What are WordPress Hooks? In the web development world, it can be said that WordPress is one of the most popular Content Management Systems (CMS), with a market share of over 60% worldwide. One reason for this popularity may be the large number of free plugins available. However, these plugins can sometimes lead to lower Core Web Vitals scores. Therefore, WordPress Hooks have become increasingly important for SEO on WordPress websites.
How do WordPress Plugins Affect SEO?
Although WordPress offers many free plugins and has a supportive community, installing plugins can have drawbacks, such as lower Core Web Vitals scores. This is because plugins may add unnecessary CSS or JS files to the website, resulting in slower loading times and lower Core Web Vitals scores.
To address this issue, some businesses may hire programmers to manage their websites, purchase premium plugins, write custom code, or invest in technical SEO. These solutions can often result in increased time and budget expenses.
What are WordPress Hooks?
WordPress Hooks are a feature of WordPress that allows developers to add or modify WordPress functionality without editing the core website files (Core WP Files). This is a safe and efficient way to customize a WordPress website, such as updating themes or installing additional plugins without affecting existing customizations.
Hooks are generally divided into two main categories:
1. Filter Hook
This type of hook functions to modify or filter data before it is displayed or saved to the database. For example, using wp_title to set a Page Title Suffix for article pages.
2. Action Hook
This hook is used to add or insert code to define actions at specific points in WP Core, plugins, or themes. For example, when publishing an article or loading JS and CSS files.
In essence, using WordPress Hooks allows you to customize your website and perform technical SEO flexibly, without relying on too many plugins.
Why Use WordPress Hooks for Technical SEO?
What is Technical SEO? Many who are new to SEO may still be studying this topic. Technical SEO refers to optimizing the technical aspects of a website so that search engines like Google can access, read, and rank the website more effectively. Using WordPress Hooks can help improve various aspects of Technical SEO, such as:
Let’s see how we can use WordPress Hooks to improve Technical SEO.
wp_enqueue_scripts to Manage CSS and JavaScript Files
One common problem in WordPress is loading unnecessary CSS and JavaScript files on every page, which can slow down the website. We can use the wp_enqueue_scripts hook to control the loading of these files. For example:
function my_dequeue_script(){
if ( !is_page('contact') ) {
wp_dequeue_script('contact-form-7');
wp_dequeue_style('contact-form-7');
}
}
add_action('wp_enqueue_scripts', 'my_dequeue_script', 99 );
This code will stop the loading of Contact Form 7 plugin files on pages other than the contact page, which helps reduce the overall page load time.
wp_head to Add Preload Resources
For the wp_head hook, it helps us add various resources such as JS or CSS in the <head> of the HTML. We can use it to preload important resources, such as fonts or images, which will help improve the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) score. For example:
<?php
function my_preload() {
?>
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="preload" as="style" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@400;700&display=swap"/>
<link rel="preload" as="image" href="https://www.yoursite.com/logo.jpg"/>
<?php
}
add_action('wp_head', 'my_preload', 3 );
?>
script_loader_tag to Defer or Async Load JavaScript
Deferring or asynchronously loading JavaScript is a good way to improve website performance. We can use the script_loader_tag hook as follows:
function my_defer_async_load( $tag, $handle ) {
$async_handles = array('wpcf7-recaptcha');
$defer_handles = array('contact-form-7');
if( in_array( $handle, $async_handles) ){
return str_replace( ' src', ' async src', $tag );
}
if( in_array( $handle, $defer_handles ) ){
return str_replace( ' src', ' defer src', $tag );
}
return $tag;
}
add_filter('script_loader_tag', 'my_defer_async_load', 10, 2);
template_redirect to Manage HTTP Status Codes
Sometimes, we may want to change the HTTP Status Code for certain pages to prevent spam backlinks to the website. For example, if there are strange Korean language links, the template_redirect hook can help resolve this. The code format is as follows:
function my_410_function(){
if( is_search() && preg_match('/[x{AC00}-x{D7AF}]+/u', $_GET['s']) ) {
status_header(410, 'Gone');
exit();
}
}
add_action( 'template_redirect', 'my_410_function', 10 );
This code will send a 410 (Gone) Status Code for searches containing Korean characters, which may be useful for managing spam links.
wp_headers to Add Security Headers
Adding Security Headers is a good way to improve website security. We can use the wp_headers hook as follows:
function my_headers($headers){
$headers['Content-Security-Policy'] = 'upgrade-insecure-requests';
$headers['Strict-Transport-Security'] = 'max-age=31536000; preload';
$headers['X-Content-Type-Options'] = 'nosniff';
$headers['X-XSS-Protection'] = '1; mode=block';
return $headers;
}
add_filter( 'wp_headers', 'my_headers', 100 );
In addition to adding Security Headers, we can also add Link Tags for multiple links to preload resources, which is another method for preloading besides wp_head.
In conclusion, WordPress Hooks are a tool that helps streamline website customization, especially for technical SEO. Using appropriate Hooks can help improve website performance, security, and ranking on Google or other search engines effectively. Although using WordPress Hooks may seem complex at first, it is a flexible and effective way to control your website. However, be careful when using WordPress Hooks, as incorrect usage can negatively affect your website.
Ultimately, learning and using WordPress Hooks not only helps improve your website’s Technical SEO but also provides a deeper understanding of how WordPress works, which will be beneficial for website development in the long run.
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