5 Best SEO Plugins for WordPress in 2025 (Tried & Tested)

You don’t want an search engine optimisation plugin to assist your web site rank in Google.

Actually, you are able to do extra hurt than good if you happen to don’t know what you’re doing with them.

However:

They’ll make optimizing your web site an entire lot simpler if you happen to do use them accurately.

We’re speaking:

• Sooner web page speeds
• Higher optimized content material
• Fewer technical search engine optimisation points

All with out touching any code.

So how do you select which plugin to make use of? Can you employ a couple of?

And the large one — must you use Yoast or Rank Math?

You’ll get the solutions to those burning questions beneath.

However first, right here’s the tl;dr on the perfect search engine optimisation plugins for WordPress:

1. Rank Math

Greatest all-in-one search engine optimisation plugin for brand spanking new WordPress websites

Pricing: Free model out there; Professional plans begin at $7.99/month billed yearly

Rank Math has just about all the pieces you want in an search engine optimisation plugin. In the event you’re new to search engine optimisation, it’ll deal with all of the vital stuff for you, together with:

• Content material optimization
• Picture search engine optimisation
• Inside and exterior linking
• Native search engine optimisation
• Schema markup
• Sitemaps
• Redirects

And far more.

It’s truly the go-to suggestion from our personal Head of search engine optimisation, Leigh McKenzie:

Let’s undergo a number of the options behind his suggestion:

Handle Metadata and Social Previews

Beginning with the fundamentals, Rank Math allows you to handle your web page’s search engine optimisation title, meta description, and the way it seems on social media — proper inside the submit editor:

It additionally allows you to preview what the submit will seem like if you share it on Fb and X/Twitter:

This provides you extra management over how your content material seems to be in SERPs and social feeds.

It’s a reasonably rudimentary function, and hardly one which separates it from the likes of Yoast beneath when taken in isolation.

However how your social content material seems to be can have a big effect on the engagement your posts get — and the way many individuals click on by to learn your content material. So it’s a helpful function for these seeking to share their content material past their weblog.

Get search engine optimisation Recommendations as You Write

Rank Math additionally provides you search engine optimisation steerage as you’re creating your content material within the WordPress editor. Like having your individual search engine optimisation assistant you may name on as you write.

It’ll spotlight issues like lacking focus key phrases in your meta description, intro, and all through your content material.

However actually? I by no means use this function.

So why am I calling it out right here?

As a result of if you’re simply beginning out creating search engine optimisation content material, it’s truly tremendous useful for maintaining you on observe.

Certain, when you’re acquainted with the fundamentals of content material optimization, you’ll do all of this naturally. However as a newbie, this light steerage will help you study sooner (and create higher optimized content material within the course of).

Plus, you may click on “Repair with AI” to generate a suggestion and save time on the small modifications.

It’s not going to be excellent. However for a one-click, two-second job?

I’ll fortunately use this, as a result of it accelerates optimization.

Plus, you may tweak or regenerate the output anyway, so it’s helpful as a place to begin.

Damaged Hyperlinks and Redirects

Rank Math flags broken links in your website utilizing its built-in 404 Monitor.

You may then arrange a redirect proper from the dashboard:

This function retains your inside hyperlinks working. It ensures you’re passing authority between your pages and that you simply’re providing a great consumer expertise.

It additionally reduces plugin bloat as you don’t want a separate plugin to deal with damaged hyperlinks.

The actual fact the free model of the plugin comes with built-in redirection capabilities is a large win in my ebook.

I’ve personally leaned on this specific a part of the plugin closely a number of instances.

Firstly, it’s nice for simply shortly organising redirects if you change the URL of a submit (it even does this mechanically).

However you can even set it as much as transfer total classes of posts or pages by the filters.

Simply select “comprises” and also you’ll be capable of transfer all of your content material from /old-path/web page to /new-path/web page with out your customers even noticing — and with none problem in your finish.

I don’t see sufficient individuals praising Rank Math for the redirect performance. However actually it’s a lifesaver.

Downsides However Not Dealbreakers

Rank Math clearly has a variety of options, which is nice. However it will possibly additionally really feel overwhelming at first. That’s simply the character of any “all-in-one” model plugin.

Nonetheless, as soon as you understand the place issues are and what you want, it’s pretty straightforward to navigate.

Additionally, on the content material enchancment facet of issues, readability suggestions is fairly restricted. It checks staple items like paragraph size and picture use. But it surely received’t allow you to enhance sentence construction or tone.

(In the event you want extra give attention to that, take a look at the fifth plugin on this checklist.)

However total, these drawbacks are fairly minor. Rank Math remains to be our primary suggestion if you happen to want an search engine optimisation plugin.

2. Yoast search engine optimisation

Greatest for newbies who need step-by-step search engine optimisation steerage inside WordPress

Pricing: Free model out there; Premium begins at $99/yr

Yoast SEO might be the primary plugin you got here throughout if you began trying into WordPress search engine optimisation. And for good motive — it’s put in on 10+ million sites and has round 26K five-star opinions.

It’s been round for therefore lengthy and has such a transparent goal that its WordPress plugin listing URL path is actually simply “/wordpress-seo/”:

It’s the second of the “massive two” WordPress search engine optimisation plugins alongside RankMath, and it’s value addressing why we put it second earlier than we get into the small print of the plugin itself.

In abstract: We normally advocate Rank Math for a first-time WordPress website proprietor. It’s full of options, and its free model has the sting over Yoast in a number of areas. These embody redirects, a number of focus key phrases per submit, and extra in depth schema markup choices.

However Yoast is fairly evenly matched in a variety of methods. Particularly if you happen to go for the paid model.

Actually, that is the particular search engine optimisation plugin we use for Backlinko.

My private suggestion is to strive them each (individually) and see which one works greatest for you.

Okay, now let’s undergo what I like most concerning the Yoast search engine optimisation plugin:

Optimize Search and Social Previews

Like Rank Math, Yoast helps you optimize how your content material seems each in search outcomes and on social media.

You may simply replace your search engine optimisation title, meta description, and URL slug for each web page or submit:

You additionally get a reside preview of how your content material will seem in Google search outcomes and on socials.

It’s similar to Rank Math on this respect. However I needed to name it out right here anyway because it’s some pretty elementary performance for a WordPress search engine optimisation plugin.

Get Actual-Time search engine optimisation and Readability Suggestions

Yoast analyzes your search engine optimisation as you write, utilizing a easy inexperienced/orange/crimson visitors gentle system.

Inexperienced means you’re following greatest practices, whereas orange suggests there’s room for enchancment. Crimson highlights essential points it is best to prioritize.

Every suggestion is actionable, serving to you simply optimize your pages, even if you happen to’re new to search engine optimisation.

Yoast additionally provides you an in depth breakdown of your content material’s readability.

You’ll see checks for issues like passive voice, sentence size, and consecutive sentence starters. On this respect, it does supply a bit greater than Rank Math.

My recommendation: Don’t chase all of the inexperienced lights considering it’ll allow you to rank. Content material high quality and worth for the reader matter excess of hitting a sure share or rating.

Nonetheless, Yoast’s suggestions does allow you to spot frequent points and make your writing clearer for each customers and search engines like google and yahoo.

Like I mentioned within the Rank Math part, I don’t personally use these options. However newbie me discovered himself seeking to them quite a bit for primary steerage.

Handle XML Sitemaps

Yoast creates a dynamic XML sitemap in your website and updates it as you publish new content material.

Right here’s what it seems to be like for Backlinko:

This can be a primary however very helpful function (Rank Math does this too).

Simply make certain to submit your sitemap URL to Google Search Console. This helps Google uncover and index your content material.

Downsides However Not Dealbreakers

Yoast’s search engine optimisation scoring system can really feel inflexible. For instance, you may get flagged for not utilizing your fundamental key phrase within the first sentence even when it doesn’t match there naturally.

And I’ll typically see website homeowners which can be new to search engine optimisation sticking too carefully to those pointers and creating fairly mediocre content material because of this.

However if you happen to deal with the suggestions as steerage, not strict guidelines, Yoast can nonetheless be a useful approach to catch easy-to-miss points.

A phrase on a number of alternate options earlier than I transfer on:

The all-in-one search engine optimisation plugin market is dominated by Yoast and Rank Math. However one other massive participant we are able to’t neglect to say is aptly named All in One SEO (AISEO).

It does a variety of the identical stuff as the opposite two, however they simply do it higher. It’s lacking key free options like redirects, and it will possibly get dear if you wish to apply it to a number of websites.

Like I mentioned earlier although, it is best to strive these plugins out for your self if you happen to’re struggling to decide on. The free choices are greater than sufficient typically, and so they’ll provide you with a style of what to anticipate must you wish to decide to a paid choice.

FYI: I don’t personally pay for any search engine optimisation plugins in addition to WP Rocket (extra on that subsequent). However we do use Yoast Premium on Backlinko and Rank Math Professional on Traffic Think Tank.

3. WP Rocket

Greatest for enhancing your web site velocity while not having a developer

Pricing: $59/yr for one web site, $119/yr for 3 web sites

WP Rocket might be my favourite of all of the plugins on this checklist, even when it’s not technically the perfect total. It’s a efficiency plugin designed to hurry up WordPress web sites. That’s all it goals to do, and boy does it succeed.

I run a considerably properly optimized website, and right here’s the way it seems to be in PageSpeed Insights with out WP Rocket put in:

After putting in the plugin and turning on a very powerful options, right here’s the way it seems to be:

Let’s simply pause on these numbers for a second:

• 20 level enhance in total efficiency rating
• 2.1 second enchancment in first contentful paint
• 30 ms to 0 ms complete blocking time
• 2.8 second enchancment in largest contentful paint

Once more, it’s an honest baseline to start with. However WP Rocket improves my website efficiency in methods I in any other case can’t handle on a website that’s fairly heavy on the Elementor components.

That’s an vital level in itself: you 100% could make your website run quick with out search engine optimisation plugins like WP Rocket.

However you have to to make sacrifices until you’re an skilled developer (which I’m not).

So if you happen to additionally wish to enhance your website velocity with out digging into the code or harming your UX, right here’s why it is best to think about WP Rocket:

Caching Made Easy

WP Rocket makes efficiency optimization straightforward. For instance, I didn’t have to the touch a single setting for the caching options to kick in, and you may clear your cache on the contact of a button:

This can be a function some WordPress hosts and different plugins supply (my very own internet host does, for instance). However I like WP Rocket’s as a result of it’s straightforward to do inside a dashboard that additionally does a lot extra.

For a non-developer like me, this sort of out-of-the-box efficiency increase is extraordinarily helpful.

File Optimization

You can too dig into superior settings to minify your CSS and JavaScript, optimize photographs and fonts, and connect with a CDN.

These tweaks can minimize load time, cut back file sizes, and might even enhance Core Web Vitals. In different phrases, they will have a serious impression in your site speed.

(And as somebody with no coding expertise, there’s no manner I might do any of this and not using a plugin.)

Now for the second and solely different function on this checklist that I’ll describe with the phrase “life saver”:

It comes with one-click exclusions for common instruments like Google Analytics, AdSense, and Stripe, together with different WordPress plugins, like Elementor:

Which means you’re much less more likely to break your monitoring, advertisements, fee processing, or UX whereas optimizing. Which, consider me, is straightforward (and irritating) to do.

And also you don’t must dig by documentation to determine what to exclude.

You can too create customized exclusions, and these are useful if you happen to do know what’s inflicting points.

Downsides However Not Dealbreakers

Some structure components could break if you happen to allow file optimization with out including exclusions. In my case, my Elementor submit playing cards bought distorted. However excluding the fitting information fastened it.

(Discovering the fitting information to exclude took me a variety of trial and error, however your mileage could range.)

The settings can even really feel fairly technical if you happen to’re not an online developer. I needed to Google lots earlier than understanding what to toggle.

Nonetheless, WP Rocket’s help center docs have been stable. And as soon as all the pieces was dialed in, my website’s efficiency improved considerably. (Once more, see the screenshots initially of this part.)

Free various: Once I first began enjoying round with WordPress web sites, I used Autoptimize for lots of the issues WP Rocket does.

It’s not as in depth if you use the free model, however it’ll get you a significant chunk of the best way there if website velocity is a giant concern for you.

Plus, I nonetheless run this on a number of of my decrease precedence websites after I simply wish to tick the principle efficiency bins.

4. The search engine optimisation Framework

Greatest light-weight, minimalist search engine optimisation plugin

Pricing: Free; paid plans begin at $7/month (paid yearly)

The SEO Framework is a free and light-weight plugin for WordPress that quietly handles the search engine optimisation necessities.

It’s no Rank Math or Yoast, however it would nonetheless do a variety of a very powerful issues for you.

This plugin is common amongst builders for a motive. It runs quick, doesn’t muddle your dashboard, and avoids the “all-in-one” bloat you get with different search engine optimisation plugins.

Right here’s what you get with the search engine optimisation Framework plugin:

Get Immediate search engine optimisation Suggestions

One of many search engine optimisation Framework’s most useful options is the plugin’s color-coded search engine optimisation bar. This provides you a fast visible of how properly optimized your pages are.

At first, the labels can look a bit cryptic.

However when you hover over them, they clarify what’s working and what wants enchancment.

For instance, the plugin flagged my meta title as “far too quick” and famous that it was mechanically generated from the web page title. (No less than I assume that’s what the “TG” means.)

It defined that the title lacked info, which helped me perceive I’d must customise it to enhance its search engine optimisation efficiency.

Actually, I’d possibly like just a little extra particular element right here. It’s not clear what “extra info” it means. But it surely does make it straightforward to do a high-level audit of your content material optimization with out opening every web page.

If it flags your title or description, you may open the web page editor and tweak the meta fields on to optimize them:

The search engine optimisation Framework additionally reveals every web page’s indexing standing. If a web page is listed, it seems in inexperienced. If there’s an indexing subject, it tells you precisely what’s fallacious.

In my case, it confirmed that each one my revealed pages have been listed accurately. And some unpublished ones have been flagged, as anticipated:

Clearly it’s not going to be as in-depth as Google Search Console. But it surely’s a helpful at-a-glance overview of your total indexing standing.

Automate search engine optimisation Title and Meta Description Era

As soon as you discover titles and meta descriptions to optimize, the search engine optimisation Framework mechanically generates meta them based mostly in your content material.

However you may nonetheless tweak auto-generated meta components so as to add extra worth as wanted.

That’s it, that’s the function.

It’s nothing fancy, and it’s not at all times excellent. However for a light-weight search engine optimisation plugin, this can be a nice timesaver.

You can too management how your web page seems on social media. You may even add a customized picture for Fb or X:

In the event you like this performance of the likes of Yoast and Rank Math however don’t want all the additional options, the search engine optimisation Framework plugin might be all you want.

Easy Base Plugin with Room to Broaden

The search engine optimisation Framework is deliberately minimal to be quick, light-weight, and freed from pointless extras. That makes it an awesome selection if you happen to’re searching for one thing that received’t gradual your website down or overwhelm you with choices.

And if you happen to ever want further options, like schema markup, third-party connections, or native search engine optimisation assist, you may at all times set up them as separate extensions.

Downsides However Not Dealbreakers

The search engine optimisation Framework is light-weight, which suggests it’s additionally feature-light. It has the fundamentals, however it received’t cowl all the pieces for you.

To get a bit pickier, I seen that when I attempt to edit an mechanically generated search engine optimisation title or meta description, all the subject clears as quickly as I click on it.

Which means I can’t simply tweak a number of phrases. I’ve to retype the entire thing from scratch. It could be a smoother expertise if I might merely edit the prevailing textual content in place.

However the truth that is such a small and particular subject is testomony to only how good the plugin is.

5. Semrush search engine optimisation Writing Assistant

Greatest for optimizing your content material for search proper contained in the WordPress editor

Pricing: Free, however you may optimize extra content material with an lively Semrush subscription

Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant helps you optimize content material as you write it contained in the WordPress editor. It’s not an all-in-one answer, and is solely content-focused.

It really works by pulling suggestions out of your goal key phrase and analyzing your draft in actual time for search engine optimisation, readability, tone of voice, and originality.

Let’s check out my favourite options of the plugin:

Optimize Your Readability

Semrush calls out precisely what you want to repair to enhance your content material’s readability, together with:

• Sentences which can be exhausting to learn
• Recommendations to make use of lively voice
• Particular phrases to swap for less complicated alternate options

That is tremendous helpful if you wish to make your content material simpler to grasp and extra participating.

Enhance Your On-Web page search engine optimisation

The plugin additionally offers clear on-page SEO suggestions based mostly in your goal key phrases.

On the prime of the panel, it reveals whether or not you’ve used your fundamental key phrases successfully.

Once I created the weblog submit within the instance beneath, I entered two fundamental key phrases: “content material advertising and marketing” and “content material advertising and marketing for small companies.”

Since I used each naturally all through the article, Semrush marked them inexperienced:

However beneath that, it suggests semantically associated key phrases based mostly on content material that’s already rating properly for these phrases. As you embody these phrases, they flip inexperienced too:

That is the place the Semrush plugin goes a step additional than the likes of Yoast. It leverages Semrush’s knowledge to provide you a useful manner to enhance your topical depth based mostly on what’s already rating — which is a key a part of constructing topical authority.

Why does this matter?

As a result of search engines like Google are good at recognizing when a bit of content material really covers the subject in depth — quite than simply utilizing the goal key phrase a bunch of instances.

If you embody associated phrases, you’re displaying Google that your content material is contextually related and complete.

Analyze Your Tone of Voice

Questioning what your content material truly appears like from a reader’s perspective?

The Semrush search engine optimisation Writing Assistant reveals whether or not your writing comes throughout as informal, formal, or someplace in between. And whether or not your tone stays constant all through the submit.

For instance, it labeled my draft as “Impartial” with 95% tone consistency:

That’s a useful sign that the submit flows properly with out leaping between writing types.

That mentioned, don’t let the rating alone inform your edits. As an alternative, use it as a sign to guage your writing with recent eyes and ask:

“Does this sound like me/my model?”

It additionally identified a number of phrases that sounded barely off-brand. It then recommended alternate options to easy them out:

They’re not at all times excellent strategies, however it’s helpful if you happen to’re writing for a particular model voice and wish to preserve it constant throughout all of your articles.

Downsides However Not Dealbreakers

The Semrush search engine optimisation Writing Assistant just isn’t a complete search engine optimisation plugin. It focuses on optimizing content material for search engines like google and yahoo and doesn’t substitute Yoast or Rank Math.

So, it’s greatest to make use of it together with different search engine optimisation plugins.

Able to Select the Proper search engine optimisation Plugin for Your Web site?

The appropriate search engine optimisation plugin can massively enhance your WordPress web site’s efficiency.

But it surely’s additionally vital to set clear expectations.

These instruments allow you to optimize. They don’t rank content material for you.

To truly enhance your visibility in search, you want to publish nice content material, enhance your website’s efficiency, and canopy the fundamentals of search engine optimisation.

So, what must you do subsequent?

Begin with our complete SEO checklist to verify your website is totally optimized for search.