WordPress Plugins are add-ons to enhance a website’s performance. WordPress plugins have simplified updating a website’s On-Page SEO without the need-to-know code. This article will recommend the most popular WordPress Plugins to improve a website’s overall On-Page SEO Score.
OPTIMIZATION
YOAST
Yoast is regarded as the most popular SEO plugin today. Individuals are given guidance and tips on how to optimize each webpage correctly . Yoast has 2 versions: The free and Paid version. The Free Version works great but if you have extra to spend and want to maximize your SEO potential, you should consider getting the Paid Version. Here are the Primary Features of using the Yoast Plugin:
SEO SCORE
Yoast provides an SEO score for each webpage of your site. The score is measured from 0-100. The higher the SEO Score, the more likely your website will rank on Page 1 of Google. The SEO Score measures your keyword usage on your webpage and your content readability to determine the results. Factors such as grammar and spelling play major roles in the quality score of your content.
META TAG OPTIMIZATION
In the older days, the meta title, the meta description and the meta keywords had to be updated manually by HTML code. Today, Yoast allows individuals to update their meta tags easily to ensure they are properly optimized for search engines. Select the page you want to optimize from WordPress and select Edit. Now scroll to the bottom of the page to update the meta tag information.
XML SITEMAPS
XML Sitemaps are installed on websites to ensure a website is indexed properly on Google’s search engine. Google uses programs called spiders, which crawl the internet to search for new content. When a spider finds a new website, it needs to crawl each page of the website. Sitemaps provide maps to the spiders so that they can crawl entire websites without missing any pages. The Yoast plugin automatically updates your site’s sitemap.
INTERNAL LINKING
Internal linking is when one page of a website points to another page of the same website. Internal linking improves the navigation of a website which contributes to a positive user experience. When done correctly, internal linking can positively impact your organic rankings with Google. The Yoast plugin checks for the presence of internal links and provides recommendations to boost your SEO.
REDIRECT MANAGEMENT
Redirects happen when websites migrate to a new domain name and do not want to lose their organic positions on search engines. Implementing 301 Redirect (Permanent) or 302 (Temporary) Redirects is a complicated process. Redirect management for Yoast redirects users and search engines from one URL to another with ease. Yoast Redirect Management tests to ensure the redirects have been successful.
SCHEMA MARKUP
Schema markup allows search engines to better understand your site. It directs more targeted users based on your content. Schema markup also improves your website’s Search Engine appearance which will include ratings, images, and prices next to your organic listing. It will improve your Clickthrough Rate meaning more people will click your website on search engines. Yoast makes it simple to add structured data to your site.
ALTERNATIVES TO YOAST
If you cannot use Yoast, an excellent alternative is AIOSEO. It is similar to Yoast and has a setup wizard to help you with your SEO Settings. AIOSEO integrates with the Google Search Console to view clicks, ranking positions, and impressions of your site. It has a link assistant to help you create an effective internal linking structure.
SPEED
WP ROCKET
Download speeds have become an important component of Search Engine Optimization. Slow-loading websites will struggle to appear on Page 1 of Google and have MUCH lower conversion rates compared with fast-loading sites. WP-Rocket improves two parts of caching on your site: Browser Caching and Server Caching.
BROWSER CACHING
It stores files on the user’s computer, or mobile, so the file (Image) does not have to repeatedly load on the next visit.
SERVER CACHING
It stores static webpages on the server so the pages will load quickly when the user requests them.
MINIMIZES JAVASCRIPT AND CSS
Websites that contain lots of JavaScript and CSS tend to load slower. WP-Rocket reduces the size of these files for faster loading speeds.
LAZY LOADING
Lazy Loading only loads images for the user when he/she scrolls down to the image. This significantly improves your website download speeds.
NAVIGATION
BROKEN LINK CHECKER
The Broken Link Checker ensures all website links associated with your website are active and operational. Broken Links on your website will provide users with a poor experience and leave them frustrated. Google examines the interactions between users and websites, and if they find users are leaving quickly, Google will lower your organic positions. Broken Link Checker evaluates both Internal and External links.
INTERNAL LINKS
It is the number of Internal links within your website. The Broken Link checker finds broken links and alerts you of the website error. This allows web designers to fix the broken link and improve the website’s On-Page SEO.
EXTERNAL LINKS
It is the number of External Website Links pointing to your website. The Broken Link checker can identify spam sites. This allows SEO specialists to remove these types of harmful links to improve your Off-Page SEO.
SECURITY
SIMPLE SSL
The internet is filled with Cyber thieves looking to steal people’s personal and credit card details. An SSL Certificate prevents this act of thievery by encrypting information exchanged between users and websites. Google has announced that websites that do not possess an SSL Certificate will not appear in good positions on their search engine. Simple SSL is an easy-to-use plugin that allows WordPress owners to easily install an SSL certificate on their site with several clicks.
WORDFENCE
The internet is swarming with viruses and malware. Failing to protect your website can lead to serious complications. Viruses can tear your website apart and Malware can redirect traffic from your website to another website. If Google detects your website contains viruses, it will remove your site from its search engine and Blacklist it until the issue is resolved. The WordFence plugin uses firewalls, Malware Scanners, and protection programs against brute attacks. There is a free and paid version. The paid version comes highly recommended.
AKISMET
There are automated programs that SPAM websites with email messages every minute of the day. The SPAM messaging can populate an inbox with hundreds of emails, making it hard to find legitimate emails. In many cases, SPAM messages can use up your email storage space, preventing any new emails from arriving in your inbox. Akismet is a reliable plugin that filters all automated junk messages from your site. Make sure you integrate Akismet with your Contact Form plugin to work.
ANALYTICS
MONSTER INSIGHTS
An important part of SEO is viewing your website statistics. Website stats such as clicks, clickthrough rates, impressions, conversions, and bounce rates are vital to track to determine the effectiveness of your SEO and PPC campaigns. Google Analytics is a platform that displays these stats; however, it involves adding codes to multiple pages of your website. Many people do not know how to install Google Analytics the right way. Monster Insights is a plugin that allows you to seamlessly link your website with your Google Analytics account. It also allows you to view website stats directly from the backend of your site, without having to log into Google Analytics.
HEADER AND FOOTER
The Google Search Console provides personal and valuable insights into the health and state of your website. Every website owner should sign up for the Google Search Console to receive important alerts from Google. For instance, if your website contains viruses, Google will alert you of the issue so you can remove the virus to remain visible on their search engine. Like Google Analytics, installing Google Search Console can be complicated. The Header and Footer Plugin allows you to easily add codes to your website to successfully install Google Search Console without the need to know code.