Grow path · Beginner

WordPress SEO for Beginners

Get your WordPress site found on Google, without the jargon: a clear order of what to do, done on your own site, step by step, with a working UK developer to ask when you get stuck.

Who this course is for

This course is for small business owners, marketers and new freelancers who have a WordPress website that Google does not seem to know about. Maybe you have installed an SEO plugin and watched the traffic-light scores turn green, but nothing much has changed. Maybe an agency has quoted you a monthly fee for work you cannot check. You do not need more tips. You need to know what to do first, what to do next and how to tell whether it is working. Every lesson explains the terms as they come up, so you will never be left wondering what "canonical" or "indexing" means.

What you should know first

You do not need any SEO knowledge. You do need a WordPress site you are allowed to change: your own business site, a client site you have permission to work on, or a practice site. You should be comfortable logging in to the WordPress dashboard, editing a page and installing a plugin. If those are new to you, start with the Begin2Code Elementor Beginner course, which walks you through WordPress from the first login. You will also need a free Google account for Search Console, Google Analytics 4 and Google Business Profile.

By the end of the course you will be able to

Explain how Google crawls, indexes and ranks pages, including how AI Overviews and AI Mode choose their sources.
Set up and verify Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 on a WordPress site, and read the reports that matter.
Research keywords with free tools, judge search intent and map one main keyword to each important page.
Configure Yoast SEO or Rank Math correctly, explain the real differences between them and audit a setup you have inherited.
Write title tags, meta descriptions, headings, body copy, image alt text and URLs that suit both people and search engines.
Check that your important pages are crawlable and indexed, submit a clean sitemap, fix common indexing problems and add schema markup that Google supports.
Set up and optimise a Google Business Profile, keep your business details consistent and build links and reviews in ways that are safe and legal in the UK.
Track enquiries as GA4 key events and produce a clear monthly SEO report in Looker Studio for yourself, a manager or a client.

Your course project

Throughout the course you will watch Shaz optimise the site for Kirkstall Plumbing & Heating (kirkstallplumbing.co.uk), a small family firm in Kirkstall, Leeds, run by owner Dan Whitaker. Dan offers boiler servicing, boiler installation, emergency plumbing and bathroom fitting across LS4, LS5, LS6, LS13, LS16 and LS18, and his site has nine pages: Home, Boiler Servicing, Boiler Installation, Emergency Plumbing, Bathroom Fitting, Areas We Cover, About, Contact and Blog. After every lesson you apply the same step to your own WordPress site, or a practice site you control. By the end you will have Search Console and GA4 tracking real enquiries, a dated baseline to measure against, a keyword map for your main pages, a properly configured SEO plugin, optimised titles and content, a clean sitemap with checked indexing, useful schema, linked supporting content, an optimised Google Business Profile if you are a local business, a links and reviews plan, and a simple monthly Looker Studio report that shows whether it is all working. You will also get the keyword sheet, on-page checklist, local SEO checklist and Looker Studio report template Shaz uses on client work. The course finishes with a capstone project that Shaz reviews personally with written feedback, followed by a final exam and your Begin2Code certificate.

Curriculum

Module 1: How search works in 2026, and your baseline · 13 lessons
- 1.0 Course trailer and welcome
- 1.1 What you will build and how this course works
- 1.2 What SEO can and cannot do for a small site
- 1.3 Crawling, indexing and ranking in plain English
- 1.4 The 2026 results page: AI Overviews, AI Mode, the map pack and the rest
- 1.5 Setting up Google Search Console
- 1.6 Google Analytics 4: property, tag and the first reports
- 1.7 Cookies, consent and analytics on a UK site
- 1.8 Recording your baseline
- 1.9 Project 1 brief: the Brindlewood baseline
- 1.10 Project 1 solution: verifying, tracking and recording the Brindlewood baseline
- 1.11 Module 1 recap
- Module 1 worksheet
- Module 1 check (quiz)
Module 2: Keyword research without expensive tools · 11 lessons
- 2.0 Module intro and version check
- 2.1 What a keyword really is: intent first
- 2.2 Google as a free keyword tool: autocomplete, People also ask and related searches
- 2.3 Search Console queries and Keyword Planner without spending
- 2.4 Reading volume, difficulty and the results page
- 2.5 Long-tail and local keywords without doorway pages
- 2.6 Keyword mapping and avoiding cannibalisation
- 2.7 Project 2 brief: the Brindlewood keyword map
- 2.8 Project 2 solution: researching and mapping Brindlewood's keywords
- 2.9 Module 2 recap
- Module 2 worksheet
- Module 2 check (quiz)
Module 3: Your SEO plugin: Yoast SEO vs Rank Math · 11 lessons
- 3.0 Module intro and version check
- 3.1 What an SEO plugin does, and what it does not
- 3.2 Yoast SEO vs Rank Math: an honest comparison
- 3.3 Setting up Yoast SEO step by step
- 3.4 Setting up Rank Math step by step
- 3.5 Working with your SEO plugin inside Elementor and the block editor
- 3.6 Migrating between plugins and auditing an inherited setup
- 3.7 Project 3 brief: the Brindlewood plugin audit
- 3.8 Project 3 solution: fixing Brindlewood's inherited SEO setup
- 3.9 Module 3 recap
- Module 3 worksheet
- Module 3 check (quiz)
Module 4: On-page SEO that reads well · 12 lessons
- 4.0 Module intro and version check
- 4.1 Title tags that earn the click
- 4.2 Meta descriptions and snippets
- 4.3 Headings and page structure, including Elementor heading tags
- 4.4 Writing helpful copy for people first
- 4.5 Showing experience and trust on the page
- 4.6 Images, alt text and file names
- 4.7 URLs, slugs and changing them safely
- 4.8 Project 4 brief: the Brindlewood page rewrite
- 4.9 Project 4 solution: rewriting Brindlewood's key pages
- 4.10 Module 4 recap
- Module 4 worksheet
- Module 4 check (quiz)
Module 5: Technical SEO basics: sitemaps, indexing and schema · 12 lessons
- 5.0 Module intro and version check
- 5.1 XML sitemaps and robots.txt
- 5.2 The Page indexing report
- 5.3 URL Inspection and requesting indexing
- 5.4 Noindex, canonicals and duplicate content on WordPress
- 5.5 Redirects and 404s: finding and fixing broken URLs
- 5.6 Schema markup that matters in 2026
- 5.7 HTTPS, mobile and page experience
- 5.8 Project 5 brief: the Brindlewood technical check
- 5.9 Project 5 solution: finding and fixing Brindlewood's technical problems
- 5.10 Module 5 recap
- Module 5 worksheet
- Module 5 check (quiz)
Module 6: Content planning and internal linking · 11 lessons
- 6.0 Module intro and version check
- 6.1 Service pages vs blog posts: what each is for
- 6.2 Topic clusters for small sites
- 6.3 Writing a post that answers the question
- 6.4 Using AI writing tools without losing trust
- 6.5 Internal linking that works
- 6.6 Updating and pruning old content
- 6.7 Project 6 brief: the Brindlewood content plan
- 6.8 Project 6 solution: a cluster plan, one new guide and its links
- 6.9 Module 6 recap
- Module 6 worksheet
- Module 6 check (quiz)
Module 7: Local SEO and Google Business Profile · 11 lessons
- 7.0 Module intro and version check
- 7.1 How local results work
- 7.2 Creating and verifying a Google Business Profile
- 7.3 Optimising the profile
- 7.4 Updates, photos and keeping the profile active
- 7.5 NAP consistency and UK citations
- 7.6 Local landing pages done properly
- 7.7 Project 7 brief: the Brindlewood local SEO pack
- 7.8 Project 7 solution: profile audit, citations and a location page
- 7.9 Module 7 recap
- Module 7 worksheet
- Module 7 check (quiz)
Module 8: AI search visibility, links and reviews · 11 lessons
- 8.0 Module intro and version check
- 8.1 How AI Overviews and AI Mode pick sources
- 8.2 Making content easy to cite
- 8.3 AI search outside Google: ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity and Bing
- 8.4 Links: what counts and what to avoid
- 8.5 Practical link building for small businesses
- 8.6 Reviews: asking every customer and replying well
- 8.7 Project 8 brief: the Brindlewood visibility plan
- 8.8 Project 8 solution: a citable page, link targets and a review routine
- 8.9 Module 8 recap
- Module 8 worksheet
- Module 8 check (quiz)
Module 9: Measuring progress and monthly reporting · 10 lessons
- 9.0 Module intro and version check
- 9.1 The Search Console Performance report in depth
- 9.2 Tracking enquiries as GA4 key events
- 9.3 Organic traffic in GA4
- 9.4 Building a Data Studio report
- 9.5 Your monthly SEO routine
- 9.6 Project 9 brief: the Brindlewood monthly report
- 9.7 Project 9 solution: building and writing the first monthly report
- 9.8 Module 9 recap
- Module 9 worksheet
- Module 9 check (quiz)
Module 10: Capstone, final exam and next steps · 9 lessons
- 10.0 Module intro
- 10.1 The capstone brief: what to submit and how it is marked
- 10.2 Planning your capstone: a four-week plan for your own site
- 10.3 A worked example: the Brindlewood capstone submission
- 10.4 Why capstones get sent back, and how to avoid it
- 10.5 The final exam: format, rules and how to prepare
- 10.6 Your tutoring sessions and what to bring
- 10.7 Keeping SEO going, and what comes next
- Module 10 worksheet
- Module 10 check (quiz)
Final exam · 0 lessons
- Final exam (quiz)