For those managing their company’s site with WordPress, how are you handling SEO? While modifying the source code directly is an option, it’s often too challenging for those without programming experience. This is where using WordPress plugins for SEO comes in handy.

However, with so many plugins available, you might feel overwhelmed by the choices or unsure how to use them.

In this guide, we’ll introduce the benefits of using WordPress plugins for SEO and recommend specific plugins for those managing their sites with WordPress.

What Are WordPress Plugins for SEO?

WordPress plugins for SEO add new functions to your site that focus specifically on improving SEO. For example, they can automatically send XML sitemaps to Google to enhance crawlability or display breadcrumb navigation.

Many companies are now managing their sites with WordPress. If you’re not yet using SEO plugins, it’s time to consider implementing them.

Benefits of Implementing WordPress Plugins for SEO

The primary benefit of WordPress SEO plugins is their ease of use. Without plugins, SEO requires direct HTML code edits, which can be problematic for those without coding experience. Mistakes can disrupt existing code and waste significant time.

In contrast, WordPress plugins allow you to make SEO changes by simply checking options, without affecting existing code. For those with limited time for SEO, using plugins is highly recommended.

Things to Keep in Mind When Implementing SEO Plugins

Simply adding an SEO plugin isn’t enough; there are important considerations. Here are two key points to keep in mind.

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-Sometimes themes interfere with each other and do not function. 

-Back up your WordPress before installation.

Plugins Might Conflict with Each Other

One issue to be aware of is that multiple plugins can sometimes interfere with each other, causing the site to malfunction. 

Plugins can be used immediately by searching for and installing the ones you want. It’s common to see users adding many plugins at once. However, this can lead to compatibility issues that disrupt site design or prevent the site from displaying.

To avoid this, don’t rush to install newly released plugins. Newly released plugins may have compatibility issues with other plugins, potentially causing conflicts. It is recommended to wait for a while before starting to use them.

Backup Your WordPress Site Before Installing Plugins

Secondly, always back up your WordPress site before adding new plugins. 

As previously mentioned, installing plugins can sometimes cause conflicts and unexpected issues. If such problems occur, your service may be unavailable for some time, leading to operational losses.

To mitigate this risk, it’s advisable to back up the files that make up your WordPress installation, so you can quickly restore your site if issues arise.

You can back up your files either by directly downloading them or using a plugin. Direct downloading requires SSH access to your WordPress site, which can be challenging without server knowledge. Using a plugin, however, allows anyone to easily back up their site.

10 Recommended WordPress Plugins for SEO

WordPress offers a wide variety of plugins. Among them, here are ten recommended WordPress plugins for SEO.

-All in One SEO Pack

-Yoast SEO

-Google XML Sitemaps

-Breadcrumb NavXT

-Meta Tag Manager

-W3 Total Cache

-Internal Link Juicer

-Broken Link Checker – Find and Fix Dead Links

-WordLift

-SEOPress

Let’s dive into each of these plugins.

All in One SEO Pack

All in One SEO Pack is one of the most widely used SEO plugins for WordPress. It’s highly versatile and easy for beginners to set up. With All in One SEO Pack, you can do the following.

• Send XML sitemaps
• Integrate with Google services (Google Search Console, Google Analytics)
• Optimize for SEO on social media
• Configure tags

Yoast SEO

Introduced in 2008, Yoast SEO is another comprehensive SEO plugin similar to All in One SEO Pack. It allows for a wide range of SEO settings at no cost. With Yoast SEO, you can do the following.

• Send XML sitemaps
• Integrate with Google services (Google Search Console, Google Analytics)
• Optimize for SEO on social media
• Set up breadcrumb navigation

While a premium version is available, the free version offers plenty of useful features.

Google XML Sitemaps

Google XML Sitemaps helps improve Google’s crawlability by creating a file called sitemap.xml. Google uses a crawler to determine which websites to rank highly in search results. 

By listing important pages in the sitemap.xml, you can prioritize which pages get crawled. 

Once set up, Google XML Sitemaps automatically updates the sitemap.xml file whenever there are changes to your website. However, since similar functionality is included in All in One SEO Pack and Yoast SEO, you may not need to install Google XML Sitemaps if you’re already using those plugins.

Breadcrumb NavXT

Breadcrumb NavXT adds a breadcrumb trail to your website. Breadcrumbs create a hierarchical structure of the pages on your site, with each breadcrumb being a hyperlink. This helps users understand their location within the website, improving usability.

Breadcrumbs appear as “Home › Overview of Breadcrumb NavXT › How to Use Breadcrumb NavXT.” Clicking “Home” will take the user to the homepage.

Note that breadcrumb functionality is also included in Yoast SEO, so if you’re already using that, you might not need Breadcrumb NavXT.

Meta Tag Manager

Meta Tag Manager allows you to modify custom meta tags in your HTML source code.

Custom meta tags include the following.

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• Tag Type
• Name Value
• Content Attribute

You set these through the tool, which then reflects the changes in the HTML source. Properly setting custom meta tags can enhance Google’s crawling and improve your ranking for targeted keywords. For instance, you might set “name” to the Tag Type, “value” to the Name Value and specific keywords to the Content Attribute.

W3 Total Cache

W3 Total Cache is a plugin that improves your website’s loading speed by caching.

Caching saves the content of a website after the first visit, speeding up loading time on subsequent visits. Normally, loading a webpage involves sending a request and receiving HTML source code and images from the website. 

With caching, these elements are saved on the user’s device, reducing the load and speeding up the process.

However, cached content might not always be the most current version, so it’s important to clear the cache periodically.

Internal Link Juicer

Internal Link Juicer automatically creates internal links within your content based on pre-selected keywords.

Using keywords that you aim to rank highly for in SEO can increase traffic to your site. Including these links in your content can also boost click-through rates and guide users to other content on your site.

Broken Link Checker – Find and Fix Dead Links

Broken Link Checker helps you verify if external links on your website are still valid.

External links can sometimes break without your knowledge, such as when a site is updated and the URL changes. Broken links can negatively impact your SEO, so it’s important to use Broken Link Checker to detect and fix them.

WordLift

WordLift uses AI for SEO optimization. 

Specifically, it automatically performs structured data markup, which is effective for improving SEO rankings. Structured data markup adds meaning to text within HTML, enhancing Google’s ability to crawl your site. 

This improved crawlability helps your site match search keywords more effectively. If you want to efficiently create structured data markup, consider using WordLift.

SEOPress

The following features are primarily included the following.

The main features included are the following.

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• Tag configuration
• XML sitemap submission
• Integration with Google services (Google Search Console, Google Analytics)
• SEO optimization for social media

Like All in One SEO Pack and Yoast SEO, SEOPress provides comprehensive SEO tools and is easy to use even for those not familiar with IT tools.

Summary

In this article, we introduced the benefits and specific plugins for SEO optimization using WordPress plugins for those managing their sites with WordPress. WordPress offers a variety of plugins, including those specifically designed for SEO. Some plugins provide comprehensive SEO solutions, while others focus on a single feature. Choosing the right plugin based on your needs is efficient. If you’re starting SEO optimization, consider implementing the plugins mentioned in this article.