A WordPress theme can have a significant impact on website functionality including its SEO rankings. Google has released a short video hosted by John Mueller, Senior Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, explaining how a website theme will affect SEO. Google affirmed that a theme could influence how many SEO-relevant content elements are displayed on the website which in turn may impact rank.
For example, the number of SEO-relevant content elements displayed on a website, such as headings, text, images, and videos, will be influenced by the theme. The theme also has an impact on page interlinking, page load times, and structured data.
Could Changing SEO Impact Google Ranking?
One common misconception on the internet is that WordPress websites rank higher or lower on Google based on their popularity. This is not true. When asked if whether or not choosing a popular WordPress theme will result in a drop in Google ranking, John Mueller said no.
Google prioritizes content and relevance over theme. In fact, Google ranks every page based on its authority and usefulness to the end-user. Google uses web crawlers to scan and index pages in order to rank websites. Google then ranks them on a search result page using an algorithm that takes into account over 200 ranking factors. Google ranks the most relevant and valuable websites on the first page of its search results for each given search phrase. Yet, Google’s search results are continually being reviewed, adjusted, and updated, so a website that is ranked first today may not be on the first page tomorrow.
Google is not fully transparent on how to achieve a no.1 ranking, but focusing on themes that optimize the elements that the algorithm values and actively striving to improve them, can increase the likelihood that your website’s Google ranks will improve.
New Web Design Options
Does your business have a theme that is seen across the internet on multiple other sites? Have you seen a competitor with the same theme as yours? If so, reach out to us for a website redesign and we’ll set you up with a design more custom to your business and taste.