If you’re reading this article, then you’re curious about SEO and especially WordPress SEO plugins. You probably know you’re not an expert at search engine optimization, and need a little bit of help in the right direction toward better ranking on the search engines. Well, you’re in the right place! You’ll learn a few WordPress SEO tips, what to look for when choosing a WordPress SEO plugin, and a few suggested plugins to choose from.
What is the purpose of a WordPress SEO plugin?
The purpose of an SEO plugin is to help you optimize your content to be seen more favorably on search engines like Google.
The biggest mistake that a lot of people assume about SEO plugins, is that they will do all of the work. That is not the case.
SEO plugins are designed to analyze what you’ve written and give suggestions on how to improve your content. In most SEO plugins, the free versions will help you optimize for your main keyword. If you need to optimize for multiple keywords in a single article, you may need to purchase the premium version of the plugin.
Other than optimizing the content in your WordPress pages, posts, and other custom post types, you can specify what type of meta title and description you would like Google to use in the search results. You can even upload special sized images for each of your individual pages, so you or those who share your content to popular social networks, will show up nice and properly.
What makes a good WOSEO plugin the best?
A good SEO plugin that is the best will contain the following:
Content analysis tool
Keyword optimization
Proper sitemap integration
Ability to suggest custom meta title
Ability to suggest custom meta description
Tools to encourage submission to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
Content analysis tool
A content analysis tool is just what it says, however, in regards to SEO and WordPress SEO plugins, it is designed to go through your page’s or post’s content and tell you things like:
Whether you use your keyword too much or too little.
Whether you need to add your keyword to specific areas of your post.
If your content might be too difficult to read.
If your content might not be long enough in word count.
If your linking is decent.
If your meta description and title contains the keyword, as well as if it is too long or too short.
Keyword optimization
With some of the more robust WordPress SEO plugins, they help you make sure to stay on top of focusing on your primary keywords for your content.
Social media integration
Social media and having a website work well hand-in-hand are important in getting people to see your content, and eventually do something, like subscribe to your email newsletter, contact you, read your blog, and even buy what you’re selling. Most of the best WordPress SEO plugins have technology like OpenGraph, which will allow you or your visitors to share your content to social networks, and your posts appear nicely.
Proper sitemap integration
Having a proper XML sitemap is important. Google actually likes it when you have an XML sitemap, as the search engine uses it to thoroughly crawl and index your website.
Ability to suggest custom meta title
Your title of your article and the meta title you display on the search results are super important. WordPress SEO plugins can help suggest how to optimize your title.
Ability to suggest custom meta description
Each of your posts and pages that are on the search results include both a meta title and a meta description. With the help of a WordPress SEO plugin, you can make sure your meta description is within the proper character length, and that it contains your keyword. Handy meta description tip: Make sure to write your meta description to be brief, informative, persuasive, and include a call to action.
Tools to encourage submission to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
In order to let the search engines know your new website exists and to keep on top of any of your major content changes, you should be submitting your site to both Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
Free WordPress SEO Plugins: Top 3
Of all of the SEO plugins out there, the following 3, have free versions that can help give you a leg up when optimizing your site’s content for the search engines. There are a lot of articles on the Internet about the best WordPress SEO plugins, and some lists are extensive. However, this list was specifically curated to cut out all of the other plugins that don’t provide all of the features that the ones in this article list.
Additionally, with these WordPress SEO plugins you also won’t have to install extra add-ons, unless you prefer to pay for things like optimizing further for video, locations, and even ecommerce.
All-In-One-SEO Pack
Yoast SEO
Rank Math SEO
