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Detailed Review of WordPress Plugin SEO by Yoast – The Best Search Engine Optimization Tool
SEO plugin by Yoast is one of the most used search engine optimization tools from among website builders using WordPress, there is no doubt about that. Since being released back in 2008, WordPress SEO by Yoast has been downloaded from more than 1 million users.
Not only taking care of the technical optimization but while forcing you to choose keywords for your posts and pages, you will start writing better content, focused more on people needs and their interest.
It really does everything you will ever need to optimize the content of your site, so people can find your business easier.
Considering the said above, in this detailed review, I will explain in details what made SEO plugin by Yoast the best search optimization tool.
What does this plugin actually do?
It does everything you will ever need to optimize the content of your site, and rank higher in Google for specific topics, keywords, and relevant information. After the installation, you will find a custom box inside all of your pages and posts to specify the exact keyword you want to target.
Who is this plugin for? And is it for you?
For everyone! Everyone wants more readers, more subscribers, more traffic. And the fastest way to do this is by creating better content, which is SEO optimized.
I am sure, if you’re reading this, you’re not creating the current website only for yourself, you want more sales, right? And the only way you can make them, is from more people visiting and reading the content you write. SEO plugin by Yoast does pretty good job showing what you will need to improve and where to focus, in order to rank higher.
Your website too needs this plugin, follow the instructions below to understand how to configure it:
How to install the best search engine optimization tool
One of the reasons this plugin ranks at number one position for on-site SEO optimization, it’s because it’s free. It has an option to upgrade to the premium version, but more about that later.
The free plugin can be download from WordPress.org plugins section, from the official site of Joost de Valk, or simply by searching for Plugin SEO by Yoast inside the add plugins section on your WordPress dashboard.
What are SEO techniques that are making this plugin the Best?
Although this plugin is quite complex, you won’t see anything that you won’t understand inside the settings page. Team Yoast has done really good job making the initial configuration a piece of cake.
After the installation you will be offered a tour through the available options:
The tour will walk you through all the different settings inside this plugin:
Getting started with SEO by Yoast plugin
When you click on the SEO icon, located on the left side of your WordPress application, you will access the general settings of the plugin. Inside there are a couple of important changes that needs your attention after the installation.
Change permalinks structure: One of the main SEO techniques that will boost your rankings is changing the permalinks structure. SEO by Yoast will detect if you are using SEO friendly URL’s, and if not, it will notify you instantly after the installation:
Adding a description to your site: What is the name of your site? Like finding the perfect domain name, naming your website is something really important. This will distinguish you from the crowd, and it will give you personality. You will immediately see how easy this can be added inside the “Your info” section:
Connecting to your Webmaster account: Using SEO by Yoast, you can verify your site with the most used Webmaster Tools:
XML Sitemaps: Generating a sitemap for a site is never being easier with SEO by Yoast. You can find your own, by clicking on the button: XML sitemaps. Additionally, you can also exclude different categories from the sitemap clicking on the Post types section:
Edit your robots.txt and .htaccess: Editing your robots.txt and .htaccess files can be rally challenging. You need to go to the root of your WordPress application and make the necessary changes from there. Yoast brings those options inside your dashboard. To easily check or update them, and keep it all nice and clean, edit the mentioned files straight from the Files menu of the Yoast SEO plugin:
Setting up the best search engine optimization tool
After the installation, Seo plugin by Yoast adds simple but powerful editor inside your posts and pages. Writing better and fully optimized content can be achieved very easily with the on page options provided by the plugin.
Using the snippet preview you can see how your article looks like in search results.
Additionally, the page analysis functionality checks simple things you’re bound to forget like: did you add an image inside the post/page, alt tag containing the focus keyword to it and etc.
What more you can do with Yoast SEO plugin
We all know how important is social sharing, Yoast knows that also. If you don’t want to use the post title when sharing the post on Facebook or Twitter but instead want another title there, you can do that with this plugin. Hey, you can even add a different image.
You can easily modify the description when sharing on Facebook or Twitter, from inside each post you write. Click on the Social button, and you will see the available options:
What is the price of this search optimization plugin
Like I already mentioned, the fully functional plugin can be downloaded for free. However, if you want to experience the Yoast team magic and premium support, you can upgrade to the paid version. The price is $69 for Single site. Check the full pricing here: Premium SEO by Yoast.
Let me clarify something, the free version of the site will be more than enough for most of the sites. Of course, if you are running a big company, or your business is growing, extending the functionalities is a great investment.
Pros and cons of the SEO by Yoast plugin
Pros:
- Easy to add Focus Keywords and Meta descriptions
- Page Analysis
- XML sitemaps generator
- Built-in breadcrumbs functionality
- Social integration
Cons:
- For someone not so technical, a lot of the options are a bit confusing
Final Thoughts
If you’re still wondering whether you are going to use this plugin, or not, my personal advice will be to add it right now. Google is already ranking sites higher for creating content targeted more to people, than to search engines.
Improve your website SEO and write better content using the best search engine optimization tool: SEO by Yoast plugin.
What about you? Did you install this plugin on your website?
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