A digital marketing strategy without search engine optimization, or SEO, will never be complete. However, ranking high on SERPs, or search engine results pages, is easier said than done. With so many factors to consider, from the simple, such as the type of search engines and website content, to the more complex, such as ever-changing algorithms, improving your web ranking can be overwhelming. This is the part where the best Drupal SEO modules come in.
What is Drupal?
In the simplest terms, Drupal is an open-source web content management system (CMS). But in reality, it offers so much more than just managing content. Not all CMSs are created equal, and Drupal is proof of that. Aside from doing the most basic thing a CMS can do, which is managing your content, it also allows you to upgrade your strategy by selecting from the different modules that range from comment modules, image modules, and yes, you guessed it, SEO modules.
Top Drupal SEO Modules
Selecting the right Drupal module (or modules!) for your SEO strategy depends on what you want to achieve or focus on. But these 5 top SEO modules are our best bets:
SEO Checklist
Whether you’re the type to write down grocery lists or prefer to take mental notes, you’ll appreciate the SEO Checklist module. While it does not create a whole SEO strategy for you, it’s helpful in making sure you’ve got the SEO basics covered. It’s a list of SEO best practices that help you monitor what needs to be done and what you should do next, much like a physical checklist. If you’re busy with multiple tasks or handling multiple websites at once, it does a great job at making sure you’re on track. Even as someone who knows the SEO basics pretty well, you’re sure to appreciate the simple way the SEO Checklist module can help you and your website.
Redirect
The Redirect module is as straightforward as its name. It allows you to create manual redirects and keep a canonical URL for all content, easily redirecting other requests to it. With a redirect module, users will no longer have to face the web’s version of a dead end: The Error 404 Page. With this module, you’re making sure that your audience always finds what they’re trying to look for and does not get lost in your domain.
Nofollow Noindex
Just like the Redirect module, the name “Nofollow Noindex” sounds complex, but it is also quite straightforward. A nofollow tag on a link means you’re telling search engines not to crawl through that specific link on your page. Website administrators usually add a nofollow tag to off-topic links in a website’s comments section, guest posts, and more. Noindex tags, on the other hand, instruct search engines not to include the selected page or pages in search results even when they can crawl the page. Using these tags is important in communicating with search engines which links or pages are more important depending on what you want to highlight. You can easily enable these features with Drupal’s Nofollow Noindex module. Just add it to the modules folder in your Drupal directory, enable it, and then you’re good to go.
Google Analytics
Information is power. The beauty of digital marketing and modern technology, in general, is that you have access to valuable data points or knowledge that were once only accessible to bigger, more established companies. Make sure that you make the most of this access with a Google Analytics module, be it Drupal 8 or Drupal 7. Getting statistics about your website that you can turn into actionable insights is essential in fine-tuning your website and helping it rank higher on search engine results pages. These web statistics can be a lot to digest at first: from domain tracking, demographics, and files downloaded. But these stats can give you the information you need to level up your website’s performance.
Site Verification
In order for you to actually have access to the aforementioned Google Analytics, you will need to verify your website with Google. It’s a security feature to ensure that someone will not, or more aptly, cannot track a competitor’s website. With its site verification module, Drupal makes site verification easier for non-technical users as well. It supports two types of verification methods, namely adding meta tags and uploading a specific verification file. Site verification is important not just for proving your website’s legitimacy and your admin access to it, but also for gaining access to important tools and information to help you further improve your website.
Conclusion
There are many best drupal SEO modules that you can add to your module folder to help give your website a boost in ranking. The top five Drupal SEO modules mentioned above are the foundation that you should have when it comes to your SEO strategy. These ensure that you have the basics covered, and you can add or try out other modules to see which ones can best help you achieve your business or website goals. Besides that, if you are a drupal user and you need seamless & smooth performance throughout, you can connect with an expert team of GTECH, a Drupal development company in Dubai that specializes in using innovative and leading technology to create user-experience-centred and cutting-edge websites.