If you have an online business, and you haven’t thought about SEO (search engine optimization) for your website, you are more than likely missing out on a lot of traffic. And if you’re missing a lot of traffic, that means missing a lot of sales.
While there is more than one way to drive traffic to your website, you shouldn’t ignore the free traffic that you can get from Google and Bing with a good SEO strategy. But what if you don’t know anything about SEO, and don’t have the time to learn the ins and outs of it? That’s where a good WordPress SEO plugin comes in. So, in this article, I will discuss the top 3 SEO plugins for WordPress and how they can help you boost your SEO efforts.
Yoast
If you’ve already done some research on SEO plugins for WordPress, you probably ran across Yoast. It is the top SEO plugin, and it is my personal favorite and top recommendation. Not only does it provide SEO suggestions for better optimization (e.g., keyword utilization, alt-text for images, article length), it also provides tips for writing better content. Some of my other favorite features include:
- XML sitemap generator (no need for a separate plugin)
- Page analysis tool (uses a traffic light with red, yellow, and green to rate your SEO)
- Built-in open graph metadata (which turns links into rich objects on social media)
- Built-in Google authenticator and Analytics
It is fairly straightforward to set up, but if you ever need help, the built-in help section provides clear, concise directions. There is both a free option and a paid option, but if you’re just starting out with SEO, the free version will be more than enough for your website.
All-in-One SEO Pack
If you don’t want to use Yoast, my second recommendation for a WordPress SEO plugin is All-in-One SEO Pack. Like Yoast, you don’t need much experience to get it set up and working to boost your SEO. It also shares some of the same features as Yoast such as built-in Google Analytics and XML sitemap. But it has some features that Yoast does not:
- Automatic title optimization
- Automatic meta-tag generation
Both of these features might help your search engine rankings. AIOSEO provides you with as much or as little control as you want so that as you gain more experience, you will be able to use the more advanced features of the plugin. There is both a free version and a paid version for when you’re ready to use the more advanced features of this plugin.
Squirrly SEO
Squirrly SEO touts itself as the SEO plugin for non-SEO experts. It also works with both Yoast AND All-in-One SEO Pack, so there’s no need to uninstall and reinstall either of those plugins and lose all of your SEO work.
The features I like most are:
- Helps you find keywords and topics your audience actually uses.
- Lets you know when you’re doing things right by giving you the green light (much like Yoast)
- Provides a keyword research tool that rivals Google Keyword Planner
- Monitors progress and sends you reports
This is what’s known as a “freemium” plugin, which means that there’s a limit to what you can use with the free version (e.g., you only get so many keywords you can research). But as with all of these SEO plugins, the free version should suit you just fine as you’re just starting out.
So now that you have a better idea about how SEO plugins for WordPress can help you boost your website traffic, why not contact us here at Smart to Finish? We can help you choose the best plugin for your needs, install it, and get it all set up and running smoothly.
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