WordPress.org is the world’s most popular content management system (CMS), and it’s used by millions of people across the world. Along with an extremely flexible designer, a neat management dashboard, and a huge range of pre-built templates, WordPress also boasts a large plugin library.
Here, you will find numerous add-ons that you can use to add extra functionality to your site. There are numerous SEO plugins available, and some of these are absolute must-haves for anyone new to the industry.
Below, we outline the top five SEO plugins for WordPress that you need to consider.
- Yoast SEO
If there’s one SEO plugin that has stood out above the pack for the last few years, it’s Yoast SEO. It’s used by some of the world’s largest websites, and it boasts a user-friendly interface and some of the best SEO tools we’ve seen.
In addition, there’s a free forever version that you can use to add basic SEO tools. These include things like keyword optimization, meta title and meta description optimization, and more. There’s also a premium version that adds even more advanced tools.
- All in One SEO (AIOSEO)
This plugin has been around for what seems like forever, and it’s still a great option. SEO is a very complex, multi-faceted field, and the AIOSEO plugin does a good job of staying on top of modern updates and presenting things in a beginner-friendly manner.
For starters, there’s a tidy startup wizard that will guide you through the basics. The plugin audits your entire website, and it will notify you when issues are identified. Because of this, it enables you to work on your SEO strategy continuously, making ongoing updates as required.
- Redirection
This plugin is a little different from the first two options on this list, as it has one simple function. In short, it’s designed to help you create new 301 redirects where required. Since broken links can significantly impact the user experience and your SEO score, any tool that helps you deal with these is useful in our eyes.
- WP Rocket
The WP Rocket WordPress plugin is designed to help you optimize the technical side of your SEO strategy. It offers advanced caching solutions, which are basically designed to decrease load times and provide better performance for any type of website. It can be used alongside something like Yoast SEO or AIOSEO, and it’s a great option for everything from basic blogs to large online stores.
- The SEO Framework
If you’re looking for an all-in-one SEO plugin that just comes with the basics, The SEO Framework could be the perfect option. It sacrifices some of the bells and whistles that typically come with SEO plugins, instead focusing on basic optimization actions that can be taken by novices. It offers flexible keyword-targeting tools, performance optimization features, and even an API for more advanced users.
The Bottom Line
SEO plugins are extremely useful, and they’re something that virtually anyone with a WordPress website should be using. Sure, leaning on a plugin isn’t quite the same as developing the knowledge yourself, but even the most knowledgeable SEO experts tend to use them to make things easier than they otherwise would be. The five options outlined above are great, and there are plenty of alternatives out there that are worth considering.