Can you do SEO on WordPress without plugins or theme settings?

Wordpress Issues
21

WordPress plugins save time, and time is money. They’re built for convenience in all kinds of industries.

22

Once you get all the custom code set up, someone on your team hits ‘Update WordPress’ or ‘Update Theme,’ and everything breaks. Why isn’t basic SEO built into WordPress after all these years? Is title tags, meta descriptions, and XML sitemaps too much to ask for?

23

It’s possible, but not easy.

24

We handle SEO manually at Website Squadron. We only use one free plugin, Meta Tag Manager. Let me know if you want more info.

26

@mila
I’m getting tired of generic AI responses.

27

SavvyGenX said:
@mila
I’m getting tired of generic AI responses.

Haha, agreed. It’s always so obvious—references to tools like TinyPNG and generic ‘fun facts.’ Why not suggest Squoosh.app for a change?

28

Core Web Vitals is your biggest challenge with WordPress and SEO. You’ll probably need plugins to meet mobile standards.

29

Skip the plugins and just edit the PHP files directly. It’s a better option if you know what you’re doing. If you need help, try using SEO Framework.

30

SEO plugins can help, but your theme needs to be responsive and score well on tools like PageSpeed Insights.

31

Yes, you can optimise SEO manually. Focus on clean HTML, good headings, and internal links. I use SERPtag for keyword tracking—it’s affordable, but there are other tools if money isn’t an issue.