursite.com/services/digital-consultancy
This not only improves the user experience but also makes it easier for search engines to index the page.
To complement this information, you can look for Google’s recommendations at this link.
2. Use SEO Modules
One of Drupal’s strengths is its flexibility and customization capabilities through modules. We recommend the following:
- 2.1 Sitemap
- 2.2 Metatag
- 2.3 Schema.org
- 2.4 Pathauto
2.1 Sitemap
The Drupal Sitemap module is an essential tool for improving website indexing. It creates an XML file that serves as a map of the site’s content, telling search engines like Google which pages to crawl and how to prioritize them. This not only enhances the site’s visibility but also improves the discovery of new or updated content.
Key Features of the Sitemap Module:
- Flexible configuration: Allows you to choose what types of content to include in the sitemap, such as nodes, taxonomies, custom views, etc.
- Multi-language support: Ideal for multilingual sites, offering the option to create separate sitemaps for each language or combine them into one.
- Update frequency: Lets you specify how often different sections of the site should be crawled (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.).
Practical Example: Let’s say a site has a news section updated weekly and an events page with daily updates. In the sitemap, you can configure crawl frequencies as follows:
/news - Frequency: Weekly, Priority: 0.8
/events - Frequency: Daily, Priority: 1.0
How to Integrate with Google Search Console: The sitemap in Drupal is automatically generated and typically available at a URL like yoursit.com/sitemap.xml.
In Google Search Console, access the relevant account and select the property for your website. Navigate to the Sitemaps section and add the URL of the XML file. Then, monitor crawl status and impact using the analysis tools.
Recommended Add-ons:
To maximize the functionality of the Sitemap, combining it with modules like Metatag is recommended to ensure not only crawling but proper indexing with optimized titles and descriptions.
2.2 Metatag
The Metatag module allows you to manage meta tags and metadata for a website in a centralized and efficient way, improving both SEO and user experience. These meta tags are crucial for search engines to understand the content of the site and rank it correctly.
Key Features of the Metatag Module:
- Smart automation: You can set global templates so pages inherit default metadata, reducing manual effort.
- Customization by content type: Specific tags can be defined for nodes, taxonomies, views, etc.
- Support for Open Graph and Twitter Cards: Ensures that when pages are shared on social media, optimized images, titles, and descriptions appear.
- Multi-language support: Each language can have its own metadata.
Practical Example:
For a blog, dynamic metadata could be configured to include:
Title: [node:title] | Blog of [site:name]
Description: [node:summary] or a generic description like: "Discover articles on [topic] in our blog at [site:name]."
Image: [node:field_image] (extracted from the content).
Impact on Social Media: Thanks to Open Graph and Twitter Cards support, sharing an article will display a thumbnail with the correct title and description, increasing click-through rates.
2.3 Schema.org
Schema.org is a collaborative activity aimed at creating and promoting schemas for structured data on the web, emails, and more. The vocabulary of Schema.org can be used with various encoding formats, including RDFa, Microdata, and JSON-LD. This module in Drupal helps integrate structured data based on these vocabularies to improve content visibility in search engine results.
What are Structured Data? These are standardized formats for labeling content to help search engines understand specific information such as products, events, articles, recipes, and more. Structured data is essential for appearing in enriched results, enhancing the click-through rate (CTR).
Key Features of the Schema.org Module in Drupal:
- Support for common data types: Supports schemas for articles, events, products, local businesses, etc.
- Entity-based configuration: Allows different schemas based on content type (nodes, taxonomies, users, etc.).
- JSON-LD support: Integrates structured data silently into the source code, ensuring validation.
- Scalability: Ideal for large sites, as global and specific configurations can be applied.
Practical Example:
Suppose your site has an events section. With Schema.org, you can tag relevant information such as:
Event name,
Date and time,
Location (including geographical coordinates),
URL for more details or ticket purchase.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Event",
"name": "Conferencia SEO en Drupal",
"startDate": "2024-12-10T10:00",
"endDate": "2024-12-10T16:00",
"location": {
"@type": "Place",
"name": "Seed Office",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "Calle Principal #123",
"addressLocality": "Ciudad",
"addressRegion": "Departamento",
"postalCode": "00000",
"addressCountry": "CO"
}
},
"url": "https://tusitio.com/eventos/seo-drupal"
}
Key Benefits:
- Better visibility in search engines: Increases the chances of the site standing out with rich results.
- Better user experience: Users see relevant information directly in the search results.
- Ongoing optimization: Structured data helps search engines crawl and index your content more efficiently.
Direct Impact: If Schema.org is used in sections like products or events, the site could appear in Google with enriched views, such as shopping carts or interactive calendars.
This emphasizes how implementing Schema.org enhances your site’s visibility, improves the search experience, and leads to better user engagement by presenting rich content directly in the search results.
2.4 Pathauto
Pathauto is an essential tool in Drupal that automatically generates friendly, customized URLs for content pages. This eliminates the need to manually assign each URL, saving time and ensuring consistency in URL structure.
Key Features of the Pathauto Module:
- Full automation: Generates friendly URLs based on configurable patterns for nodes, taxonomies, users, and any URL-related entity.
- Customizable patterns: Define rules for each content type, e.g.,
For blogs: /blog/[node:title]
For products: /products/[term:name]/[node:title] - Multi-language support: Adapts URLs for multilingual sites to maintain consistency across languages.
- Integration with Token: Use the Token module to include dynamic variables in patterns (like node title, publication date, or author name).
Practical Example:
Let’s say you have an article titled “Best SEO Practices.” Pathauto can automatically generate a friendly URL like:
/blog/best-seo-practices
instead of something like:
/node/123.
3. Optimize HTML and Meta Tags
Ensure that the HTML structure is validated and organized according to SEO best practices. Each page's content should be unique and non-duplicated, and it should provide value, structured with relevant keywords and enriched information.
Example:
Ensure hierarchical headings on each page, such as:
<h1> for the main title
<h2> for important subheadings
<h3> for detailed content
Also, write clear and engaging meta descriptions:
Meta title: "Professional Digital Consultancy | Seed Experts in Drupal"
Meta description: "Improve your business visibility online with our Drupal consulting and SEO optimization services. Contact us today!"
4. Improve Image Performance
Images can be a valuable asset for SEO if properly optimized.
Example:
A product image might include:
File name: black-sport-shoes.jpg
Alt attribute: "Black running sport shoes"
Consider using a format like WebP instead of PNG to reduce file size without sacrificing quality, speeding up load times.
Points to keep in mind:
- Reduce image weight for faster load times.
- Use appropriate web formats like WebP and optimized JPEGs.
- Include metadata like alt attributes and titles to enhance accessibility and SEO.
- Check and fix broken links related to images.
5. Use SEO Audit Tools
To gather and analyze data for optimizing your site, it’s important to rely on trusted tools such as:
- Google Search Console: Identifies the keywords users are finding your site with.
- SEMrush: Performs complete audits to detect technical SEO issues.
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider: Finds broken links and duplicate content on your site.
Example:
You may discover that users are searching for “Drupal consulting in Bogotá,” but that keyword isn’t optimized on your site. You could create targeted content to capitalize on this opportunity.
6. Perform Ongoing Monitoring
SEO is a dynamic process. You should regularly monitor your site’s performance and adjust strategies based on changes in search engine algorithms or user behaviors.
Example:
By using analytics tools like Google Analytics, you can identify pages with high bounce rates. If users quickly leave a page, it’s recommended to improve content or calls to action to keep their attention.
Why Choose Seed to Optimize Your Site?
At Seed, we combine our Drupal expertise with personalized strategies to ensure the best performance for your website. If you want to maximize visibility in search engines and protect your site from potential vulnerabilities, contact Seed. We will help your site reach its full potential!