SEO has just pounded the last nail in the coffin.
We kept hearing this in the Digital marketing world for the last 4-5 years. But is it really true? Or just another Buzz?
Ok, SEO is dead, but…….
53% of all website traffic came from organic searches in 2022. So, how can you explain this? SEO is alive and still flourishing.
Yes, it may be more than just technical, but it is here to stay till the search engine exists. Now come to the main point- How to level up the SEO game in 2023?
If you’re a WordPress user, you’re lucky.
WordPress itself is an SEO-friendly CMS. Creating compelling content is an art, but optimizing it for search engines is……well, quite the opposite.
Thank God, WordPress comes with some excellent SEO plugins that can wave their wand and makes SEO a lot easier.
And by installing these plugins, you will know what steps you need to take to improve your organic ranking. Yes, today we’ll talk about Marketer’s favourite 15 Best WordPress SEO Plugin that is super helpful for suggesting traffic-generating SEO strategies.
Wait….But Why Should I Use SEO Plugins in WordPress?
To save time- that’s it.
Whatever these plugins are showing, you can figure it out free by grinding manually (I mean researching). But the problem?
The amount of time it will take.
There was a time when we did this manually. But luckily, time has changed. These SEO plugins will indicate what you are missing and what you can do to improve it. Each plugin has different criteria which is important to rank better on SERP. They will show the suggestion according to that metrics.
Is there a free SEO for WordPress? Yes, most of them are free on WordPress. But with the free version, you will miss some premium features.
#15 Best WordPress SEO Plugins to turn your site into Ranking Powerhouse
I shrunk the # 15 Best SEO plugin for WordPress and a tool that helped me to boost the traffic (& conversion) dramatically.
SEO Plugin | Specially Handy For | Free | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
SEO optimization | Yes | $99-$220/Year | |
SEO analysis | Yes | $59-$499/Year | |
Take the page higher on SERP | Yes | $99-$220/Year | |
Content analysis | Yes | $49-$128/Year | |
SEO editor | Yes | $7-$27/Year | |
keyword research & optimization | Yes | $20.99-$75/Year | |
Performance measurement | Yes | No | |
Image optimization | Yes | $90-$990/Year | |
Managing internal linking | Yes | $77-$167/Year | |
To check the broken link | Yes | No | |
SSL certificate | Yes | $39-$199/Year | |
Tracking 404 & 301 | Yes | No | |
Content gap and analysis | Yes | $99-$199/Year | |
Writing Assistant | Yes | $119-$449/Year | |
Speed performance | Yes | Starting from $65 |
#1 Yoast SEO
Yoast SEO is probably the oldest player as WordPress SEO Plugin, and still rocking the industry.
Having More than 13 million happy Yoast users is not a joke!!!
Most people started their journey with Yoast with the free version (like me) and shifted to the premium one later. And they are worth it. Known for its state-of-the-art content and SEO analysis, Yoast helps everyone to write killer content.
With Yoast SEO, you can do-
- SEO analysis
- Kw optimization
- Readability analysis
- Innovative Schema blocks
- Full language support
- Preview Of Your Page
- Full Control Over Your Breadcrumbs
- Internal Linking Suggestions
Pricing:
Basic Yoast SEO | Yoast SEO Premium plugin | Plugin subscription |
|---|---|---|
Free | $99/Year | $229/Year |
Perfect for-
- Writer
- Blogger
- Publisher
- SEO Specialist
#2 Rank Math SEO
Intuitive US, Speed, efficiency- Rank Math is a game changer.
Even if you were way far from SEO, this built-in suggestions-based plugin would help you optimize the content that crashes the top spot of SERP. The go-to SEO plugin for over a decade.
So, what makes it so special?
I would say its ability to appear in search with structured data. There is no need to manually configure your site pages to meet best practices, investing countless hours each day. Rank Math takes that boring task from your shoulder. Let’s see some of the excellent features of Rank Math-
- Advanced snippet previews.
- Schema Markup Validation
- Content AI – Your Personal AI Assistant
- Built-In Advanced SEO Analytics Module
- Google Index Status
- The Most Advanced Schema Generator
Pricing
PRO | BUSINESS | AGENCY |
|---|---|---|
$59/per year | $199/per year | $499/per year |
For individual Marketer | For agency owner | For big agency |
Perfect for-
- Bloggers,
- Individuals & Solopreneurs
- Freelancers,
- Business, & Agency Owners
#3 All-in-One SEO
AIOSEO caters for those who have just put their footstep in the SEO world.
Yes, they believe you don’t need to spend hundreds of bucks on an SEO expert or developer to properly set up WordPress SEO. So, they keep it simple (and straightforward).
I would say the most beginner-friendly WordPress SEO plugin out there.
Keeping the UX #1 priority, optimizing the webpage was a swift experience. With AIOSEO’s trust score, you’ll know what to change to take the page higher on SERP. I especially found it helpful for-
- LOCAL SEO,
- WOOCOMMERCE SEO,
- GOOGLE AMP
Plus, the OpenAI’s natural language processing technology integration for internal linking makes it even hotter. Some coolest features of this plugin are-
- Rich Snippets Schema
- Smart XML Sitemaps
- Video SEO Sitemaps
- Robots.txt Editor
- Redirection Manager
Pricing
Basic | Plus | Pro | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|
$49.60/Year | $99.60/Year | $199.60/Year | $299.60/Year |
For individual Blogger | For businesses who want to do more | Great for SEO nerd | Premier solution for smart business owners & agencies |
Perfect for-
- Smart business owners,
- woocommerce store Managers,
- SEO experts,
- Marketers,
- And developers
#4 SEOPress
The beloved WordPress plugin by SEO nerds.
Yes, we’re talking about SEOPress, a toolkit that believes SEO is for everyone.
SEOPress is built for getting blog traffic off the ground by coding your content in a way that search engines like Google and Bing love.
No ads, data collected or white label- this WordPress plugin is now teamed up with AI for advanced-level content analysis. The feature that makes this plugin (only on the Pro version, though) stand out are-
- Import / export metadata from/to CSV file.
- Internal linking suggestions
- Inspect URL with Google Search Console
- Search Console integration
- Google Suggestions in Content Analysis
Pricing
SEOPress Basic | SEOPress PRO | SEOPress Bundle |
|---|---|---|
Free | $49 / year | $128 / year |
Perfect for-
- Small business
- Bloggers
- SEO expert
- Developers & agencies
#5 The SEO Framework
No more tangled webs of confusion when it comes to optimizing your website.
The SEO Framework handles each tiny SEO optimization task, taking the weight off your shoulders. This Amazing plugin can seamlessly integrate into the familiar WordPress dashboard, making accessing all the essential settings a breeze.
Speed matters in the digital realm.
10000%!
And The SEO Framework knows it very well. This plugin is built with performance in mind, ensuring minimal impact on your website’s loading times.
Wondering how?
It uses smart caching techniques and optimizes code to keep your site running like a well-oiled machine. Another thing I love most about this plugin is that you can effortlessly implement structured data with just a few clicks, giving you a competitive edge in the search results. Some great features that keep it ahead-
- Easy to get started.
- Intelligently generate critical SEO meta tags
- SEO attack protection.
- 12x faster than others.
- Checked against more than 70 issues
Pricing
Free | Pro | Business | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|
$0 | $7/month | $17/month | $27/month |
Perfect for-
- Blogger
- SEO specialist
- Freelancer
- Entrepreneur
#6 Squirrly SEO
In a world where the SEO landscape is fiercely competitive, The SEO Framework plugin shines like a guiding light.
Ok, I know that sounds too dramatic, but this plugin is really dope.
…….Especially for keyword research.
With its intelligent keyword research feature, you’ll discover hidden gems your competitors may have overlooked. Data-driven keyword optimization makes attracting the right audience to your website easier. As they have a maximum caching time is about 48 hours, you’ll get fresh data for kw research. Some of its breathtaking features are-
- Expert AI Guidance
- In-Depth Performance Tracking
- Works on Front-end of your Favorite Builders
- Smooth GSC and GA integration
Pricing
Pro | Business | Agency |
|---|---|---|
20.99/Month | 71.99/Month | 75.99/Month |
Perfect for:
- Small business owners,
- content creators,
- SAAS
- freelancers,
- and agencies
#7 Site Kit
Ok, you give your blood, sweat and tears on SEO, but how can you know if your SEO efforts are paying off?
Site Kit is the webmaster’s All-in-One Data Hub. The plugin gives you a crystal ball to gaze into your website’s performance. Bringing together key data from-
- Google Analytics,
- Adsense
- Google Search Console,
- Tag manager
- PageSpeed Insights,
- and more.
It’s like having a central control room where you can monitor, analyze, and optimize your website’s performance without ever leaving your WordPress dashboard.
Remember, Data is king.
Once set up, its user-friendly interface makes data analysis and optimization a breeze, even for those new to analytics. Trust me- You’ll be utilizing your website’s data like a pro in no time.
Pricing: It’s powered by Google and totally free.
Perfect for-
- A site owner
- Agency
- A developer
- A hosting or plugin provider
#8 Smush
A picture is worth a thousand words.
So true!
But when it comes to website performance, it can also be worth a thousand headaches. Fear not; The Smush Plugin is here to save the day!
It works its magic by automatically compressing and optimizing your images without sacrificing quality. Even if your site needs bulky optimization, the plugin will handle this in literally one click. No more technical wizardry is required—just a few simple clicks, and your images are on their way to perfection.
The plugin’s motto is to make your website load lightning-fast, even with image-rich pages. Here are some great features you’ll get by installing this WordPress tool-
- Serve WebP images
- Automatic image compression
- Ace Google PageSpeed
- Auto-convert to the fastest image format
- 112-point CDN
- Multisite global and subsite settings
Pricing
1 site | 3 sites | 10 sites | Unlimited sites |
|---|---|---|---|
$90/Year | $150/year | $390/Year | $990/Year |
Perfect for-
- Hosting provider
- Blogger
- Agency
#9 Link Whisper
Internal linking isn’t just about guiding visitors; it also plays a crucial role in SEO.
But the only problem?
Linking articles has never been easier.
….. &’s kinda boring too.
Thankfully, we have The Link Whisper, powered by AI. It is a Plugin that seamlessly integrates with your WordPress editor. With a simple click, you can add or remove internal links. The purpose is to focus on crafting engaging content without interruption.
How does it work?
It will analyze your content and automatic link suggestions as you write. Yup, it is that smart. And it believes that no orphan page should be unnoticed.
The feature I like most is it shows internal link suggestions for other sites you own. How cool is that? The free WordPress one is good, but the Premium one is even better. For example-
- Auto-linking
- add internal inbound links to old pages
- Add target SEO keywords
- Bulk link changer
- Broken link checker
Pricing
1 site | 3 sites | 10 sites |
|---|---|---|
$77 | $117 | $167 |
Perfect for
- Content Manager
- Bloggers
- Site owner
#10 Broken Link Checker
Broken links are called the smooth criminal.
Why?
They may not create a huge mass directly, but they do hamper the UX, and SEO, aka overall site health. That’s why taking care of broken links is part of an SEO expert’s job. But dealing with the broken link of a large site is not a cakewalk.
You need to take help from tools to manage these links smartly. Broken Link Checker is surely the best deal for the bucks now(or maybe the best free SEO plugin for WordPress 2023).
This is a cloud-based link checker which does a manual scan(deep)and detects all the links that have been broken and need to take care of. BLC has been a trustworthy name in the online industry for over a decade now. Some outstanding features are worth to be mention-
- Unlimited page & URL checker
- Monitors external links and internal links
- Advanced search filtering
Pricing: Free
Perfect for-
- Developers,
- Freelancers,
- Site-owners,
- And agencies
#11 Really Simple SSL
“Not Secure’ and a warning to users that their data is not safe with you.”
Now please tell me how your user will feel seeing this.
You know the answer. Every website deserves to be safe and secure. The Really Simple SSL makes getting the SSL easier than ever.
HTTP to HTTPS in just one click.
Even if you’re quite new in this online world, you can manage it. The support and documentation of this plugin are something I really appreciate. Some premium feature that makes this plugin bloggers’ favourite are-
- Control browser features(e.g. geolocation, camera and microphones.)
- Easy SSL Migration
- Vulnerability Detection
Pricing
Personal | Professional | Agency |
|---|---|---|
$39/Year | $99/Year | $199/Year |
Single License | 5 domains | 25 domains |
Perfect for
- Hosting Provider
- Site owner
- Big agencies
- Bloggers
#12 Redirection
Keep track of 404 & 301 easily with Redirection.
And the best part?
You can monitor all permalink redirection with zero Apache or Nginx knowledge. By default, Redirection will manage all redirects using WordPress. Reduce error and improve the ranking- that’s the end goal.
Another great thing about this plugin, it is compatible with Search Regex, which means bulk updating your redirects becomes a breeze. Noteworthy features are-
- Conditionally Redirect
- Track 404 Errors
- Full Logging
- Import & Export
Pricing: There is no premium version, and it’s totally free.
Perfect for-
- E-commerce site owner
- Blogger
- SEO Analytics
#13 Ahrefs SEO
From position check to track referring domain, the Ahrefs WP plugin has become the go-to content audits tool for bloggers and marketers.
And it’s probably the most popular content auditor right now.
Especially for existing content. You can analyze the performance of your content, see how it works on SERP and find opportunities for improvement.
As simple as it sounds!
This plugin is so widely used that they crawl 5M pages every minute. AS Ahrefs do integration with GA & GSC, Each content audit combines accurate data including:
- Number of backlinks
- Total traffic and organic traffic (GA)
- Traffic median
- Position of the article’s target keyword (GSC)
Pricing
Lite | standard | Advance | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
$99 | $199 | $399 | $999 |
Perfect for-
- Small business
- Freelancer SEOs
- In-house marketing team
- Marketing Consultant
- Agency and enterprise
#14 Semrush SEO Writing Assistant
Semrush SEO Writing Assistant is the WP plugin that will make you a fellow wordsmith in no time.
It goes beyond simple keyword suggestions. It provides detailed insights into your content’s readability, tone of voice, and originality.
With Semrush, you will feel like you have your own personal SEO guru right beside me, guiding me toward content that resonates with both search engines and readers. You’ll have valuable suggestions to enhance the quality of your writing-
- Eliminating wordiness
- Improving sentence structure,
- Rich vocabulary
- And keep readability a priority
The result?
Clear, concise, and captivating content that keeps readers hooked from the first word to the last. What pled me most is the seaming less integration. Whether you’re working in Google Docs, WordPress, or any other platform, Semrush SEO Writing Assistant effortlessly integrates with your workflow.
Pricing
Pro | Guru | Business |
|---|---|---|
5 projects | 15 projects | 40 projects |
$119.95/month | $229.95/month | $449.95/month |
Perfect for-
- Writer
- Content Creator
- Blogger
- Event Manager/blogger
- SEO Specialist
#15 LiteSpeed Cache
Sick and tired of sluggish load times and frustrating delays?
As a user who craves top-notch performance, this plugin has revolutionized the way I optimize my website.
Its intelligent caching system effortlessly reduces page load times and minimizes server load, resulting in a snappy browsing experience that keeps visitors engaged and coming back for more. It allows you to cache dynamic content selectively, providing lightning-fast loading times for dynamic pages.
No matter how heavy the traffic is!
From minifying CSS and JavaScript files to lazy loading images and implementing browser caching, this plugin will touch everything to maximise speed. Litespeed exclusive features include-
- Automatic page caching
- Private cache for logged-in users
- Ability to schedule purge for specified URLs
- Caching of WordPress REST API calls
- Smart preload crawler
- Multiple crawlers for cache vary
- Separate caching of desktop and mobile views
- API system for easy cache integration
- HTTP/2 support
Pricing
LITESPEED WEB SERVER ENTERPRISE | LITESPEED WEB ADC |
|---|---|
Free | Starting from $65/month |
Perfect for
- Developer
- Web designer
- Blogger
- Site owner
Final Words…….
SEO is an ever-changing landscape.
All you can do is try to stick with the basics- help the reader with authentic information. And the secret sauce is presenting that info with SEO tactics. Here is a sneak peek of the best SEO plugin for WordPress sites from my point of view-
- All in One SEO- Best SEO plugin for WordPress woo commerce
- Yoast SEO- Best WordPress SEO plugins for beginners
- Link whisper-Best Premium SEO plugin for WordPress
Before wrapping up, I want to confess something……
Installing SEO plugins, as I mentioned earlier, won’t automatically improve your SEO. But I can suggest you keep up the good SEO practice. One warning, don’t install each of them and mess things up. Choose whatever works best for you and use them as an assistant.
Best luck, folks!
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