Search engine optimization is a relatively new concept, at least since the advent of the internet. As much an artform as a science, SEO is all about driving as much traffic to your website by making pages appear higher in search engine results. These are a few must-have SEO plugins for WordPress that can help your site achieve better search rankings.
WordPress SEO by Yoast
As one of the most popular SEO plugins for WordPress, it should come as no surprise that SEO by Yoast is also one of the best. Keywords are a hugely important part of doing effective SEO, which is a specialty of Yoast.
When you enable Yoast SEO, you’re going to get comprehensive page analysis that can help you take your SEO game to the next level. For instance, the plugin has keyword optimization tools that help you choose targeted keywords without having to spend all your time researching them. Furthermore, Yoast offers users some solid educational tools, which can help you go from knowing nothing to being an SEO whiz at your own pace.
Google XML Sitemaps
Some people don’t realize that Google and other search engines are constantly crawling and evaluating web pages. They do this in order to deliver better page rankings to people searching for information online. By installing Google XML Sitemaps on your WordPress site, you’ll allow search engines to do a more thorough job of crawling your site. Doing this can help move your content up the rankings in organic search results. Furthermore, Google XML Sitemaps keeps your site more current, as it alerts search engines when you’ve posted something new.
WP Rocket
In thinking about the purpose of SEO, and what elements go into it, you can’t overlook the importance of site speed. At the end of the day, search engines are trying to give internet users the best possible experience. A search engine is a service packaged as a product; and customers will be satisfied when they have good results.
As a user of the web, you know how aggravating it is to click on a link only to have it send you to a blank loading screen. Pretty much everyone is frustrated by this. In fact, about 40 percent of people say they’ll abandon a link that takes longer than three seconds to load. Due to this, search engines place a high priority on site speed, as it’s an essential ingredient to user experience.
WP Rocket is a code-free way for WordPress users to supercharge their site load speed, making it one of the best SEO plugins for WordPress. It does this through a process of continual caching, which keeps your pages lean and loading clean. It also compresses and decompresses pages to lower load times. Using a site speed enhancer is a great way to improve SEO, but more important, boost site functionality. W3 Total Cache is another similar plugin that works to boost site speed. It’s a good idea to have one of these running on our WordPress site to make things load faster.
Semrush
As already mentioned, keywords are some of the most essential elements to building a strong SEO presence for a WordPress site. While there are many plugins out there that can be used for this, Semrush is undoubtedly one of the best.
Semrush is a versatile tool that does many things, but is especially proficient at helping people discover the best keywords. It also has functionality to assist in backlinking, which can save you massive amounts of time on this important, but often forgotten, task. There are some additional benefits to Semrush, such as content and social media marketing capabilities, as well as PPC ad features. Overall, Semrush is one of the best plugins for boosting your WordPress site’s organic search rankings.
All in One SEO Pack
If you’re really looking for the Swiss Army Knife of WordPress SEO plugins, All in One SEO might be for you. This plugin is good for users of all experience levels, and is trusted by millions of users. With All in One, you’ll get powerful SEO audits and customizable user profiles, all with fantastic 24/7 customer support—an essential if you’re really serious about your site.
SEO is an important part of building your WordPress site or business. By employing the best SEO plugins, you’ll have a better chance of driving meaningful traffic to your site.