As you start to use WordPress you will learn just how powerful it is for web development and one of its best features is the ability to install third-party plugins. These are small “programs” others have developed that give WordPress additional functionality.
If you want to optimize your WordPress site and improve your online presence, the best category of plugins you can use are SEO plugins. We delve into the exciting world of SEO plugins below and explain what they are, some great examples, and how to use them.
What are SEO Plugins and Why Are They Important?
SEO plugins for WordPress are dedicated to optimizing your web content for search engines. They typically give advice and pointers on using keywords, images, and metadata on your web pages and blog articles.
The aim of SEO plugins for WordPress is to make your website visible to search engines like Google for specific keywords. They are typically easy to use and can be as advanced or minimalistic as you need depending on the level of SEO you require.
Different SEO Plugins for WordPress and How to Use Them
There is a huge variety of SEO plugins but not all of them are worth your time. Our three favorite options for SEO for WooCommerce and WordPress sites are YOAST SEO, Rank Math, and Google Analytics.
YOAST SEO
YOAST SEO is a top-rated SEO plugin for WordPress and it has a range of features that allow you to optimize your website content. Beneath each WordPress page, there is a dropdown section for SEO analysis and this contains problems and improvements that you need to address.
This includes things like meta description length, text length, SEO title length, and general keyword usage. It’s an incredibly useful tool as it highlights areas in the text that need improving for things like readability so you can easily see where you need to use less passive tense or have duplicate sentences.
Readability is just as important as keyword usage for SEO optimization so this tool is really useful.
Rank Math
Rank Math is one of my favorite WordPress SEO plugins due to its simplicity and how easy it is to optimize your web content. The plugin is easy to install and once you have set it up, you get a neat toolbar on the right-hand side of WordPress when you open any content.
This gives you an SEO score out of 10 together with the main areas that need to be improved. This includes basic SEO, metadata, and content readability. You get simple checkboxes for each section so you can work down the list and make sure everything is done like using the focus keyword in the meta description and having a decent keyword density.
You can also edit the Google snippet that displays on search engines including the meta description, title, and URL slug. If you want a basic intro to SEO and to get your web content optimized quickly, Rank Math is a great option.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is one of the best analytical tools available and it’s free to use! Aside from being free, you can also integrate your Google Analytics account with your WordPress website. This gives you access to a virtually unlimited wave of data relating to your website, how it is used, and how it is performing.
WordPress has a dedicated integration walkthrough for Google Analytics so it should be relatively easy to set up. Just follow the steps and enter your Google Analytics account info and you should be good to go.
The only downside is that Google Analytics integration is only available for the premium, business, and eCommerce WordPress plans.
SEO Plugins are Invaluable for Your WordPress SEO Optimization
If you want to make SEO easier and see exactly what you can do to optimize your web content, SEO plugins are vital for WordPress. Third-party plugins like YOAST SEO and Rank Math are invaluable for optimizing your website pages and blog articles and using your keywords effectively.
At the same time, integrating Google Analytics with your WordPress site gives you access to a wealth of metrics and data that you can use for things like PPC campaigns, localized customer targeting, and continual SEO improvements.
