Yoast SEO has become the benchmark for WordPress plugins with nearly 130 million downloads.

Yoast SEO was created more than ten years ago and since then, no less than 12 million websites have already added it to their CMS. With an average rating of 4.9/5, Yoast is considered “The #1 SEO plugin for WordPress”.

What is YOAST?

Originally known as WordPress SEO, Yoast is a natural SEO content plugin (add-on) for the WordPress CMS. It is not aimed at a specific audience. All website publishers can have access to the plugin provided they use WordPress as a CMS.

Yoast allows you to easily create and manage the natural referencing of your website by controlling its performance and creating your XML sitemap.

This plugin adds interfaces to your back office that allows you to configure and manage the tags necessary for natural referencing. It also helps you limit (or even avoid) duplicate content and the addition of rich snippets.

Yoast is a real virtual assistant that helps you identify areas for improvement in your SEO.

Why use an SEO optimization plugin and in particular Yoast?

For any user of CMS such as WordPress, it is essential to use an add-on for your SEO. Additionally, Yoast offers optimized title and meta description templates that make your content and pages more appealing to Google. However, make no mistake, installing an SEO plugin will not immediately boost your article in the SERPs.

The Yoast plugin is the choice of millions of WordPress users. Indeed, it is the most rated on the market for SEO add-ons for WordPress.

It offers the choice between a free version and a paid one. The free version already allows a good improvement in terms of SEO basics.

In addition, the plugin is relatively simple to install, which makes it possible not to turn back when faced with a tool that can be too technical and too complex.

Here are the 6 steps to install the plugin:

  • Go to the dashboard of your WordPress site.
  • Click on “Plugins”.
  • Click on “add new”.
  • In the search bar that appears, make a request “Yoast SEO”.
  • The plugin will appear and you can click on “install now”.
  • Once installed, click “activate”.

If you follow these steps, you’ll be done and you can take advantage of Yoast’s help to improve the SEO of your content and aim for the top spot in Google!

What are the features of Yoast that put it in #1?

You understood, Yoast is the most used plugin for WordPress. But then what are the features that make it so popular?

Automatic creation of a sitemap.xml

Yoast SEO is your best friend in creating your sitemap. Indeed, the plugin allows you to automatically create your sitemap by listing all your pages and articles. The little extra is its update which is done automatically each time you create a new page or a new article.

 

Optimizing your pages and articles

At the end of your article creation page, a new interface is created by Yoast. This interface brings together several components that will allow you to improve the SEO of your content.

Among these components:

  • Keyword density: You can indicate the main keyword of your page. Yoast will count keyword occurrences and report the correct density based on updates from Google. Today, the density is around 2%.
  • The minimum number of keywords: For your content to be recognized as relevant, Google wants a minimum of 500 words. However, this word count tends to increase. It would therefore be preferable to aim for the 600 words mark. If you are unsure which direction to take, you can refer your competitors to your main keyword.
  • Hn tags: Yoast tells you if your main keyword is present in your Hn tags (title 1, 2, 3… on WordPress). This markup will make it easier for Google robots to read your article.
  • The Title tag: it lets Google robots know what your article is about. This is one of the most important beacons, don’t neglect it! Generally, this tag has between 40 and 70 characters.
  • The writing of the meta description: it is not taken into account in the direct positioning of Google and simply encourages Internet users to click on your link, which will have a direct impact on your click rate. So don’t take the meta description lightly.
  • The readability of your article: Yoast analyzes the readability of the article by Google robots. Your page must therefore be sufficiently airy and structured.

What are the differences between the paid version and the free one?

The free version of Yoast gives you access to its features and benefits. However, with the paid version, called premium (120$ per year) you have the possibility of upgrading such as:

  • Suggested internal links
  • Analysis of your content
  • Option to manage your redirects
  • Support 24/7
  • No advertising
  • Optimize up to 5 keywords per page (against 1 for the free plugin)
  • Preview your page on Google, Facebook, and Twitter (just Google for free)

Although we see notable differences between the paid version and the free version, there are also features that are common to both versions:

  • Plugin updates every two weeks to comply with Google algorithm and WordPress evolutions
  • Technical configurations in the background.
  • No duplicate content
  • Complete control of your titles
  • Checking the readability of your content

Few elements really differ between the two versions. If you are not an SEO professional, the free version may be more than enough for you.

Yoast still has its limits

Yoast is a plugin that has many advantages. However, it won’t get you up the SERPs with a magic wand, you’re going to have to get your hands dirty!

Overall, the plugin is developed to help you improve your natural referencing by indicating which points you can improve to be even higher in the SERPs.

Keep in mind that this is a virtual assistant and not an artificial intelligence. However, if you are not particularly comfortable with SEO, it may be best to hire a professional.

Would you like to be advised or accompanied in an SEO strategy to improve your natural referencing? Contact OMT.