Let’s be real here for a minute. Is there anyone among us who truly understands every aspect of SEO? Yes, there are best practices you can follow, such as targeting the right keywords. However, the truth is Google keeps its algorithm a moving target, so the best any of us can do is keep up.
That’s where these best SEO plug-ins for WordPress can be of benefit.
Let’s take a look.
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Ahrefs
A digital Mi6, Ahrefs scans your competition’s organic search traffic and backlink profiles. It will show you which keywords are ranking best for them, which of their pages are most popular and where they are directing paid traffic. You can use this intel to determine which backlinks and keywords are best capable of getting the job done for your site too. Even better, you can find well-performing keywords they may have overlooked.
All in One SEO Pack
This one optimizes your blog for SEO right off the bat, so even if you have no understanding of the mystical art, you’ll have a sorcerer working in the background on your behalf. It’s like having your own personal Dumbledore, without having to visit Hogwarts. If you want to dig in and tweak it a bit, the SEO pack will accommodate that as well. In fact, you can completely customize its settings.
Google Keyword Planner
Free if you have a Google account, you can search keywords to see how they rank among your target audience. In the process, you’ll find keywords you nay have overlooked. And, you’ll find out exactly which keywords and phrases to include. You can also get a sense of the level of competition for each of your keywords and phrases. Best of all it’s free and designed by Google so you know it will work well with that platform.
Google XML Sitemaps
Ideal for indexing your blog, Google’s XML Sitemaps make your blog an open book for Google, Bing, Yahoo! and Ask.com. It also notifies those search engines when your content is updated. There are separate ones for images, videos and mobile — though if your design is responsive you can go without the mobile plug-in.
MOZ Open Site Explorer
The tool formerly known as SEOMoz, the list of free and paid tools included with this plug-in is impressive. With Moz you can track your Google ranking on a daily basis, track your page and keyword rankings, analyze your key word usage and it’s free for the most part. You can also use it to get a look at your competitors’ data and technical SEO analysis. In other words, even if you aren’t using it, you can bet someone is using it against you.
Yoast SEO
WordPress users everywhere herald Yoast SEO’s updates, interface, and user-friendliness as being among the best of the best. Moreover, it helps you write with SEO in mind by guiding you to choose a focus keyword. Even better, it explains what it’s doing so you aren’t just blindly following along. You can see what the search engine result for your story will look like, which enables you to optimize your meta description as well.
Fixing broken links, conducting audits, and managing the structure of your site can be a lot of work. Fortunately, there are tools available to help you manage those tasks these six of the best SEO plug-ins for WordPress are capable of giving you the ability to shape your content to meet the specific needs of your audience. They can also make it easier for them to find.
