The Ultimate Umbraco SEO Guide for Beginners (Step by Step)

Umbraco SEO is simple with our step by step approach. We cover all the basics from on page to technical SEO for Umbraco sites.

Table of Contents

1. Why Umbraco is SEO-Friendly
2. On-Page SEO in Umbraco
   • Optimizing Title Tags & Meta Descriptions
   • Effective Use of Headers (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
   • Focus on Keywords and User Searches
   • Leveraging Alt Text and Schema Markup
   • Internal and External Linking Strategies
3. Technical SEO in Umbraco
   • Use Canonical Tags
   • Creating and Updating XML Sitemaps
   • Implementing Noindex and Nofollow Tags
   • Managing 404 Broken Links
   • Implementing Hreflang Tags for Multilingual Sites
   • Choosing WWW or Non-WWW URLs
   • Securing Your Site with HTTPS Support
4. Tracking and Performance
   • Installing Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager
   • Setting Up Google Search Console
   • Ensuring Responsive Design for Mobile-Friendliness
   • Optimizing Site Speed and Performance
   • Meeting Core Web Vitals Metrics
5. Conclusion
6. Umbraco SEO FAQs
   • Does Umbraco have built-in SEO features?
   • Can I add third-party SEO plugins to Umbraco?
   • How does Umbraco’s URL structure affect SEO?
   • Is Umbraco mobile-friendly?
   • How does Umbraco’s caching functionality affect SEO?
   • How does Umbraco handle site speed and performance?
   • Can Umbraco be used for multilingual websites?
7. Get in Touch

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Why Umbraco is SEO-Friendly

Umbraco is a highly customizable content management system (CMS) that empowers developers and marketers to build search engine optimized websites. Umbraco’s flexibility allows for seamless integration of Umbraco Search Engine Optimization best practices directly into your development workflow. Here’s why Umbraco stands out for SEO:

• Customizable Metadata: Easily add custom meta titles, descriptions, and keywords at the page level to improve search engine visibility.
• Clean URL Management: Generate and manage clean, readable URLs that are optimized for both users and search engines.
• SEO Tool Integration: Umbraco integrates smoothly with various SEO tools like Screaming Frog, providing actionable insights for on-page optimization.
• Content Personalization: Supports dynamic, user-friendly content that can boost engagement and improve search rankings.
• Mobile-Friendly Designs: Build responsive websites that cater to users on all devices, improving user experience and SEO.

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On-Page SEO in Umbraco

On-page SEO is all about optimizing the content and elements on a webpage to boost its ranking in search engine results and draw in more organic visitors. This involves tweaking title tags, meta descriptions, and headings to make them more relevant and packed with keywords that people are searching for. Make sure your URLs are clean and easy to read, your images have the right alt text, and that the content itself is high-quality and engaging. On-page SEO considers how fast your page loads, how mobile-friendly it is, and how user-friendly the overall experience feels.

Optimizing Title Tags & Meta Descriptions

Title Tags

Your page title is one of the most critical on-page SEO elements. Here’s how to optimize it:

• Include Target Keywords: Start your title with the primary keyword or phrase that represents the main topic of the page.
  • Example: "Umbraco SEO Best Practices for Developers"
• Use a Logical Structure: A common format is "Primary Keyword – Secondary Keyword | Brand Name".
  • Example: "Umbraco SEO Guide – Boost Your Rankings | YourBrand"
• Keep It Concise: Limit your title to 50-60 characters to ensure it displays properly in search results.
• Make It Compelling: Craft a title that encourages clicks by addressing user intent and offering value.
  • Example: "Boost Your Site Traffic with Expert Umbraco SEO Strategies"

Implementation in Umbraco

1. Add a Page Title Property:

• Navigate to Settings > Document Types.
• Select the relevant document type.
• Add a new property called “Page Title” of type Textstring.

1. Update Your Template:

   <title>@(Model.Value("pageTitle") ?? Model.Name) | YourBrand</title>

Meta Descriptions

A well-crafted meta description can increase click-through rates by providing a compelling summary of your page. Including a well written meta description provides Google a reference point that it may select as the call to action copy in SERPs

• Include Target Keywords Early: Start with your primary keyword or phrase.
  • Example: "Discover the ultimate guide to Umbraco SEO and learn how to optimize your website for higher rankings."
• Keep It Under 160 Characters: Ensure the full description appears in search results.
• Provide a Call to Action: Encourage users to click through to your site.
  • Example: "Master Umbraco SEO techniques to boost your site's traffic. Read our comprehensive guide now!"

Umbraco Search Engine Optimization Implementation

1. Add a Meta Description Property:

• In Document Types, add a new property called “Meta Description” of type Textarea.

1. Update Your Template:

   <meta name="description" content="@Model.Value("metaDescription")" />

Umbraco SEO: Effective Use of Headers (H1, H2, H3, etc.)

Proper heading hierarchy not only improves readability but also enhances SEO by helping search engines understand your content’s structure. Headings are one of the most impactful areas of SEO, easiest to control and most frequently done incorrectly. Many websites allow end-users (Content Editors) to use any heading tag in any situation on the page. Resulting in multiple H1s, or heading tags used to control the size of text on the page. We’ve even seen non-semantic headings wrapped in div tags. In other words, writing good headings is just part of the consideration here. Also make sure you are using them properly even if your implementation of Umbraco allows you do something incorrectly.

• Use One H1 Tag: The H1 tag should contain the main topic of the page and include your primary keyword.
  • Example: <h1>The Ultimate Guide to Umbraco SEO</h1>
• Hierarchical Structure: Use H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections, and so on.
  • Example: <h2>On-Page SEO in Umbraco</h2> <h3>Optimizing Title Tags & Meta Descriptions</h3>
• Descriptive and Keyword-Rich: Ensure each heading accurately describes the section and includes relevant keywords.
• At least a few other headings reflecting the purpose of the page and including keywords, or key phrases, alternatives and synonyms are ok
• Use H3 for Subsections: If you need to break down H2 sections further, use H3 headings to organize supporting points or details within those sections.
• Example: “Key Elements of On-Page SEO”
• Use H4 for Further Breakdown (If Necessary): For more detailed breakdowns within an H3 section, you can use H4 headings. This is not always necessary but can be helpful for long, complex content.
• Example: “Optimizing Title Tags”
• Keep Headings Descriptive and Keyword-Rich: Each heading should clearly describe the content it introduces and should naturally include relevant keywords without keyword stuffing. This helps both search engines and users navigate the page.
• Maintain Logical Hierarchy: Headings should follow a logical progression (H1 > H2 > H3 > H4). Avoid skipping levels, such as jumping from an H2 to an H4, as it can confuse both users and search engines.
• Make Headings User-Friendly: Write headings that are concise, easy to read, and provide value. They should help users quickly understand what each section is about, improving the overall user experience.

Implementation in Umbraco

• Customize the Rich Text Editor:
• Go to Settings > Data Types.
• Edit the Rich Text Editor.
• Under Toolbar, select only the heading levels you want to allow.
• Remove options that could lead to incorrect heading usage.
• Educate Content Editors: Provide guidelines on proper heading usage to maintain consistency.

Focus on Keywords and User Searches

Understanding and incorporating the keywords your audience is searching for is essential.

• Conduct Keyword Research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to find relevant keywords.
• Integrate Keywords Naturally: Include keywords in your content, headings, and metadata without keyword stuffing.
• Address User Intent: Ensure your content provides valuable information that matches what users are searching for.

Implementation in Umbraco

• Content Guidelines: Establish guidelines for content creators to focus on keyword integration and user intent.
• Metadata Fields: Provide fields for meta keywords (even though not used by Google, they can be useful internally).

Images and Image Alt Text

• Include several images per post and optimize the featured images with relevant Alt Text that includes the target keywords or key phrases
• Take the time to edit your image file names, descriptions, and alt text
• For many responsive websites consider using max-image-preview: large setting
• <meta name=”robots” content=”max-image-preview:large”>
• In the context of your metadata, the -1 value in attributes like max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1, and max-image-preview:large tells search engines like Google to allow unlimited content previews.
• max-snippet:-1 means there’s no limit on the length of text snippets displayed in search results.
• max-video-preview:-1 allows an unlimited video preview in search results.
• max-image-preview:large allows large image previews in search results.
• So, -1 essentially means “no limit” or “unrestricted” for those specific features.
  

Leveraging Alt Text and Schema Markup

Alt Text for Images

• Describe the Image: Provide a clear description that includes relevant keywords.
  • Example: <img src="umbraco-seo-tips.jpg" alt="Umbraco SEO tips for better rankings">
• Optimize File Names: Use descriptive, keyword-rich file names.
  • Example: umbraco-seo-guide.jpg

Implementation in Umbraco

• Media Library Management:
• When uploading images, rename files to include keywords.
• Add an “Alt Text” property to your media types.
• Templates:

  <img src="@Umbraco.Media(imageId).Url()" alt="@Umbraco.Media(imageId).Value("altText")" />

Schema Markup

Structured data helps search engines understand your content better. Wherever an appropriate schema is possible, use it! Articles, Authors, Locations, Recipes, etc. There’s a schema for almost everything. Test your schemas before deploying them. If you automate schema markup generation make sure the schema is working properly and passing Google Search Console’s schema tests. Be sure to check that your schemas are fully formed and using as many relevant bits of the schemas as possible.

Localized SEO

• Create a location page and establish the correct schema markup for your location(s)
• Be sure to include a Geo Tagged image of your location
• Test your location schema and make sure you include all the meta data that you can

Organization Schema

• Setup your schema for the organization including key roles and people

Author Pages and Author Schema

• Establish how your organization will structure authorship attribution vs organizational attribution
• having author pages setup properly can greatly increase your site’s authority on a topic
• sometimes it is preferred for the organization or brand to be the author
• make sure the schemas are fully filled out in either case
• add attributions to articles, and blog posts

• Use Appropriate Schemas: Implement schemas like Article, Breadcrumb, Product, etc.
• Validate Your Schema: Use Google’s Rich Results Test to ensure correctness.

Schema Implementation in Umbraco

1. Set Up Document Types:

• Article: Include properties like headline, datePublished, image, and author.
• Author: Include properties like name, bio, image.

1. Establish Relationships:

• In your Article document type, add a property to select an Author.

1. Render Schema Markup:

   @using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq

   @{
       var author = Model.Value<IPublishedContent>("author");
       var articleSchema = new JObject
       {
           ["@context"] = "https://schema.org",
           ["@type"] = "Article",
           ["headline"] = Model.Value<string>("pageTitle") ?? Model.Name,
           ["author"] = new JObject
           {
               ["@type"] = "Person",
               ["name"] = author?.Name
           },
           ["datePublished"] = Model.CreateDate.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd"),
           ["image"] = Model.Value<IPublishedContent>("image")?.Url(),
           ["publisher"] = new JObject
           {
               ["@type"] = "Organization",
               ["name"] = "YourBrand",
               ["logo"] = new JObject
               {
                   ["@type"] = "ImageObject",
                   ["url"] = "/path/to/logo.png"
               }
           }
       };
   }

   <script type="application/ld+json">
       @Html.Raw(articleSchema.ToString())
   </script>

Internal and External Linking Strategies

Linking is crucial for SEO as it helps search engines understand the relationship between content. Always include at least one follow able link to an external source, but do not link your keyword or key phrase to an external site, this would tell Google that your content on the subject is less relevant than the page you are linking to. In other words, you could harm your page authority.

Internal linking is super important, it helps Google understand what the content of the page is as well as the content of the pages you are linking.

Always link using relevant, semantic text, and never using “Click Here” or “Read More”

• Internal Links:
• Use Descriptive Anchor Text: Link to related content using relevant keywords.
  • Example: Learn more about <a href="/umbraco-seo-tools">Umbraco SEO tools</a>.
• Link Hierarchy: Ensure important pages are easily accessible.
• External Links:
• Link to Reputable Sources: Add value by linking to authoritative sites.
• Avoid Linking Primary Keywords to External Sites: Don’t dilute your page’s relevance.

Implementation in Umbraco

• Rich Text Editor: Use the link picker to create internal links.
• Content Guidelines: Encourage proper linking practices among content editors.

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Technical SEO in Umbraco

Umbraco Technical SEO ensures that search engines can crawl and index your website efficiently. Optimize Your Umbraco Site:

• Make sure all the things that make your site faster are done
• Set page header expiry
• Confirm page speeds are acceptable
• Setup caching and configure it for your use case
• Always serve content with an SSL

Establish Your Strategy for Site Wide Umbraco SEO

Implement bread crumbs in your navigation architecture. Configure your site branding, including logos and brand images. Setup a favicon, brand thumbnail for Open Graph (OG) and other social meta tags. Configure what happens when a user gets an error like a 404. Establish your page title tag default structure. Determine your Canonical URL structure, will you include www or not? Can some content types appear under different URLs? Make sure you have a set canonical for those content types to avoid duplicate content penalties. We recommend choosing a URL structure style that is user friendly vs machine friendly. Allowing a user to navigate your site using the URL structure.

Use Canonical Tags

Canonical tags prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the preferred version of a page.

• Implement Canonical Tags:

  <link rel="canonical" href="@Model.UrlAbsolute()" />

• Dynamic Canonical URLs: Ensure the canonical URL reflects the primary version of the page.

Implementation in Umbraco

• Add a Canonical URL Property (optional):
• Allows content editors to set a custom canonical URL if needed.

Creating and Updating XML Sitemaps

XML sitemaps guide search engines to your important pages.

• Include Impactful Content Types: Pages, articles, products.
• Exclude Less Beneficial Types: Tags, search results, facets.

Implementation in Umbraco

1. Create a Sitemap Controller:

   public class SitemapController : Umbraco.Web.Mvc.RenderMvcController
   {
       public ActionResult Sitemap()
       {
           var sitemapNodes = GetSitemapNodes();
           return new XmlResult(sitemapNodes);
       }

       private IEnumerable<SitemapNode> GetSitemapNodes()
       {
           var content = Umbraco.ContentAtRoot().DescendantsOrSelf()
               .Where(x => x.TemplateId > 0 && x.IsVisible());

           foreach (var node in content)
           {
               // Exclude unwanted content types
               if (node.ContentType.Alias == "tag" || node.ContentType.Alias == "facet") continue;

               yield return new SitemapNode
               {
                   Url = node.UrlAbsolute(),
                   LastModified = node.UpdateDate,
                   ChangeFrequency = ChangeFrequency.Weekly,
                   Priority = 0.5
               };
           }
       }
   }

2. Define SitemapNode and XmlResult Classes: As shown in previous examples.
3. Register the Route:

   routes.MapRoute(
       name: "Sitemap",
       url: "sitemap.xml",
       defaults: new { controller = "Sitemap", action = "Sitemap" }
   );

Implementing Noindex and Nofollow Tags

Control which pages search engines index and follow.

• Add Meta Tags for Noindex/Nofollow:

  @{
      var noIndex = Model.Value<bool>("noIndex");
      var noFollow = Model.Value<bool>("noFollow");
  }

  <meta name="robots" content="@(noIndex ? "noindex" : "index"), @(noFollow ? "nofollow" : "follow")" />

• Use Cases: Apply to pages like thank-you pages, admin pages, or duplicate content.

Implementation in Umbraco

• Add Properties:
• “No Index” (True/False)
• “No Follow” (True/False)
• Update Template Logic: As shown above.

Managing 404 Broken Links

Broken links harm user experience and SEO.

• Custom 404 Page:
• Provide helpful navigation.
• Suggest popular or recent content.
• Monitor and Fix Broken Links:
• Use tools like Screaming Frog.
• Regularly check Google Search Console.

Implementation in Umbraco

• Set Up a 404 Page:
• Create a 404 content node.
• Configure in web.config or use Umbraco’s built-in settings.

Implementing Hreflang Tags for Multilingual Sites

Hreflang tags inform search engines about language and regional targeting.

• Add Hreflang Tags:

  @foreach (var culture in Model.Cultures)
  {
      <link rel="alternate" hreflang="@culture.Key" href="@Model.UrlAbsolute(culture.Key)" />
  }

Multilingual SEO Implementation in Umbraco

• Configure Language Variants:
• Set up languages in Settings > Languages.
• Assign domains to languages if necessary.
• Template Logic: As shown above.

Choosing WWW or Non-WWW URLs

Consistent use of either www or non-www URLs is important.

• Set Preferred Domain:
• Decide on www or non-www.
• Implement redirects to enforce consistency.

Implementation in Umbraco

• Update web.config:

  <rule name="Redirect to WWW" stopProcessing="true">
      <match url="(.*)" />
      <conditions>
          <add input="{HTTP_HOST}" pattern="^yourdomain.com$" />
      </conditions>
      <action type="Redirect" url="https://www.yourdomain.com/{R:1}" redirectType="Permanent" />
  </rule>

Securing Your Site with HTTPS Support

HTTPS is a ranking factor and secures data transmission.

• Install an SSL Certificate: Obtain from a trusted Certificate Authority.
• Force HTTPS:

  <rule name="Force HTTPS" enabled="true">
      <match url="(.*)" />
      <conditions>
          <add input="{HTTPS}" pattern="off" ignoreCase="true" />
      </conditions>
      <action type="Redirect" url="https://{HTTP_HOST}/{R:1}" redirectType="Permanent" />
  </rule>

Implementation in Umbraco

• Update web.config: As shown above.
• Ensure All Resources Load Over HTTPS: Update any hardcoded URLs.

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Tracking and Performance

Monitoring your site’s performance is crucial for ongoing SEO success.

Installing Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager

Google Analytics

• Set Up an Account: Create a Google Analytics account.
• Add Tracking Code:

  <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=UA-XXXXXX-X"></script>
  <script>
      window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
      function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
      gtag('js', new Date());

      gtag('config', 'UA-XXXXXX-X');
  </script>

Google Tag Manager

• Set Up an Account: Create a Google Tag Manager account.
• Add Container Snippet:

  <!-- Google Tag Manager -->
  <script>
  (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':
  new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],
  j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src=
  'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);
  })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-XXXXXX');
  </script>
  <!-- End Google Tag Manager -->

Implementation in Umbraco

• Add Scripts to Master Template: Place tracking codes just before the </head> tag.

Setting Up Google Search Console

Google Search Console helps monitor site performance and fix issues.

• Verify Your Site:
• Add a new property in Search Console.
• Choose the verification method (HTML file upload, meta tag, etc.).
• Submit Sitemap:
• Submit your sitemap.xml to improve crawl efficiency.

Implementation

• Add Verification Meta Tag:

  <meta name="google-site-verification" content="your-verification-code" />

Ensuring Responsive Design for Mobile-Friendliness

Mobile-friendly sites rank better on mobile searches.

• Use Responsive Design:
• Implement CSS media queries.
• Use flexible grid layouts and images.
• Test Mobile-Friendliness:
• Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool.

Implementation in Umbraco

• Responsive Templates: Ensure your templates are built with responsiveness in mind.
• Bootstrap or Other Frameworks: Utilize frameworks that facilitate responsive design.

Optimizing Site Speed and Performance

Site speed affects user experience and Umbraco SEO.

• Optimize Images: Compress images and use correct formats.
• Minify Resources: Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML.
• Use Browser Caching: Enable caching for static resources.

Implementation in Umbraco

• Caching Settings: Configure in web.config and Umbraco settings.
• Use a CDN: Serve static assets via a Content Delivery Network.

Meeting Core Web Vitals Metrics

Core Web Vitals are metrics related to speed, responsiveness, and visual stability.

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Optimize server response times and resource loading.
• First Input Delay (FID): Minimize JavaScript execution time.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Reserve space for images and embeds to prevent layout shifts.

Implementation

• Audit Using Tools: Use PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse.
• Optimize Accordingly: Address issues highlighted in the audit.

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Umbraco Search Engine Optimization

By implementing these best practices and leveraging Umbraco’s features, you can significantly enhance your website’s SEO performance. Remember, the key is to focus on providing valuable, high-quality content that meets the needs of your audience while ensuring your site is technically sound.

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Umbraco SEO FAQs

Does Umbraco Search Engine Optimization have built-in SEO features?

Yes, Umbraco offers several built-in SEO features like customizable URLs, metadata fields, and easy integration with SEO tools. However, to fully optimize your site, you may need to configure and extend these features.

Can I add third-party SEO plugins to Umbraco?

Absolutely. Umbraco supports various packages and plugins that can enhance your SEO efforts, such as SEO Checker and RankOne SEO. These tools can help with metadata management, broken link checking, and more.

How does Umbraco’s URL structure affect SEO?

Umbraco allows for clean and customizable URL structures, which are SEO-friendly. You can manage URLs to reflect your content hierarchy and remove unnecessary IDs or query strings.

Is Umbraco mobile-friendly?

Yes, Umbraco can be used to create responsive, mobile-friendly websites. Mobile optimization is crucial for SEO since search engines prioritize mobile-first indexing. Utilize responsive design principles to ensure compatibility across devices.

How does Umbraco’s caching functionality affect Umbraco Search Engine Optimization?

Caching improves site speed, which is a ranking factor for search engines. Umbraco’s caching capabilities can enhance performance and, consequently, SEO. Proper configuration ensures that users and search engines receive fast-loading pages.

How does Umbraco handle site speed and performance?

Umbraco provides tools for caching, code optimization, and media management to improve site speed. Implement best practices like minifying resources, using CDNs, and optimizing images to enhance performance.

Can Umbraco be used for multilingual websites?

Yes, Umbraco supports multilingual content management, which is essential for international SEO strategies. You can configure language variants and manage content for different regions, implementing hreflang tags to guide search engines.

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For Umbraco SEO Get in Touch

Need assistance with implementing Umbraco Search Engine Optimization? Feel free to get in touch with our team of experts who can help optimize your website for better search engine rankings.