SEO Suggestion Needed

[Critter]

I'm needing some good info on the best way to rig up my SEO entries. I had some screwy stuff going on with Yoast so I disabled it and removed the plugin altogether.

Now , I'm trying to use the standard Genesis SEO metadata features, but the entries aren't taking.

Any suggestions on what tools I should use? And has anyone else been getting negative results from Yoast SEO? My main problem with that particular plugin is it's not generating my sitemap correctly. Google has been having a heck of time finding the sitemap as well. In addition, when it does work, the sitemap is not on in my site's files.

Not trying to get too sidetracked, but I need a good SEO set up process. Any help would be appreciated.

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Clay Moseley

[Bill Murray]

1) Can you clarify what you mean by "the entries aren't taking"? Are your settings being saved to the DB? Are your settings reflected in your HTML output? Can you specify what setting you made and provide a link to a post/page that should reflect those settings?

2) Yoast's WordPress SEO plugin is about the best SEO plugin. WordPress SEO does not create physical XML sitemaps; the files are virtual, which is fine. That's the reason you can't find them physically on your server. If you get the link to the XML sitemap from WordPress SEO, you'll see that it's reachable, and Google should find it, which you should be able to test/confirm in Google Webmaster Tools.

3) If you switch to Genesis SEO, you won't have any XML sitemap, so you'll need a plugin to cover that.

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Web: https://wpperform.com or Twitter: @wpperform

We do managed WordPress hosting.

[Critter]

Yeah, when I deactivated the Yoast plugin I scooped up a sitemap generator. All is go on that front.

However, when I was using the Yoast plugin my Pages sitemap was getting the yellow warning symbol in Google Webmaster Tools.

I'm probably going to try Yoast again. From I've read in WP Codex post there was something mentioned about the sitemap being on a different server. Thanks for clearing that up.

As for the SP SEO Title and Descriptions, when I enter my keyword data in the two SEO entry boxes and click update, the entries aren't there.

Are you hinting that the entries populate in your HTML on our page after we click update. If so, SEO Quake isn't detecting the metadata.

To be straight up with you (and with all due respect) , I'm not sure what DB you're referencing. Are you referring to a database?

I've got to update my sig. Give me a second for the site link. Thanks for the reply.

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Clay Moseley

[Bill Murray]

1) WIth WordPress SEO, the sitemap is not on a different server. It is just not a physical file. Instead, it's a virtual file, which means that it is generated when requested.

2) I'd avoid switching back and forth between SEO plugins on a regular basis. If you're going to switch back to WordPress SEO, there's no sense wrangling with your Genesis SEO settings. If you plan to stick with Genesis SEO, we can sort problems you're having. You can also consider opening a support ticket regarding Genesis SEO settings, as this is basic theme usage. If you want to make a switch, check out the SEO Data Transporter plugin because it will simplify the process.

3) I'm not hinting, I am outright stating that is what should happen. Ignoring caching plugins, once you save your SEO settings in either Genesis SEO or WordPress SEO, you should see those settings reflected in the HTML output of your post/page. You can use your browser to view the HTML source (see your browser's View menu), and look for the SEO markup in the source.

4) Yes, DB = Database. Your WP settings and post/page content are stored in a MySQL DB, which you set up when you installed WP. The settings for your DB are in wp-config.php. Because of the large number of Genesis installations, saving SEO settings to the DB is something that is well-tested. If this is not working for you, it is likely due to a plugin conflict. I recommend de-activating all plugins and see if you can edit/save Genesis SEO settings. If you can, re-activate plugins 1 x 1 until you find the offending plugin. Once identified, consider keeping it deactivated until it's fixed. Of course, if you are going to switch to WordPress SEO, this might not be necessary. Keep in mind this is basic functionality, so a plugin that breaks it might be best avoided.

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Web: https://wpperform.com or Twitter: @wpperform

We do managed WordPress hosting.

[Critter]

Ten four. Great reply. And you're more than likely right, the plugins are the culprits. But yeah, figured I'd load Yoast again and give it another run. I've still got it set up on a different site and I'm not seeing any hangups. Preciate your time.

 

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Clay Moseley

[Author]

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