{"id":13710,"date":"2025-08-14T15:48:34","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T15:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T15:48:34","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T15:48:34","slug":"5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Best SEO Plugins for WordPress (Tried &amp; Tested)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You don\u2019t need an SEO plugin to help your website rank in Google.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, you can do more harm than good if you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing with them.<\/p>\n<p>But:<\/p>\n<p>They can make optimizing your website a whole lot easier if you <strong>do<\/strong> use them correctly.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re talking:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Faster page speeds<\/li>\n<li>Better optimized content<\/li>\n<li>Fewer technical SEO issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All without touching any code.<\/p>\n<p>So how do you choose which plugin to use? Can you use more than one?<\/p>\n<p>And the big one \u2014 should you use Yoast or Rank Math?<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll get the answers to these burning questions below.<\/p>\n<p>But first, here\u2019s the tl;dr on the best SEO plugins for WordPress:<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-responsive\">\n<table class=\"table table-primary table-striped table-hover\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\"><\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Best for<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Pricing<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"strong\" scope=\"row\" data-before=\"\">Rank Math<\/td>\n<td data-before=\"Best for\">Beginners looking for an all-in-one solution<\/td>\n<td data-before=\"Pricing\">Free version available; Pro plans start at $7.99\/month, billed annually<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"strong\" scope=\"row\" data-before=\"\">Yoast SEO<\/td>\n<td data-before=\"Best for\">Anyone in need of guided SEO setup and writing support<\/td>\n<td data-before=\"Pricing\">Free version available; Premium starts at $99\/year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"strong\" scope=\"row\" data-before=\"\">WP Rocket<\/td>\n<td data-before=\"Best for\">Improving site speed and Core Web Vitals<\/td>\n<td data-before=\"Pricing\">$59\/year for one site<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"strong\" scope=\"row\" data-before=\"\">The SEO Framework<\/td>\n<td data-before=\"Best for\">Handling essentials with minimalist features<\/td>\n<td data-before=\"Pricing\">Free; paid versions for more sites from $7\/month billed annually<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"strong\" scope=\"row\" data-before=\"\">Semrush SEO Writing Assistant<\/td>\n<td data-before=\"Best for\">Writing better SEO content<\/td>\n<td data-before=\"Pricing\">Free; increased usage with a Semrush subscription<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> We\u2019ve stuck with plugins that can directly improve your SEO. You won\u2019t see analytics plugins like Monster Insights or external keyword generators on this list. These are useful tools in their own right \u2014 but they\u2019re not true SEO plugins.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#1_Rank_Math\" >1. Rank Math<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Manage_Metadata_and_Social_Previews\" >Manage Metadata and Social Previews<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Get_SEO_Suggestions_as_You_Write\" >Get SEO Suggestions as You Write<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Broken_Links_and_Redirects\" >Broken Links and Redirects<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Downsides_But_Not_Dealbreakers\" >Downsides But Not Dealbreakers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#2_Yoast_SEO\" >2. Yoast SEO<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Optimize_Search_and_Social_Previews\" >Optimize Search and Social Previews<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Get_Real-Time_SEO_and_Readability_Feedback\" >Get Real-Time SEO and Readability Feedback<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Manage_XML_Sitemaps\" >Manage XML Sitemaps<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Downsides_But_Not_Dealbreakers-2\" >Downsides But Not Dealbreakers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#3_WP_Rocket\" >3. WP Rocket<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Caching_Made_Simple\" >Caching Made Simple<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#File_Optimization\" >File Optimization<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Downsides_But_Not_Dealbreakers-3\" >Downsides But Not Dealbreakers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#4_The_SEO_Framework\" >4. The SEO Framework<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Get_Instant_SEO_Feedback\" >Get Instant SEO Feedback<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Automate_SEO_Title_and_Meta_Description_Generation\" >Automate SEO Title and Meta Description Generation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Simple_Base_Plugin_with_Room_to_Expand\" >Simple Base Plugin with Room to Expand<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Downsides_But_Not_Dealbreakers-4\" >Downsides But Not Dealbreakers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#5_Semrush_SEO_Writing_Assistant\" >5. Semrush SEO Writing Assistant<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Optimize_Your_Readability\" >Optimize Your Readability<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Improve_Your_On-Page_SEO\" >Improve Your On-Page SEO<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-23\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Analyze_Your_Tone_of_Voice\" >Analyze Your Tone of Voice<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-24\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Downsides_But_Not_Dealbreakers-5\" >Downsides But Not Dealbreakers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-25\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/14\/5-best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress-tried-tested\/#Ready_to_Choose_the_Right_SEO_Plugin_for_Your_Website\" >Ready to Choose the Right SEO Plugin for Your Website?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Rank_Math\"><\/span>1. Rank Math<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Best all-in-one SEO plugin for new WordPress sites<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pricing:<\/strong> Free version available; Pro plans start at $7.99\/month billed annually<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 Dashboard\" alt=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 Dashboard\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.0085714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rank-math-seo-dashboard.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p><a title=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings \u2013 WordPress plugin\" href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/seo-by-rank-math\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rank Math<\/a> has pretty much everything you need in an SEO plugin. If you\u2019re new to SEO, it\u2019ll handle all the important stuff for you, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Content optimization<\/li>\n<li>Image SEO<\/li>\n<li>Internal and external linking<\/li>\n<li>Local SEO<\/li>\n<li>Schema markup<\/li>\n<li>Sitemaps<\/li>\n<li>Redirects<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And way more.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s actually the go-to recommendation from our own Head of SEO, Leigh McKenzie:<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/01\/leigh-mckenzie.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p>\u201cRank Math is my no. 1 choice across the board. For any site starting from scratch, I\u2019d always recommend Rank Math first.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/01\/leigh-mckenzie.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Let\u2019s go through some of the features behind his recommendation:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Manage_Metadata_and_Social_Previews\"><\/span>Manage Metadata and Social Previews<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Starting with the basics, Rank Math lets you manage your page\u2019s SEO title, <a title=\"How to Write SEO-Friendly Meta Descriptions\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/meta-descriptions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">meta description<\/a>, and how it appears on social media \u2014 right within the post editor:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 TTT \u2013 Preview Snippet Editor\" alt=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 TTT \u2013 Preview Snippet Editor\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.0942857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rank-math-seo-trafficthinktank-preview-snippet-editor.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>It also lets you preview what the post will look like when you share it on Facebook and X\/Twitter:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 TTT \u2013 Preview Snippet Editor \u2013 Social\" alt=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 TTT \u2013 Preview Snippet Editor \u2013 Social\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.0971428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rank-math-seo-trafficthinktank-preview-snippet-editor-social.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>This gives you more control over how your content looks in <a title=\"What Are SERPs &amp; Why Are They Important for SEO?\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/serps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SERPs<\/a> and social feeds.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a pretty rudimentary feature, and hardly one that separates it from the likes of Yoast below when taken in isolation.<\/p>\n<p>But how your social content looks can have a big impact on the engagement your posts get \u2014 and how many people click through to read your content. So it\u2019s a useful feature for those looking to share their content beyond their blog.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Get_SEO_Suggestions_as_You_Write\"><\/span>Get SEO Suggestions as You Write<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Rank Math also gives you SEO guidance as you\u2019re creating your content in the WordPress editor. Like having your own SEO assistant you can call on as you write.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 SEO Assistant\" alt=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 SEO Assistant\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.68857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rank-math-seo-seo-assistant.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019ll highlight things like missing focus keywords in your meta description, intro, and throughout your content.<\/p>\n<p>But honestly? <strong>I never use this feature.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So why am I calling it out here?<\/p>\n<p>Because when you\u2019re just starting out creating SEO content, it\u2019s actually super helpful for keeping you on track.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, once you\u2019re familiar with the basics of content optimization, you\u2019ll do all of this naturally. But as a beginner, this gentle guidance can help you learn faster (and create better optimized content in the process).<\/p>\n<p>Plus, you can click \u201c<strong>Fix with AI<\/strong>\u201d to generate a suggestion and save time on the small changes.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 Content AI \u2013 Snippet Editor\" alt=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 Content AI \u2013 Snippet Editor\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.76571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rank-math-seo-content-ai-snippet-editor.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s not going to be perfect. But for a one-click, two-second job?<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll happily use this, because it speeds up optimization.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, you can tweak or regenerate the output anyway, so it\u2019s useful as a starting point.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Broken_Links_and_Redirects\"><\/span>Broken Links and Redirects<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Rank Math flags <a title=\"How to Find (and Fix) Broken Links\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/how-to-find-and-fix-broken-links\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">broken links<\/a> on your site using its built-in 404 Monitor.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 404 Monitor\" alt=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 404 Monitor\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.79428571428571\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rank-math-seo-404-monitor.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>You can then set up a <a title=\"Redirects 101: A Beginner\u2019s Guide to Setup &amp; Best Practices\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/redirects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">redirect<\/a> right from the dashboard:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 Redirect from dashboard\" alt=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 Redirect from dashboard\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.18769230769231\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rank-math-seo-redirect-from-dashboard.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>This feature keeps your internal links working. It ensures you\u2019re passing authority between your pages and that you\u2019re offering a good user experience.<\/p>\n<p>It also reduces plugin bloat as you don\u2019t need a separate plugin to handle broken links.<\/p>\n<p>The fact the free version of the plugin comes with built-in redirection capabilities is a <strong>massive win<\/strong> in my book.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve personally leaned on this particular part of the plugin heavily multiple times.<\/p>\n<p>Firstly, it\u2019s great for just quickly setting up redirects when you change the URL of a post (it even does this automatically).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 SEO Notice\" alt=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 SEO Notice\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.39428571428571\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rank-math-seo-seo-notice.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>But you can also set it up to move entire categories of posts or pages through the filters.<\/p>\n<p>Just choose \u201ccontains\u201d and you\u2019ll be able to move all your content from <strong>\/old-path\/page<\/strong> to <strong>\/new-path\/page<\/strong> without your users even noticing \u2014 and without any hassle on your end.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 Redirect contains\" alt=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 Redirect contains\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.95857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rank-math-seo-redirect-contains.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>I don\u2019t see enough people praising Rank Math for the redirect functionality. But honestly it\u2019s a lifesaver.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Downsides_But_Not_Dealbreakers\"><\/span>Downsides But Not Dealbreakers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Rank Math clearly has a lot of features, which is great. But it can also feel overwhelming at first. That\u2019s just the nature of any \u201call-in-one\u201d style plugin.<\/p>\n<p>However, once you know where things are and what you need, it\u2019s fairly easy to navigate.<\/p>\n<p>Also, on the content improvement side of things, readability feedback is pretty limited. It checks basic things like paragraph length and image use. But it won\u2019t help you improve sentence structure or tone.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 Title &amp; Content readabillity\" alt=\"Rank Math SEO \u2013 Title &amp; Content readabillity\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.74428571428571\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rank-math-seo-title-and-content-readabillity.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>(If you need more focus on that, check out the fifth plugin on this list.)<\/p>\n<p>But overall, these drawbacks are pretty minor. Rank Math is still our number one recommendation if you need an SEO plugin.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Yoast_SEO\"><\/span>2. Yoast SEO<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Best for beginners who want step-by-step SEO guidance inside WordPress<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pricing:<\/strong> Free version available; Premium starts at $99\/year<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Yoast SEO \u2013 Dashboard\" alt=\"Yoast SEO \u2013 Dashboard\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.58285714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/yoast-seo-dashboard.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p><a title=\"Yoast SEO \u2013 Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and buil...\" href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wordpress-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yoast SEO<\/a> is probably the first plugin you came across when you started looking into WordPress SEO. And for good reason \u2014 it\u2019s installed on <a title=\"Yoast SEO \u2013 Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and buil...\" href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wordpress-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">10+ million sites<\/a> and has around 26K five-star reviews.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s been around for so long and has such a clear purpose that its WordPress plugin directory URL path is literally just \u201c\/wordpress-seo\/\u201d:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"WordPress Plugin Directory URL\" alt=\"Wordpress Plugin Directory URL\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.75714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/wordpress-plugin-directory-url.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s the second of the \u201cbig two\u201d WordPress SEO plugins alongside RankMath, and it\u2019s worth addressing why we put it second before we get into the details of the plugin itself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In summary:<\/strong> We usually recommend Rank Math for a first-time WordPress site owner. It\u2019s packed with features, and its free version has the edge over Yoast in a few areas. These include redirects, multiple focus keywords per post, and more extensive <a title=\"Schema Markup: What It Is and Why It Matters\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/schema-markup-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">schema markup<\/a> options.<\/p>\n<p>But Yoast is pretty evenly matched in a lot of ways. Especially if you opt for the paid version.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, this is the specific SEO plugin we use for Backlinko.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Yoast SEO \u2013 Ste features\" alt=\"Yoast SEO \u2013 Ste features\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.1014285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/yoast-seo-site-features.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>My personal recommendation is to <strong>try them both<\/strong> (separately) and see which one works best for you.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Don\u2019t use them both at the same time, as running multiple all-in-one SEO plugins on the same site can lead to compatibility issues.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Okay, now let\u2019s go through what I like most about the Yoast SEO plugin:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Optimize_Search_and_Social_Previews\"><\/span>Optimize Search and Social Previews<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Like Rank Math, Yoast helps you optimize how your content appears both in search results and on social media.<\/p>\n<p>You can easily update your SEO title, meta description, and <a title=\"What Is a URL Slug? (Why It Matters for SEO + Best Practices)\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/url-slug\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">URL slug<\/a> for every page or post:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Yoast SEO \u2013 Optimize your content\" alt=\"Yoast SEO \u2013 Optimize your content\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.86571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/yoast-seo-optimize-your-content.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>You also get a live preview of how your content will appear in Google search results and on socials.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s very similar to Rank Math in this respect. But I wanted to call it out here anyway as it\u2019s some fairly fundamental functionality for a WordPress SEO plugin.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Get_Real-Time_SEO_and_Readability_Feedback\"><\/span>Get Real-Time SEO and Readability Feedback<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yoast analyzes your SEO as you write, using a simple green\/orange\/red traffic light system.<\/p>\n<p>Green means you\u2019re following best practices, while orange suggests there\u2019s room for improvement. Red highlights critical issues you should prioritize.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Yoast SEO \u2013 SEO Analysis section\" alt=\"Yoast SEO \u2013 SEO Analysis section\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.82857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/yoast-seo-seo-analysis-section.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Each suggestion is actionable, helping you easily optimize your pages, even if you\u2019re new to SEO.<\/p>\n<p>Yoast also gives you a detailed breakdown of your content\u2019s readability.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll see checks for things like passive voice, sentence length, and consecutive sentence starters. In this respect, it does offer a bit more than Rank Math.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Yoast SEO \u2013 Readability Analysis section\" alt=\"Yoast SEO \u2013 Readability Analysis section\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.70571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/yoast-seo-readability-analysis-section.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p><strong>My advice:<\/strong> Don\u2019t chase all the green lights thinking it\u2019ll help you rank. Content quality and value for the reader matter far more than hitting a certain percentage or score.<\/p>\n<p>However, Yoast\u2019s feedback does help you spot common issues and make your writing clearer for both users and search engines.<\/p>\n<p>Like I said in the Rank Math section, I don\u2019t personally use these features. But beginner me found himself looking to them quite a lot for basic guidance.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Manage_XML_Sitemaps\"><\/span>Manage XML Sitemaps<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yoast creates a dynamic XML <a title=\"Sitemap: What Is It &amp; Why Your Website Needs One\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/sitemaps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sitemap<\/a> for your site and updates it as you publish new content.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what it looks like for Backlinko:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Yoast \u2013 Sitemap\" alt=\"Yoast \u2013 Sitemap\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.70571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/yoast-sitemap.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>This is a basic but very useful feature (Rank Math does this too).<\/p>\n<p>Just make sure to submit your sitemap URL to <a title=\"Google Search Console: The Definitive Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/google-search-console\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Search Console<\/a>. This helps Google discover and index your content.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Further reading:<\/strong> <a title=\"Top 8 Sitemap Generator Tools in 2025 (Free &amp; Premium)\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/sitemap-generator-tools\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Top 8 Sitemap Generator Tools in 2025 (Free &amp; Premium)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Downsides_But_Not_Dealbreakers-2\"><\/span>Downsides But Not Dealbreakers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yoast\u2019s SEO scoring system can feel rigid. For example, you might get flagged for not using your main keyword in the first sentence even if it doesn\u2019t fit there naturally.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019ll often see site owners that are new to SEO sticking too closely to these guidelines and creating pretty mediocre content as a result.<\/p>\n<p>But if you treat the feedback as guidance, not strict rules, Yoast can still be a helpful way to catch easy-to-miss issues.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Further reading:<\/strong> Learn more about the plugin with our full <a title=\"Yoast SEO Plugin\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/yoast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yoast SEO guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A word on a few alternatives before I move on:<\/p>\n<p>The all-in-one SEO plugin market is dominated by Yoast and Rank Math. But another big player we can\u2019t forget to mention is aptly named <a title=\"All in One SEO \u2013 Powerful SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings &amp; Increase Traffic\" href=\"https:\/\/en-gb.wordpress.org\/plugins\/all-in-one-seo-pack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">All in One SEO<\/a> (AISEO).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"AISEO \u2013 Homepage\" alt=\"AISEO \u2013 Homepage\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.62428571428571\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/aioseo-homepage.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>It does a lot of the same stuff as the other two, but they just do it better. It\u2019s missing key free features like redirects, and it can get pricey if you want to use it on several sites.<\/p>\n<p>Like I said earlier though, you should try these plugins out for yourself if you\u2019re struggling to choose. The free options are more than enough in most cases, and they\u2019ll give you a taste of what to expect should you want to commit to a paid option.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FYI:<\/strong> I don\u2019t personally pay for any SEO plugins besides WP Rocket (more on that next). But we do use Yoast Premium on Backlinko and Rank Math Pro on <a title=\"Traffic Think Tank\" href=\"https:\/\/trafficthinktank.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Traffic Think Tank<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_WP_Rocket\"><\/span>3. WP Rocket<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Best for improving your website speed without needing a developer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pricing:<\/strong> $59\/year for one website, $119\/year for three websites<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"WP Rocket \u2013 Dashboard\" alt=\"WP Rocket \u2013 Dashboard\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.63428571428571\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/wprocket-dashboard.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p><a title=\"WP Rocket\" href=\"https:\/\/wp-rocket.me\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WP Rocket<\/a> is probably my favorite of all the plugins on this list, even if it\u2019s not technically the best overall. It\u2019s a performance plugin designed to speed up WordPress websites. That\u2019s all it aims to do, and boy does it succeed.<\/p>\n<p>I run a somewhat well optimized site, and here\u2019s how it looks in PageSpeed Insights <strong>without<\/strong> WP Rocket installed:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"PageSpeed Insights \u2013 Web with no WP Rocket installed\" alt=\"PageSpeed Insights \u2013 Web with no WP Rocket installed\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.92571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/pagespeed-insights-web-with-no-wprocket-installed.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>After installing the plugin and turning on the most important features, here\u2019s how it looks:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"PageSpeed Insights \u2013 Web with installed WP Rocket\" alt=\"PageSpeed Insights \u2013 Web with installed WP Rocket\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.94\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/pagespeed-insights-web-with-installed-wprocket.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Let\u2019s just pause on those numbers for a second:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>20 point increase in overall performance score<\/li>\n<li>2.1 second improvement in first contentful paint<\/li>\n<li>30 ms to 0 ms total blocking time<\/li>\n<li>2.8 second improvement in <a title=\"How to Improve Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) in Under an Hour\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/lcp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">largest contentful paint<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Again, it\u2019s a decent baseline to begin with. But WP Rocket improves my site performance in ways I otherwise can\u2019t manage on a site that\u2019s quite heavy on the Elementor elements.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s an important point in itself: <strong>you 100% can make your site run fast without SEO plugins<\/strong> like WP Rocket.<\/p>\n<p>But you will need to make sacrifices unless you\u2019re an experienced developer (which I am not).<\/p>\n<p>So if you also want to improve your site speed without digging into the code or harming your UX, here\u2019s why you should consider WP Rocket:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Caching_Made_Simple\"><\/span>Caching Made Simple<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>WP Rocket makes performance optimization easy. For example, I didn\u2019t have to touch a single setting for the caching features to kick in, and you can clear your cache at the touch of a button:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"WP Rocket \u2013 Cache option\" alt=\"WP Rocket \u2013 Cache option\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.59428571428571\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/wprocket-cache-option.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>This is a feature some WordPress hosts and other plugins offer (my own web host does, for example). But I like WP Rocket\u2019s because it\u2019s easy to do within a dashboard that also does so much more.<\/p>\n<p>For a non-developer like me, this kind of out-of-the-box performance boost is extremely useful.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"File_Optimization\"><\/span>File Optimization<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You can also dig into advanced settings to minify your CSS and JavaScript, optimize images and fonts, and connect to a CDN.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"WP Rocket \u2013 File Optimization\" alt=\"WP Rocket \u2013 File Optimization\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.90285714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/wprocket-file-optimization.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>These tweaks can cut load time, reduce file sizes, and can even improve <a title=\"Core Web Vitals: Essential Guide to Improving Site Performance\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/core-web-vitals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Core Web Vitals<\/a>. In other words, they can have a major impact on your <a title=\"Page Speed and SEO: The Complete Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/pagespeed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">site speed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>(And as someone with no coding experience, there\u2019s no way I could do any of this without a plugin.)<\/p>\n<p>Now for the second and only other feature on this list that I\u2019ll describe with the phrase \u201clife saver\u201d:<\/p>\n<p>It comes with <strong>one-click exclusions for popular tools<\/strong> like Google Analytics, AdSense, and Stripe, along with other WordPress plugins, like Elementor:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"WP Rocket \u2013 Delay JavaScript execution\" alt=\"WP Rocket \u2013 Delay JavaScript execution\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.0714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/wprocket-delay-javascript-execution.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>That means you\u2019re less likely to break your tracking, ads, payment processing, or UX while optimizing. Which, believe me, is easy (and frustrating) to do.<\/p>\n<p>And you don\u2019t need to dig through documentation to figure out what to exclude.<\/p>\n<p>You can also create custom exclusions, and these are handy if you do know what\u2019s causing issues.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Downsides_But_Not_Dealbreakers-3\"><\/span>Downsides But Not Dealbreakers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Some layout elements may break if you enable file optimization without adding exclusions. In my case, my Elementor post cards got distorted. But excluding the right files fixed it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"WP Rocket \u2013 Verify CSS files\" alt=\"WP Rocket \u2013 Verify CSS files\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.68428571428571\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/wprocket-verify-css-files.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>(Finding the right files to exclude took me a lot of trial and error, but your mileage may vary.)<\/p>\n<p>The settings can also feel pretty technical if you\u2019re not a web developer. I had to Google a lot before knowing what to toggle.<\/p>\n<p>However, <a title=\"WP Rocket Help Center | WordPress Caching Plugin\" href=\"https:\/\/wp-rocket.me\/support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WP Rocket\u2019s help center docs<\/a> were solid. And once everything was dialed in, my site\u2019s performance improved significantly. (Again, see the screenshots at the start of this section.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Free alternative:<\/strong> When I first started playing around with WordPress websites, I used <a title=\"Autoptimize \u2013 WordPress plugin\" href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/autoptimize\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Autoptimize<\/a> for a lot of the things WP Rocket does.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"WP Rocket \u2013 Autoptimize Settings\" alt=\"WP Rocket \u2013 Autoptimize Settings\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.1057142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/wprocket-autoptimize-settings.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s not as extensive when you use the free version, but it\u2019ll get you a meaningful chunk of the way there if site speed is a big concern for you.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, I still run this on a few of my lower priority sites when I just want to tick the main performance boxes.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_The_SEO_Framework\"><\/span>4. The SEO Framework<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Best lightweight, minimalist SEO plugin<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pricing:<\/strong> Free; paid plans start at $7\/month (paid yearly)<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Settings\" alt=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Settings\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.03\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/the-seo-framework-settings.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p><a title=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Fast, Automated, Effortless. \u2013 WordPress plugin\" href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/autodescription\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The SEO Framework<\/a> is a free and lightweight plugin for WordPress that quietly handles the SEO essentials.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no Rank Math or Yoast, but it will still do a lot of the most important things for you.<\/p>\n<p>This plugin is popular among developers for a reason. It runs fast, doesn\u2019t clutter your dashboard, and avoids the \u201call-in-one\u201d bloat you get with other SEO plugins.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what you get with the SEO Framework plugin:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Get_Instant_SEO_Feedback\"><\/span>Get Instant SEO Feedback<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>One of the SEO Framework\u2019s most helpful features is the plugin\u2019s color-coded SEO bar. This gives you a quick visual of how well optimized your pages are.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Most helpful features\" alt=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Most helpful features\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.37857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/the-seo-framework-most-helpful-features.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>At first, the labels can look a bit cryptic.<\/p>\n<p>But once you hover over them, they explain what\u2019s working and what needs improvement.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the plugin flagged my meta title as \u201cfar too short\u201d and noted that it was automatically generated from the page title. (At least I assume that\u2019s what the \u201cTG\u201d means.)<\/p>\n<p>It explained that the title lacked information, which helped me understand I\u2019d need to customize it to improve its SEO performance.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Title lack information\" alt=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Title lack information\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.964\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/the-seo-framework-title-lack-information.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Honestly, I\u2019d maybe like a little more specific detail here. It\u2019s not clear what \u201cmore information\u201d it means. But it does make it easy to do a high-level audit of your content optimization without opening each page.<\/p>\n<p>If it flags your title or description, you can open the page editor and tweak the meta fields directly to optimize them:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 SEO Description\" alt=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 SEO Description\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.47714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/the-seo-framework-seo-description.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>The SEO Framework also shows each page\u2019s indexing status. If a page is indexed, it appears in green. If there\u2019s an indexing issue, it tells you exactly what\u2019s wrong.<\/p>\n<p>In my case, it showed that all my published pages were indexed correctly. And a few unpublished ones were flagged, as expected:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Invisible Page\" alt=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Invisible Page\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.636\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/the-seo-framework-invisible-page.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Obviously it\u2019s not going to be as in-depth as <a title=\"Google Search Console: The Definitive Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/google-search-console\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Search Console<\/a>. But it\u2019s a useful at-a-glance overview of your overall indexing status.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Automate_SEO_Title_and_Meta_Description_Generation\"><\/span>Automate SEO Title and Meta Description Generation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Once you find titles and meta descriptions to optimize, the SEO Framework automatically generates meta them based on your content.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Generated Title\" alt=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Generated Title\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.50714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/the-seo-framework-generated-title.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>But you can still tweak auto-generated meta elements to add more value as needed.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Tweak auto-generated meta elements\" alt=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Tweak auto-generated meta elements\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.69142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/the-seo-framework-tweak-auto-generated-meta-elements.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>That\u2019s it, that\u2019s the feature.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s nothing fancy, and it\u2019s not always perfect. But for a lightweight SEO plugin, this is a great timesaver.<\/p>\n<p>You can also control how your page appears on social media. You can even add a custom image for Facebook or X:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Social\" alt=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Social\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.72428571428571\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/the-seo-framework-social.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>If you like this functionality of the likes of Yoast and Rank Math but don\u2019t need all the extra features, the SEO Framework plugin could be all you need.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Simple_Base_Plugin_with_Room_to_Expand\"><\/span>Simple Base Plugin with Room to Expand<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The SEO Framework is intentionally minimal to be fast, lightweight, and free of unnecessary extras. That makes it a great choice if you\u2019re looking for something that won\u2019t slow your site down or overwhelm you with options.<\/p>\n<p>And if you ever need additional features, like schema markup, third-party connections, or local SEO support, you can always install them as separate extensions.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Extensions\" alt=\"The SEO Framework \u2013 Extensions\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.1185714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/theseoframework-extensions.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Downsides_But_Not_Dealbreakers-4\"><\/span>Downsides But Not Dealbreakers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The SEO Framework is lightweight, which means it\u2019s also feature-light. It has the basics, but it won\u2019t cover everything for you.<\/p>\n<p>To get a bit pickier, I noticed that when I try to edit an automatically generated SEO title or meta description, the entire field clears as soon as I click it.<\/p>\n<p>That means I can\u2019t just tweak a few words. I have to retype the whole thing from scratch. It would be a smoother experience if I could simply edit the existing text in place.<\/p>\n<p>But the fact this is such a small and specific issue is testament to just how good the plugin is.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Semrush_SEO_Writing_Assistant\"><\/span>5. Semrush SEO Writing Assistant<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Best for optimizing your content for search right inside the WordPress editor<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pricing:<\/strong> Free, but you can optimize more content with an active Semrush subscription<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Semrush SEO Writing Assistant\" alt=\"Semrush SEO Writing Assistant\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.86142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/semrush-seo-writing-assistant.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p><a title=\"Semrush SEO Writing Assistant \u2013 WordPress plugin\" href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/semrush-seo-writing-assistant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Semrush\u2019s SEO Writing Assistant<\/a> helps you optimize content as you write it inside the WordPress editor. It\u2019s not an all-in-one solution, and is purely content-focused.<\/p>\n<p>It works by pulling recommendations from your target keyword and analyzing your draft in real time for SEO, readability, tone of voice, and originality.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at my favorite features of the plugin:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Optimize_Your_Readability\"><\/span>Optimize Your Readability<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Semrush calls out exactly what you need to fix to improve your content\u2019s readability, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sentences that are hard to read<\/li>\n<li>Suggestions to use active voice<\/li>\n<li>Specific words to swap for simpler alternatives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Semrush SEO Writing Assistant \u2013 Optimize readability\" alt=\"Semrush SEO Writing Assistant \u2013 Optimize readability\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.62285714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/semrush-seo-writing-assistant-optimize-readability.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>This is super useful if you want to make your content easier to understand and more engaging.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Improve_Your_On-Page_SEO\"><\/span>Improve Your On-Page SEO<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The plugin also provides clear <a title=\"On-Page SEO: The Definitive Guide + FREE Template\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/on-page-seo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on-page SEO<\/a> recommendations based on your target keywords.<\/p>\n<p>At the top of the panel, it shows whether you\u2019ve used your main keywords effectively.<\/p>\n<p>When I created the blog post in the example below, I entered two main keywords: \u201ccontent marketing\u201d and \u201ccontent marketing for small businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since I used both naturally throughout the article, Semrush marked them green:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Semrush SEO Writing Assistant \u2013 Marked main keywords\" alt=\"Semrush SEO Writing Assistant \u2013 Marked main keywords\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.31714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/semrush-seo-writing-assistant-marked-main-keywords.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>But below that, it suggests semantically related keywords based on content that\u2019s already ranking well for these terms. As you include those terms, they turn green too:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Semrush SEO Writing Assistant \u2013 Recommended keywords\" alt=\"Semrush SEO Writing Assistant \u2013 Recommended keywords\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.25714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/semrush-seo-writing-assistant-recommended-keywords.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>This is where the Semrush plugin goes a step further than the likes of Yoast. It leverages Semrush\u2019s data to give you a helpful way to improve your topical depth based on what\u2019s already ranking \u2014 which is a key part of building topical authority.<\/p>\n<p>Why does this matter?<\/p>\n<p>Because <a title=\"Top 12 Search Engines Use Instead of Google\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/search-engines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">search engines like Google<\/a> are good at recognizing when a piece of content truly covers the topic in depth \u2014 rather than just using the target keyword a bunch of times.<\/p>\n<p>When you include related terms, you\u2019re showing Google that your content is contextually relevant and comprehensive.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Analyze_Your_Tone_of_Voice\"><\/span>Analyze Your Tone of Voice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Wondering what your content actually sounds like from a reader\u2019s perspective?<\/p>\n<p>The Semrush SEO Writing Assistant shows whether your writing comes across as casual, formal, or somewhere in between. And whether your tone stays consistent throughout the post.<\/p>\n<p>For example, it labeled my draft as \u201cNeutral\u201d with 95% tone consistency:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Semrush SEO Writing Assistant \u2013 Readers perspective\" alt=\"Semrush SEO Writing Assistant \u2013 Readers perspective\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.81714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/semrush-seo-writing-assistant-readers-perspective.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>That\u2019s a helpful signal that the post flows well without jumping between writing styles.<\/p>\n<p>That said, don\u2019t let the score alone inform your edits. Instead, use it as a signal to evaluate your writing with fresh eyes and ask:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes this sound like me\/my brand?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It also pointed out a few phrases that sounded slightly off-brand. It then suggested alternatives to smooth them out:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Semrush SEO Writing Assistant \u2013 Suggested alternatives\" alt=\"Semrush SEO Writing Assistant \u2013 Suggested alternatives\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.76\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/semrush-seo-writing-assistant-suggested-alternatives.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>They\u2019re not always perfect suggestions, but it\u2019s useful if you\u2019re writing for a specific brand voice and want to keep it consistent across all your articles.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Downsides_But_Not_Dealbreakers-5\"><\/span>Downsides But Not Dealbreakers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Semrush SEO Writing Assistant is not a comprehensive SEO plugin. It focuses on optimizing content for search engines and doesn\u2019t replace Yoast or Rank Math.<\/p>\n<p>So, it\u2019s best to use it in combination with other SEO plugins.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Try this plugin along with more tools to improve your SEO with a <a title=\"Backlinko &amp; Semrush: 14-day PRO Trial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/lp\/backlinko-offer\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">14-day trial on a Semrush Pro subscription<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ready_to_Choose_the_Right_SEO_Plugin_for_Your_Website\"><\/span>Ready to Choose the Right SEO Plugin for Your Website?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The right SEO plugin can massively improve your WordPress website\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s also important to set clear expectations.<\/p>\n<p>These tools help you optimize. <strong>They don\u2019t rank content for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To actually improve your visibility in search, you need to publish great content, improve your site\u2019s performance, and cover the basics of SEO.<\/p>\n<p>So, what should you do next?<\/p>\n<p>Start with our <a title=\"The Complete SEO Checklist\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/seo-checklist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">complete SEO checklist<\/a> to make sure your site is fully optimized for search.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/best-seo-plugin-for-wordpress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">5 Best SEO Plugins for WordPress (Tried &amp; Tested)<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Backlinko<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You don\u2019t need an SEO plugin to help your website rank in Google. In fact, you can do more harm than good if you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing with them. But: They can make optimizing your website a whole lot easier if you do use them correctly. We\u2019re talking: Faster page speeds Better optimized content Fewer technical SEO issues All without touching any code. So how do you choose which plugin to use? Can you use more than one? And the big one \u2014 should [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-backlinko"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/icon-note-k2LKYi-600x400.png","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/icon-note-k2LKYi-600x600.png","author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/craig\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}