I'm building a new WordPress website for my writing project, Madeline Oona Writes, and I'm at the beginning of putting everything together.

I recently found a beautiful theme that I love (Vivre), but before I start installing plugins and filling the site with content, I want to build it thoughtfully from the beginning, especially from an SEO perspective.

I've heard that SEO should guide the site's structure rather than being something you try to add at the end, and that makes a lot of sense to me. So I'm wondering:

What should I establish first in terms of site structure and SEO?

Should I plan my pages, categories and content strategy before installing plugins?

Which SEO plugin would you recommend in 2026, and why?

What other plugins are genuinely worth having for a writer/author website?

What would you avoid installing?

Are there any common mistakes I should avoid when building a site from the ground up?

I'm mainly looking for advice on how to approach the setup strategically.

If you're a writer, author, blogger, or someone who builds WordPress sites, I'd especially love to hear how you approached your own site and what you wish you'd known when you were starting out.

I'm hoping to build something with room to grow, so I'd rather make thoughtful decisions now than have to restructure everything later.

Thank you! I'd really appreciate hearing from people who've been through this before.