The Web Dev Geek Blog
Your regular dose of geeky, businessy, websitey information
Your regular dose of geeky, businessy, websitey information
Custom post types in WordPress allow you to create content that is tailored specifically to your needs beyond standard blog posts and pages. This flexibility enhances your site’s search engine optimisation (SEO) by enabling the categorisation of content in more granular ways, which can lead to better user engagement and visibility.
Using custom post types can significantly improve your website’s SEO performance. They allow you to organise your content effectively, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your site. Different types of content can be displayed, which keeps visitors engaged longer, further boosting your site’s ranking.
To create a custom post type, you will need to add code to your theme’s functions.php file or create a custom plugin. Here’s a basic example of how to register a custom post type:
function create_custom_post_type() {
register_post_type('custom_post', [
'labels' => [
'name' => __('Custom Posts'),
'singular_name' => __('Custom Post')
],
'public' => true,
'has_archive' => true,
'rewrite' => ['slug' => 'custom-posts'],
'supports' => ['title', 'editor', 'thumbnail', 'excerpt', 'comments'],
]);
}
add_action('init', 'create_custom_post_type');
This will create a new post type named ‘Custom Posts’ that is publicly accessible and supports various features.
After creating your custom post type, you may want to add more functionalities. You can customise the permalink structure, add meta boxes for additional information, or even integrate custom fields with plugins such as Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) to make your content more informative and SEO-friendly.
Once you have registered your custom post type, you need to display it on the front end of your website. You can create a custom archive template in your theme directory named archive-custom_post.php and a single post template named single-custom_post.php. This ensures that your custom posts are displayed correctly and are easily crawled by search engines.
Creating custom post types in WordPress is an effective way to enhance your website’s structure, boost engagement, and improve SEO rankings. With careful implementation and optimisation, custom post types can significantly contribute to your site’s overall performance and visibility on search engines.