WordPress has SEO features built to help your website rank higher in search engine results. However, you can expand your SEO even further and improve your content in the process by using an SEO plugin.
There are over 1000 plugins for WordPress to help improve your search engine optimization. With so many plugins it can be difficult to know which to use. Here is a list of plugins that are considered to be the best of the best for SEO.
Yoast SEO
Yoast SEO is one of the two most popular SEO plugins available. It’s designed to help you improve your content by leading you to focus on keywords. It’s easy to use and can be expanded even further through premium extensions.
Key Features:
- Page analysis
- Meta and link elements
- XML sitemaps
- RSS optimization
- Breadcrumbs
- Edit .htaccess and robots.txt file
- Social integration
- Import/export
- Import for other SEO plugins
- Multisite
- Premium extensions
All in One SEO Pack
All in One SEO Pack is the other of the two most popular SEO plugins. It’s simple to use and has lots of features that can be expanded further through premium extensions. Using settings that you adjust it will automatically optimize your website for search engines.
Key Features:
- XML sitemaps
- Support custom post types
- Notifies search engines of changes
- Built in security
- eCommerce integration
- Optimizes titles for search engines
- Automatically generates meta tags
- Advanced fine tuning
- Advanced canonical URLs
- Premium version available
SEO Ultimate
SEO Ultimate has lots of modules and features and gives you control over meta titles, descriptions, and more. It’s designed to be an all-in-one solution for free. You can even import your settings from the All in One SEO Pack plugin if you want.
Key Features:
- Title tag rewriter
- Meta description editor
- Deeplink juggernaut
- Open graph integrator
- Rich snippet creator
- Author highlighter
- Link mask generator
- Cananicalizer
- 404 monitor
- Permalink tweaker
- Meta robot tags editor
- Widgets
- Settings manager
- Premium version available
SEO by SQUIRRLY™
Squirrly SEO was made with non SEO experts in mind. It helps you create content that’s both SEO and human friendly. It gives you analytics and works with other popular SEO plugins. A premium edition adds even more features.
Key Features:
- Green light indicators
- Optimizes articles
- Retains previous SEO settings
- Finds keywords and topics based on reader’s searches
- Keyword analysis
- Tracks content marketing strategy
- Emails audit reports
- Provides advice
- Monitors weekly progress
- Optimize content for humans
- Helps you write better content
- Provides copyright-free images
- Suggests headlines based on keywords
- Social intelligence
Premium SEO Pack
Premium SEO Pack is a premium plugin that will also speed up your website by minifying your files. It contains more features than most other SEO plugins including features you wouldn’t expect such as Page Speed Insights, Smush.it, Google Analytics, and advanced social integration.
Key Features:
- On page optimization
- Minify code
- Page speed insights
- Local SEO
- Link builder
- Validator
- Optimizes images
- 301 redirect
- SERP tracking
- Google Analytics
- Sitemap
- 404 monitor
- Title and meta tags
- Backlink builder
- Social stats
- Edit .htaccess and robots.txt
- Twitter Cards
- Smush.it
- Social media icons
- Rich snippets
- Facebook planner
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of SEO plugins to choose from for WordPress but these five are the cream of the crop. Any of these plugins will help you rank higher in search engine results and many of them give you insights on improving your content. They range from free to premium and practically all of them can be expanded to improve your SEO even further.
What is your favorite SEO plugin?
Randy Brown
Latest posts by Randy Brown (see all)
- 10 Best Divi Child Themes in the Monterey Premier Divi Marketplace - September 29, 2018
- Divi Booster and Divi Switch – So Similar and Yet So Different - May 3, 2017
- How I Left My Job to Be My Own Boss - October 25, 2016
- Divi Automatic Testimonials Plugin Review - September 30, 2016
- The Basics of Using the Yoast SEO Plugin - September 20, 2016
Great article. Thank you for this. I use a few of these and still lean towards Yoast out of habit.
Squirrley is by far my favorite, except for that darn button that injects a photo into the middle of your layout. This plugin takes the least amount of resources.
Not mentioned is YoRockets new add on plugin that will write your headlines for a better CTR.
I’d like to see a followup on how to change from one to the other without losing data.
Thanks Kolleen. YoRockets sounds interesting. I’ll have to give it a try. I like your article idea 🙂