Search engine optimization for Joomla: the best tips

Joomla is a popular content management system (CMS). It is free and versatile. This also means that comprehensive search engine optimization is possible. We give you valuable tips on how to implement this.

Joomla: For SEO, not only the content is important

First and foremost, of course, the content is important so that your website is rated well by a search engine. There are also a few technical settings that you can change to positively influence the search engine ranking. The good thing about Joomla is that it can be implemented with the on-board equipment without any technical knowledge. You don't necessarily need add-ons and plugins. In the beginning it is helpful to register your website for the analysis tool Google Analytics. This gives you an overview of the performance. Important points for search engine optimization are:

• Adaptation of the URL
• Fast loading time
• metadescriptions
• content

Adjust URL in Joomla

The URL of the sections of your website should be well structured. This makes navigation easier for the user. To do this, activate the button for a "search engine friendly URL" in the "System" menu under "Configuration". You should also activate the "URL rewrite". You do not need to activate the file extension in the URL and the "Unicode Alias". If you adjust the points in this way, you will get lean and understandable URLs. They are hierarchical and no longer contain cryptic letter combinations. This requires that you name the areas of your website appropriately.

GZIP ensures low data consumption

More and more users are accessing the Internet on the go. You often only have a limited amount of data available. Keeping the website lean also means a short loading time. Short loading times are rated positively by Google. That's why you should turn on GZIP compression. You can do this in the Configuration menu under the Server menu item.

SEO traffic through metadata

So-called metadata is very important. These are the short descriptions that are displayed when the search engine is played. This means: You should create separate descriptions with the important keywords for the different sections and sub-pages. You can use them to quickly grab users' attention. A distinction is made between the meta title and the meta description.

The meta title is the short heading that appears above the search results. The meta title should be able to stand on its own and be understandable. The meta title can be between 55 and 70 characters long, the main keyword should be right at the beginning.

• With the meta description you have more space to accommodate information. It can be up to 156 characters long.
• Symbols (sometimes colored) such as arrows or hooks are increasingly used in meta descriptions. Ideally, you should include a call to action in the description.

SEO criteria for the content

In order for the content to be rated positively, a good structure is important on every page. That means loosen up long texts with subheadings. Use the existing formatting H1 for the main heading, H2 for subheadings. The higher the number, the lower the hierarchy level. They signal to search engines that content is important. Images are also rated positively. Make sure that the images are named with the right keywords and a suitable file name. They will also be read out.

Plugins help with optimization

By the way, there are some SEO extensions for Joomla. They show not only enable further setting options, but also analyze the SEO performance at the same time. They give you an overview of how individual content or the global website is rated.

If you use Joomla, the following reading recommendations are helpful to optimize the CMS for personal use:

• With special templates you ensure that your website is individual. Vele templates are provided free of charge.
• With these plugins you can create slideshows.