15 Best WordPress SEO Plugins & Tools For 2023
WordPress SEO Plugins
Do you want to improve your website’s ranking positions in Google? Are you in need of a WordPress SEO plugin to help you achieve that? You are in the right place.
In this article, we have compiled and reviewed 15 of the top WordPress SEO plugins and Software as a Service tools available today.
These tools are crucial for website owners aiming to get an edge over their competitors and secure a dominant position on the search engine results pages.
Overview of the Best WordPress SEO Plugins and Tools
- SEOPress – This is the best WordPress SEO plugin for the majority of users, especially beginners.
- Rank Math – This plugin boasts the most advanced feature set compared to other SEO plugins. Despite its extensive features, it is quite lightweight, making it perfect for intermediate users.
- The SEO Framework – This is the optimal WordPress SEO plugin for those who prefer a straightforward and lightweight solution for adding meta/titles, social tags, controlling indexation, and more.
- SE Ranking – This is a potent comprehensive SEO tool designed to assist with keyword research, backlink analysis, and rank tracking.
- Link Whisper – This is the top SEO plugin for automating internal linking.
- Schema Pro – This WordPress SEO plugin simplifies the addition of schema markup quickly.
- Surfer SEO – This is the ultimate SEO tool for content optimization. Instead of a plugin, you integrate a Chrome Extension with WordPress. This means one fewer plugin to install, ensuring your site maintains its speed. There are no restrictions on the number of sites.
Detailed Reviews of Selected Plugins
1. SEOPress
Overview
SEOPress emerges as the top choice for most WordPress users. With a solid foundation and over 230,000 active installations, it’s hard to overlook its impact in the WordPress community.
Features and Benefits
SEOPress stands out as an all-encompassing SEO solution. From the basics to the advanced, it’s got it all.
The offering is split into three main tiers: Free, Pro, and Insights. While the Free version caters to most bloggers and small business needs, the Pro and Insights versions take things to another level, offering advanced SEO features and in-depth data analysis, respectively.
Pricing for SEOPress starts with a robust free plan. Premium features can be unlocked for $49, while the Insights option is priced at $99/site. A bundled option combining both Pro and Insights is available for $128.
2. Rank Math
Overview
Rank Math distinguishes itself as the most feature-rich WordPress SEO plugin available. Operating directly from the WordPress dashboard, it makes content optimization a breeze.
Features and Benefits
Utilizing AI and data analytics, Rank Math offers real-time suggestions, enhancing content directly within the WordPress editor. The plugin also boasts a suite of features, from a comprehensive SEO analysis based on 30 known ranking factors to tracking page and keyword rankings.
Pricing for Rank Math begins with a limited free version. A Pro plan, encompassing a broader range of features, starts at $59/year.
3. The SEO Framework
Overview
For those seeking a streamlined, lightweight solution, The SEO Framework is the answer. While it may not have the extensive feature set of SEOPress, it covers the essentials without compromising website performance.
Features and Benefits
Performance is paramount, and with The SEO Framework, users get an efficient plugin that’s 12 times faster than competitors. It offers essential SEO tools, from content audits to managing meta data, without weighing down your site.
Starting with a free plan, The SEO Framework also offers premium options from $7/month, billed annually.
4. SE Ranking
Overview
SE Ranking stands out as a comprehensive all-in-one SEO solution, renowned for its robust keyword research, backlink analysis, and rank tracking capabilities.
Features and Benefits
SE Ranking operates outside the WordPress ecosystem, serving as an independent platform. It offers an array of tools, from an accurate Keyword Rank tracker to a comprehensive backlink checker.
SE Ranking pricing is flexible, starting at $23.52/month. The cost can vary based on user requirements.
5. Link Whisper
Overview
Link Whisper specializes in simplifying the internal linking process, a critical component of SEO.
Features and Benefits
Internal linking is pivotal for SEO, and Link Whisper brings automation and intelligence to this process. From smart linking suggestions to in-depth link reports, it’s an indispensable tool for serious WordPress users.
Single Site Licenses start at $77, with options for multiple sites also available.
6. Squirrly SEO
Overview
Squirrly SEO, although less known, is a powerhouse of features, offering an AI-driven approach to SEO, all under one roof.
Features and Benefits
Squirrly SEO stands out with its in-dashboard keyword research tools, something unique in the WordPress plugin space. From real-time feedback to detailed SEO audits, it’s a holistic solution for WordPress sites.
Starting with a free plan, premium features can be unlocked starting at $71.99/month.
7. All In One SEO
Overview
All In One SEO is among the leading WordPress SEO plugins and toolkits available. It boasts a user base of over 3 million professionals across 19 million websites. This tool provides an impressive array of sophisticated features.
Features and Benefits
On visiting the All In One SEO homepage, you’ll notice the comprehensive capabilities it offers. Beyond the standard all-in-one features such as on-page content analysis, XML sitemap creation, and SEO auditing, it presents several advanced tools that set it apart from its competitors.
One standout feature is the TruSEO Score. This tool offers a more comprehensive on-page analysis compared to its counterparts. Instead of a mere pass/fail checklist, it delves deeper into your content, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement. Furthermore, it comes with an integrated readability checker. This assesses the ease with which readers can understand your content, a critical metric for both SEO and user experience.
Additional features include:
- Rich Snippets: Provides schema markup support to enhance your chances of being featured in Google’s rich snippets.
- Video SEO Sitemaps: Boost your visibility in Google’s video carousel, driving additional traffic to your site.
- Link Assistant: Delivers intelligent suggestions for internal linking, helping to identify articles that would benefit from additional links.
- Redirection Manager: Effectively manages redirects for broken links to maintain link equity.
- Local SEO: Optimizes your site for local search queries and Google Maps.
- Social Sharing Optimization: Customize thumbnails and content snippets for shared posts on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
While there’s more to explore, you would benefit from trying out All In One SEO personally to fully appreciate its capabilities.
Pricing
All In One SEO has several premium plans, starting at $49.50 per year. It also offers a 14-day money-back guarantee for those wanting to test its features.
8. Schema Pro
Overview
Schema Pro stands out as the premier WordPress plugin for adding schema markup. This tool demystifies the process, allowing anyone to boost their website’s visibility in the search engine results pages without diving into the intricacies of coding.
Features and Benefits
For those unfamiliar with the concept, schema markup is a form of structured data you can integrate into your website pages. This provides search engines like Google with additional context regarding the content on the page. Once implemented, Google gains a clearer understanding of the various elements on your page, resulting in enhanced rich snippets displayed below your post titles in the search results.
For instance, schema can communicate the publication date of an article to Google, allowing it to display this information alongside the post. If you’re crafting a product review, schema can inform Google of the star rating, which then appears as a striking graphic below the description.
Such rich snippets enhance the visibility of your web pages in the search results, potentially increasing click-through rates. The challenge, however, lies in the complexity of implementing schema. It typically requires delving into the HTML code and tagging specific elements on the page – a daunting task for beginners.
This is where Schema Pro comes to the rescue. With just a few clicks, you can set it up and swiftly implement accurate schema markup without touching any code. The process is straightforward: select a schema type from over 20 options, choose the pages/posts for implementation, map the content to finalize your configuration, and let the plugin handle the rest. Even for complete novices without coding experience, the process is incredibly intuitive.
Pricing
Schema Pro offers a yearly subscription at $79 or a lifetime plan for $249. Both options come with a 14-day, no-risk money-back guarantee.
9. Surfer SEO
Overview
When it comes to content optimization for WordPress, Surfer SEO reigns supreme. Utilizing artificial intelligence, this tool assists marketers and writers in formulating content strategies and crafting content that achieves higher rankings.
Features and Benefits
Upon visiting the Surfer SEO homepage, you’ll discover its primary function: extracting data and insights from top-performing web pages. You can assign a specific keyword, which then allows the tool to generate a list of keywords to incorporate into your content. Your content is then scored based on various indicators like keyword density, word count, paragraphs, images, and more.
Surfer SEO is particularly beneficial for those outsourcing content creation. The platform enables users to generate detailed, data-driven briefs for writers. Plus, you can edit content directly within the SurferSEO dashboard.
Beyond content creation, Surfer SEO offers comprehensive site audit capabilities, checking components like content length, header count, NLP entities coverage, page speed, keyword density, and missing backlinks for existing pages.
One of the platform’s standout features is its ease of integration. Surfer SEO integrates seamlessly with WordPress and popular processing tools like Google Docs through a Chrome extension. This negates the need for plugin installation, which can potentially improve site performance.
For those seeking a tool to elevate their content and on-page SEO, Surfer SEO is the ideal choice.
Pricing
Surfer SEO offers its services starting at $89 per month, with discounts available for annual subscriptions. It does not provide a free plan or trial.
10. Serpstat
Overview
Serpstat stands as a comprehensive all-in-one SEO platform, boasting over 30+ tools for both SEO and PPC.
Features and Benefits
Navigating to the Serpstat homepage, you’ll quickly discern that this tool offers everything required for expert-level analysis of your site’s SEO performance. It’s adept at analyzing keywords, backlinks, competitors, and much more.
A standout feature is its rank tracking tool, capable of monitoring your global rankings at scheduled intervals, such as weekly or monthly. Additionally, Serpstat offers a keyword trends tool, assisting in content strategy formulation based on online trends and popular searches. Its competitor analysis tool is invaluable for detecting SEO and PPC competitors, allowing users to monitor their ad campaigns and overall performance.
Another notable feature of Serpstat is its text analytics tool. This utility evaluates how well-optimized your pages are in comparison to your closest competitors’ content. Subsequently, it provides actionable suggestions to enhance and optimize your content for better ranking potential.
For team collaboration, Serpstat provides comprehensive SEO checklists. This ensures teams remain on top of SEO tasks, tracking completed tasks and identifying pending ones.
Designed with robust features, Serpstat is particularly suited for larger businesses and agencies.
Pricing
Serpstat offers plans starting at $45 per month when billed bi-annually. Discounts are available for 3-month, 6-month, and annual plans.
11. Yoast SEO
Overview
Yoast SEO is a user-friendly SEO plugin designed to boost page rankings and enhance on-page SEO.
Features and Benefits
Being a popular WordPress plugin, Yoast is renowned for its capability to swiftly and effectively enhance content SEO and readability prior to publishing.
The Yoast SEO plugin employs a straightforward traffic light system to evaluate your content based on factors like readability, keyword and phrase utilization, meta-description length, and alt-attributes.
A green light signals that your content is optimized, while red and orange lights suggest areas needing improvement before publishing. If your content requires enhancement, the tool offers actionable recommendations and directs users to comprehensive guides that delve deeper into each ranking factor.
Furthermore, Yoast encourages website owners to engage in regular ‘workouts’. These exercises aid in improving SEO across the site. The tool guides users through routine SEO maintenance tasks, identifying optimization opportunities to ensure consistent top-tier SEO performance.
For those seeking additional features, Yoast offers premium tools that facilitate linking. These tools assist in developing a website structure that’s comprehensible for both Google and site visitors. This not only enhances ranking potential but also optimizes on-page user experience.
In summary, Yoast is an invaluable addition to any toolkit, especially for those seeking to optimize new content directly within WordPress’ content editor.
Pricing
The Yoast SEO plugin is freely available and encompasses many of the content optimization and SEO tools highlighted above. However, for those seeking enhanced capabilities, Yoast offers a premium toolkit priced at $99 per year, which includes advanced tools such as linking tools and social media previews.
12. Semrush
Overview
Semrush is a comprehensive online marketing solution that encompasses various facets, including SEO, content marketing, competitor research, PPC, and social media.
Features and Benefits
Semrush is a renowned industry tool, and its reputation is well-deserved. When it comes to SEO, Semrush presents a plethora of essential tools to bolster ranking potential.
Users can leverage Semrush for keyword research, site audits, and local SEO optimization. It also boasts rank tracking and competitor analysis tools.
For those focused on link-building, Semrush offers tools such as backlink analytics and gap features to craft a detailed backlink strategy. The link-building tool then automates outreach campaigns.
Semrush also aids in crafting SEO-optimized content with its ‘writing assistant’. This tool evaluates content based on SEO ranking factors, originality, readability, and tone, providing recommendations for enhancement.
Additionally, with the auditing tool, users can assess existing content and discover avenues to amplify ranking potential.
In essence, Semrush is a comprehensive solution catering to every facet of digital marketing, making it an ideal choice for both individuals and agencies.
Pricing
Semrush offers plans starting from $129.95 per month when billed annually. The pricing varies based on the number of projects and keyword queries.
13. All In One Schema Rich Snippets
Overview
All In One Schema Rich Snippets is another WordPress plugin focused on schema markup. As a free alternative to Schema Pro, it offers a more limited feature set.
Features and Benefits
All In One Schema Rich Snippets facilitates the implementation of various schema types, encompassing products, services, events, recipes, articles, videos, software applications, and more.
The plugin is available for download from the WordPress plugin database. With a few clicks, you can install and activate it. Once set up, search engines will begin to display rich snippets alongside your site in the search results. These interactive snippets can distinguish your site from competitors and increase click-through rates.
Pricing
All In One Schema is a free, open-source software. Users can contribute to its development on Github and install it directly via the WordPress plugin dashboard.
Try All In One Schema Rich Snippets for Free
14. WebCEO
Overview
WebCEO is a comprehensive SEO and digital marketing solution, boasting over 23 pro-level SEO software tools.
Features and Benefits
WebCEO is crafted with agencies in mind, facilitating professional SEO research and the generation of detailed client reports.
Among the 23 tools on offer, approximately 14 are tailored for SEO. These encompass tools for keyword analysis and ranking factors like rank tracking and keyword research. Moreover, it offers potent SEO site auditing tools.
For instance, the technical audit tool assists users in identifying broken or unresponsive links and images, as well as access issues. On the other hand, the SEO analysis tool evaluates a site and recommends enhancements for critical on-page SEO elements like header tags, alt attributes, load speed, and mobile-friendliness.
WebCEO also offers a suite of tools for link tracking and earning. This includes a backlink checker tool, a partner link watch tool, and a competitor backlink spy tool.
Furthermore, the content submission tool aids users in earning pivotal backlinks by submitting content to a plethora of directories, blog communities, local websites, and shopping search engines.
Rounding off its offerings, WebCEO provides ‘cool extras’ like email alerts and a DIY SEO checklist, making it the ultimate toolkit for larger teams focusing on collaboration and organization.
Pricing
WebCEO’s pricing begins at $83 per month when billed annually. The cost varies based on the number of projects and keyword queries.
15. Labrika
Overview
Labrika is an AI-driven SEO toolset designed to amplify rankings in the SERPs, thereby increasing traffic and conversions.
Features and Benefits
Labrika offers three primary tools. Firstly, there’s the AI-powered SEO auditor, capable of assessing over 200+ ranking factors for your site within moments. This not only identifies areas of improvement but also facilitates the creation of detailed, easy-to-understand reports. This is particularly beneficial for teams collaborating on SEO or agencies managing multiple clients.
Secondly, Labrika provides an interactive content editor. This offers actionable recommendations on optimizing both new and existing content. Based on specific keywords, the AI editor evaluates the top 10 competitors, gathering insights on crafting high-ranking content.
Lastly, there’s the advanced rank checker. Given the ever-fluctuating nature of rankings, obtaining accurate, up-to-date details can be challenging. However, with this tool, users can access current ranking details for either single or multiple keywords. It also facilitates scheduled rank checking, ideal for automating rank checks aligned with pivotal marketing events or specific monthly dates.
Overall, Labrika is the perfect choice for a meticulous approach to SEO.
Pricing
Labrika offers a range of subscription options, from monthly to yearly. Prices commence at $19 per month, covering 500 keyword ranking queries and up to 10,000 page-crawling credits.
WordPress SEO Plugin FAQs
1. What is SEO?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a digital marketing strategy that aims to enhance a website’s visibility in organic searches to attract more traffic. In simple terms, it’s the art of optimizing your WordPress site to appear on search engines like Google when potential customers search for relevant keywords. A majority of marketers (70%) believe that SEO delivers better outcomes than PPC (Pay-Per-Click).
SEO can be broadly categorized into three branches: on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO.
- On-page SEO focuses on optimizing the content on your WordPress site pages around certain ranking factors, such as including the keyword in subheadings or adding image alt text.
- Off-page SEO primarily deals with building backlinks and other external activities that can enhance your domain’s perceived authority and trustworthiness.
- Technical SEO involves steps that facilitate search engines in crawling and indexing your site, such as generating an XML sitemap.
2. What does an SEO plugin do?
SEO plugins assist with a variety of on-page and technical SEO tasks. However, the functionalities differ across plugins. Many SEO plugins simplify the process of adding meta information to blog posts to enhance their ranking potential. Some even come with content optimization features that review your post’s SEO and highlight improvement areas. Notably, many SEO plugins assist with technical tasks like XML sitemap creation or schema markup addition.
Some of the best SEO plugins, like SEOPress, provide holistic solutions, while others might focus solely on specific areas.
3. Do you need WordPress SEO plugins to rank?
While WordPress SEO plugins aren’t mandatory for ranking in search engine results pages, they significantly aid the process. For high-competition keywords, optimizing for as many ranking factors as possible is crucial, and SEO plugins can be invaluable in this respect.
4. How do I install a WordPress SEO plugin?
To install an SEO plugin, access your WordPress dashboard and select the Plugins tab. Here, you can opt for ‘Add New’, search for your desired plugin, and initiate the installation. Alternatively, plugins can be manually uploaded and installed. Post-installation, you’ll need to activate the plugin. For paid plugins, entering a license key might be necessary, typically accessible via the plugin’s Settings page.
5. Is WordPress suitable for SEO?
WordPress is widely regarded as one of the best platforms for SEO. Its speed, compatibility with search engines, and a plethora of themes and plugins make it a favored choice for SEO optimization.
6. What’s the best free SEO plugin for WordPress?
SEOPress free stands out as the leading free SEO plugin for WordPress. It offers a rich suite of free tools that enhance content optimization and indexing.
Conclusion
There’s no shortage of top-notch SEO plugins for WordPress. The 15 tools highlighted in this list epitomize the best in the industry. For those uncertain about their choices:
- SEOPress is a stellar all-in-one SEO plugin, making it an ideal choice for most WordPress site owners, especially beginners.
- Rank Math boasts an array of features and maintains a lightweight footprint. Users can deactivate unnecessary features for a tailored experience.
- The SEO Framework is perfect for those seeking a lightweight solution focused on essential functionalities.
- SE Ranking, although not a WordPress plugin, is an indispensable platform for keyword research, rank tracking, traffic analysis, and more.
This roundup aims to guide you in choosing the best SEO plugins for WordPress & SEO tools. We hope you find it beneficial in enhancing your SEO efforts.
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