If you have not yet delved into the world of WordPress plugins, don’t worry, you are far from alone. In fact, WordPress is a very robust platform in a number of different ways, it does many things without any plugins present that other compatible platforms simply do not.
For example, WordPress comes with some pretty impressive image optimization right off the bat. In general, if you add an image to your WordPress page then WordPress with at least try and encourage you to do so in the most efficient way possible. It’s easy to overwrite the default settings if you wish to, WordPress is flexible in this regard. But in terms of the technical optimization of the image for your website, WordPress will make an effort without any extra plugins or instructions.
Another advantage of WordPress is its embrace of HTML markup, which makes it easier for search engines to rapidly build a picture of the layout and content of a website from its source code. But irrespective of how good WordPress is at these things by default, installing the right plugins on top will augment its capabilities and enable you to achieve even more.
All In One SEO
The All In One SEO plug-in provides users with an array of useful SEO tools. Initially, there is a lot to get your head around and this plug-in can look daunting at a first glance. However, while it looks more complicated than many of its competitors, once you get to grips with it you will realize that there is a good reason for this apparent complexity.
If you wanted to take a really deep dive into your WordPress site and its SEO, there are few plugins better suited for you. All of the settings they all in one pack offers are presented on a single page, which is part of the reason that it looks so much more complex than are they compatible tools. However, the settings page is divided into sections, a section for homepage settings, for title settings, another for display settings, and so on.
If you are looking for an all-in-one solution, this is certainly one of the best out there. Some people find that Yoast SEO, which we will come onto in a moment, is easier to get their head around initially. However, if you are willing to stick with the All In One SEO plugin, you will be hard-pressed to find anything quite as powerful.
Yoast SEO
Alongside the aforementioned all-in-one SEO pack, Yoast SEO is the other all-in-one solution that most people are familiar with. The most brand name is now synonymous with WordPress-SEO, and there is a good reason for this. Not only will users find every single tool they could possibly want for measuring and managing their WordPress SEO within, but there is also a plethora of analytical capabilities added in as well.
The best SEO professionals are those who are willing to get into the weeds and really dig into the underlying data that they base their decisions on. While it can be tempting to try to do everything as quickly and as automatically as possible, Yoast SEO gives users all the tools that they need in order to gain a granular understanding of the current strategies, where they are working, and how they can be improved.
Broken Link Checker
Some of the best WordPress plugins available are also the simplest. Broken Link Checker is an example of an elegant solution to a common problem. This plug-in doesn’t attempt to do anything other than check for broken links, but any experienced SEO professional can tell you that having this done automatically is enormously beneficial.
Linking back to your old content when you post new content is an essential component of any comprehensive SEO strategy. However, it is inevitable that your website will periodically undergo changes in its design and its underlying architecture. It is all too easy for old links to slip through the net and for URLs to be changed without anyone noticing.
Unfortunately, Google will notice even if no one else does and they will penalize you for having links that lead to nowhere. It’s never good to get on Google’s bad side; they are the Lords and Masters of the search engine world, after all. While the metrics that Google uses to assess a website and determine its SEO score are always changing, you can be certain that broken links will always count against you – and will continue to do so long into the future.
Broken Link Checker enables you to keep on top of this crucial maintenance work automatically. For some people, this plug-in can be a real game-changer in helping them to maintain their SEO in the long run. It is very frustrating to focus all your attention on maximizing SEO for your new content, only to realize that your failure to secure old content is bringing you down.
Google XML Sitemaps
In order for your website to appear in search engine results pages, crawlers need to index it. You can use Google XML Sitemaps in order to make it easier for crawlers to cover your content. In fact, the Sitemaps tool has become a vital part of the Google SEO ecosystem.
By using Sitemaps, website owners can automatically generate a sitemap for their website. Simply having the plug-in active will help to boost your SEO by making it easier for Google’s crawlers to map out your website whenever they visit. When first using the plug-in, you will need to go through an initial setup process and put all of your settings in place. However, once that is done, Sitemaps will automatically update your sitemap every time you add a new page.
WordPress is a powerful CMS and it has earned its stellar reputation. However, if you want to get the most out of the platform, you are going to need to dive down the rabbit hole that is WordPress plugins. These plugins augment WordPress in a variety of ways and enhance its functionality. The four examples above are just our core SEO suggestions – there is plenty more to discover.