Optimizing any site for SEO is essential. It is difficult for a website to reach its maximum potential without proper search engine optimization. Your site must show up on search results for users to access them.
That being said, we will be informing you about modules for Drupal 8 that is beneficial for good SEO. There are numerous modules, and we have handpicked these for you.
Let’s discuss each one by one.
Redirect:
Suppose you altered a blog, which in turn changed the URL. Suppose your URL was ranked, and now it has been changed. So now, if a user visits that old URL, they will be taken to a page that does not exist.
The solution? The Redirect module. This module is used to reference old URLs to new ones. With this, you can link all old URLs to new ones, which is beneficial to your site’s SEO. It eradicates dead links from your Drupal site.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/redirect
Pathauto:
Do you find yourself continually editing each node's URL? Well, there is a module that can automate this task for you.
The Pathauto module is used to automatically assign URLs to all the new articles, blogs, pages, etc. As having readable URLs is advantageous for good SEO, you can automate how URLs are created.
With Pathauto, you can configure specific patterns, by which it will automatically generate a URL for your page, article, etc.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/pathauto
Simple XML Sitemap:
A sitemap is a blueprint of your whole website. It is vital to have a sitemap, as it is easier for Google bots to crawl through all your pages and rank them. In a nutshell, it is crucial for good SEO.
With Simple XML Sitemap, creating a sitemap is effortless. The module automatically creates it for you.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/simple_sitemap
Metatag:
This module allows you to provide structured metadata automatically. This metadata is also known as meta tags. It gives you the power to provide additional metadata to your website. With this module, you will be able to edit the metadata fields.
These meta tags are essential for good SEO for your Drupal site, as they appear on the search results page. Users often get attracted to your website by reading the meta tag alone, which is why it is crucial.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/metatag
SEO Checklist:
This is one of the most essential modules. It is an all-in-one SEO dashboard, which informs you regarding the quality of optimization of your site. It gives you an overview of different SEO functions for the site.
It keeps track of all the changes you make to your site. It also suggests different modules that help improve the optimization of your website. In a nutshell, it analyzes and informs you about the deficiencies of your site and recommends a solution to improve them.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/SEO_checklist
Schema.org Metatag:
With the correct use of metatags, you can properly boost your website in the search engine result pages. This is one of the least used and most powerful SEO modules.
With the schema, you can help search engines return more valuable information which is beneficial for users. Scheme informs the search engines about what your data means, instead of what is says, which is helpful in SEO.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/schema_metatag
Google My Business API:
The Google My Business API is a programming interface which allows developers to write applications in order to manage their location data and Google My Business account.
This API allows merchants to view and manage how their data is presented across Google. It also allows them to see who co-manages their data. All data such as posts, reviews, and photos can be managed through the api.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/google_mybusiness_api
XML Sitemap:
In short, XML Sitemap is a list of all the URLs which reside on your website. It acts as a guide for search engines and tells them about which content is available and how to reach it.
This is beneficial for sites that have thousands of pages. With an XML, the search engine will only need the sitemap, and it can know about the number of pages and all its URLs. XML sitemaps included in your site are a sign of quality landing pages.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/xmlsitemap
Site Verification:
This module makes verifying your website plain and easy. Even a non-technical user can easily verify a site using this module.
The two verification methods are, uploading a specific file and adding meta tags. Verifying your site ensures that the particular site is owned by you.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/site_verify
Multidomain site verification:
Multidomain site verification module implements Google Search Engine console. This was previously known as Google Webmaster Tools.
It is a free web service by Google. This module enables you to optimize the visibility of your site and know your site's indexing status.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/md_site_verify
Real-time SEO:
This module is built on the Yoast framework which is used in WordPress. The module does exactly what the name suggests. It gives you real-time information regarding your site.
The module provides you with text analysis, metrics, and suggestions in real-time. This module helps you write good quality content which is SEO optimized in real-time.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/yoast_SEO
Search 404:
Search 404 helps bots and visitors to be directed towards the right page in case they land on a 404 page. With this module, you can also customize the message which appears to the user when the page is not found.
Suppose Google reaches your page through a badly formed link, then the Search 404 module will direct it to the right page, which is beneficial for SEO.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/search404
Alinks:
The Alinks module automatically replaces the terms and keywords in your content body with links based on keywords and links. Alinks does not change the content in the body.
You can control which content types it can be applied on and set the total number of occurrences to replace.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/alinks
Broken Link:
This module works similarly to the Search 404 module with a little distinction. Broken Link module can help track a 404 page not found request and its hit counts.
Broken Link module can also specify the redirection path by using regular expression pattern matching.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/broken_link
Accelerated Mobile Pages AMP:
This module works similarly to the AMP plugin for WordPress. AMP module converts your pages to comply with the AMP standard. Initially, only the nodes are converted and you can set it to convert other pages too.
AMP pages are readable on tablets and mobile phones. The content automatically adjusts itself to fit the dimensions of the mobile screen. This has additional components such as sidebars, carousels, social media sharing, etc.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/amp
AMP CSS Tree Shaking:
This module helps you automatically remove all the unused CSS of your site. It removes the portions of CSS which are not in use, thus optimizing the site.
This is used with AMP pages as they have a limit for maximum style size.
Link: https://www.drupal.org/project/amp_cts
Conclusion:
Now you know the necessary yet handy modules which help boost your SEO game. Go ahead and apply them to your site and be ready to see wonders. We hope you succeed!
