Yoast SEO Premium offers a range of free features and benefits that can help improve your website's search engine rankings and overall online presence.
One of the key benefits of Yoast SEO Premium is its ability to analyze your website's readability and suggest improvements. This feature helps to ensure that your content is easy to read and understand, which is essential for keeping your visitors engaged.
The free version of Yoast SEO Premium also includes a keyword research tool that allows you to find relevant keywords and phrases for your content. This tool can be especially useful for bloggers and content creators who want to optimize their posts for search engines.
Yoast SEO Premium's free features also include a content analysis tool that evaluates the quality and relevance of your content. This tool provides a score and suggestions for improvement, helping you to create high-quality content that resonates with your audience.
WordPress Setup
When setting up Yoast SEO on your WordPress website, it's essential to follow the initial setup wizard. This wizard will guide you through the basic setup, but if you're importing SEO data from another plugin, you'll need to do that first.
To import your SEO data, you can skip Step 1 and directly run Step 2 in the first-time configuration wizard. However, if you're setting up Yoast SEO on an existing website, you'll need to import your existing SEO data first.
The first-time configuration wizard covers several key steps, including configuring site basics, making site connections to search engines, and fine-tuning advanced settings. Here's a quick rundown of the steps covered in the wizard:
- Importing Your SEO Data
- Running the First-Time Configuration Wizard
- Configuring the Yoast SEO Settings – Site Basics
- Making Site Connections to Search Engines
- Fine-Tuning the Advanced Settings
By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to optimizing your WordPress website with Yoast SEO.
Configuring Site Basics
Configuring Site Basics is a crucial step in setting up your WordPress website. You'll want to start by setting up basic SEO appearance settings. To do this, go to the Yoast SEO » Settings page and switch to the ‘Site Basics’ tab. Here, you can change your site title, add an alternate title (optional), provide a tagline, and choose a title separator, which appears in the browser’s title bar.
The most commonly used title separator is the dash symbol. Under ‘Site preferences,’ make sure that the option next to ‘Restrict advanced settings for authors’ is turned on. This ensures that authors cannot set up redirects or block search engines when working on an article.
To complete the site basics configuration, you'll need to enter an SEO title and description for your home page. You can do this by switching to the ‘SEO Titles & Meta Description’ tab and filling in the required fields.
Here are the key settings you'll need to configure for your site basics:
- Site title and alternate title (optional)
- Tagline
- Title separator
- SEO title and description for your home page
- Restrict advanced settings for authors
Don't forget to save your changes when you have finished making them.
Adjusting Search Settings
To adjust your WordPress search settings, start by switching to the 'Content types' tab in the Yoast SEO settings. From here, you can set the default options for how different content types will appear in search results.
Make sure that the toggle next to the 'Show posts in search results' option is turned on, and use variables to set a default format for SEO titles in your posts by adding %excerpt as the default variable in the 'Meta description' field.
The default settings for Yoast SEO are highly optimized and should work for most websites, but you can customize them to fit your specific needs.
To configure the default search appearance option for categories, switch to the 'Categories' tab and make sure the option 'Show categories in search results' is turned on.
XML Sitemaps
XML Sitemaps are a crucial part of SEO, helping search engine crawlers quickly and easily find all the pages on your website.
You can create XML sitemaps using tools like Yoast SEO, which helps users create XML sitemaps for all their web pages.
XML sitemaps help Google discover your site pages, making it easier for crawlers to index all the content on your site.
Publishing a new page or post will automatically include it in the XML sitemap, thanks to the Yoast SEO plugin.
You can easily enable the XML Sitemap feature by going to SEO and checking the option of “XML Sitemap.”
Google can still crawl and index pages without submitting a sitemap through the Search Console, but it's recommended to always submit a sitemap.
With Yoast Premium and free, you can use the XML Sitemap feature, making it one of the best sitemap plugins for WordPress.
Redirect Manager
Setting up redirects on your WordPress site is a great way to improve your SEO performance and keep visitors on your site.
Redirects are especially important when you delete a page or move it to a different URL, as this can lead to 404 errors and a frustrating user experience.
The Yoast Premium plugin offers an automatic redirect feature, which creates redirects as soon as you delete a page or move it to a new URL, helping you avoid dead-ends and maintain a smooth workflow.
This feature is a big plus for those who want to keep their site organized and user-friendly, and it's a key difference between the Yoast Free and Premium plugins.
Social Media Integration
Social media integration is a crucial aspect of your WordPress setup. It helps increase brand visibility on key platforms.
With advanced social media integration, you can automate shares of new content so your followers are always up to date with what's happening on your site. This feature optimizes the appearance of any content shared on social media.
All images shared on social media will have the right size and formatting, ensuring a professional look. This attention to detail can make a big difference in how your brand is perceived.
By automating shares, you can save time and focus on creating more content for your audience. This can help increase engagement and drive more traffic to your site.
SEO Configuration
To configure the Yoast SEO settings, start by going to the Yoast SEO » Settings page and switching to the ‘Site Basics’ tab. Here, you can change your site title, add an alternate title, provide a tagline, and choose a title separator.
The title separator appears in the browser’s title bar, and the dash symbol is the most commonly used. Restrict advanced settings for authors by turning on the option next to ‘Restrict advanced settings for authors’.
Don’t forget to save your changes when you’re finished making them. To enter an SEO title and description for your home page, go to the Yoast SEO » Settings page and enter the necessary information.
To add descriptions, you must switch to the ‘Description’ tab.
Content Optimization
Content optimization is key to making your website visible in search engine results. Yoast SEO's free version helps users analyze their content for SEO-related factors such as keyword density, readability, and meta descriptions.
You can optimize your content by adding a focus keyphrase or keyword, which is the main keyword that users will type into search engines to find your post. This helps Yoast SEO check your post content for SEO and readability analysis.
To further optimize your content, make sure to write a custom SEO description because the excerpt generator only picks up the first paragraph, which might not be the most important one.
Content Analysis
Content Analysis is a crucial step in content optimization. It helps you identify areas where you can improve your content's SEO and readability.
Yoast SEO's free version can analyze your content for SEO-related factors such as keyword density, readability, and meta descriptions. This can help improve your website's visibility in search engine results.
The signal lights scoring system in Yoast SEO lets you identify areas where you can quickly improve. This feature is available in both the free and premium versions of Yoast SEO.
With Yoast SEO, you can input only one keyword in the free version, but the premium version allows you to choose up to 3 focus keywords in a single post. This helps to rank for multiple keywords in a single post.
Advanced analysis of the content ensures your pages are using relevant keywords in the correct context. This is especially important for user experience, as it ensures that your content is readable and easy to understand.
The premium version of Yoast SEO also offers a detailed analysis of content readability, which is incredibly important for user experience.
Image Optimization
Image optimization is crucial for any website, as it can improve loading times and positively impact SEO.
Images can make content more visually appealing and engaging.
Optimizing images involves sizing them correctly and compressing them in the most effective way possible. This helps to improve loading times.
Advanced Features
Advanced page analysis is a key feature of Yoast SEO, ensuring your pages use relevant keywords in the correct context.
This feature also provides a detailed analysis of content readability, which is crucial for user experience. It's incredibly important to make sure your content is easy to read and understand.
Yoast SEO offers a range of advanced features, including the ability to change the post's SEO title and meta description on a per-post basis.
Focus keyword testing is another feature that helps you optimize your content for search engines. This feature allows you to test multiple focus keywords and see which ones perform best.
The premium version of Yoast SEO includes a redirect manager, which makes it easy to set up redirects and improve your site's navigation.
Internal linking suggestions are also available in the premium version, helping you improve your site's user experience and search engine rankings.
Here are some of the key features of Yoast SEO Premium, compared to the free version:
Yoast SEO Premium also includes advanced social media integration, which helps increase brand visibility on key platforms. This feature can help automate shares of new content so that followers are always up to date with what's happening on your site.
Plugin Comparison
If you're considering upgrading to Yoast SEO Premium, it's worth understanding the key differences between the free and premium versions. One of the main benefits of Yoast SEO Premium is the ability to use multiple focus keywords.
The free version of Yoast SEO does not support multiple focus keywords, but the premium version does. This can be a game-changer for bloggers and content creators who want to optimize their content for multiple search terms.
Here's a comparison of some of the key features of Yoast SEO Free and Premium:
These are just a few of the key differences between Yoast SEO Free and Premium. If you're serious about optimizing your website for search engines, the premium version may be worth the investment.
Premium vs Comparison Table
The Yoast SEO plugin offers two versions: free and premium. The free version is, well, free, but it's limited in its features.
The premium version, on the other hand, offers a host of extra features, including a redirect manager, content insights tool, social previews, and Google snippet editor.
One of the key differences between the two versions is the ability to set multiple focus keywords, which is only available in the premium version.
Here's a comparison of the two versions:
As you can see, the premium version offers a lot more features than the free version. If you're serious about SEO, it's definitely worth considering the premium version.
Features Comparison
The free version of Yoast SEO is a great starting point for beginners, offering a range of essential SEO features, including a readability check, breadcrumbs, and canonical URLs. However, it's limited in its functionality compared to the premium version.
The premium version of Yoast SEO offers a host of extra features, including social snippet previews, multiple focus keywords, and a redirect manager. These features can be a game-changer for those looking to take their SEO to the next level.
Here's a comparison of the two versions:
As you can see, the premium version offers a significant number of additional features that can help improve your website's SEO performance. If you're serious about optimizing your website, the extra features of the premium version may be worth the investment.
Alternatives to WordPress
If you're looking to explore alternatives to WordPress, you've got plenty of options. SEOPress is a user-friendly plugin with a free option that packs a punch, making it a great choice for those who want strong features without breaking the bank.
SEOPress is particularly notable for its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy to navigate and use even for beginners. On the other hand, Rank Math SEO is more geared towards content writers and those who need help with redirecting.
The SEO Framework is a performance-focused plugin that's great for those who want a beginner-friendly option for basic SEO needs. It's lightweight and easy to use, making it a great choice for smaller websites or blogs.
Here are some top alternatives to WordPress:
Squirrly SEO is another option worth considering, especially if you're looking for an AI-powered solution that offers live feedback and workflow automation.
Yoast SEO Premium
Yoast SEO Premium offers a host of extra features not available in the free version, including a redirect manager, content insights tool, social previews, and Google snippet editor.
The premium version also includes internal link suggestions, which can help improve site navigation, and the ability to export focus keywords for analysis.
With Yoast SEO Premium, you'll have access to priority support for any issues or questions you may have, as well as 1-year support.
Here's a comparison of some of the key features of Yoast SEO Premium and the free version:
The free version of Yoast SEO can effectively rank almost any website, but Yoast Premium goes beyond by providing additional features that can help you optimize your website for search engines.
Optimization Tools
Yoast SEO Premium offers a range of optimization tools to help you improve your website's search engine ranking.
Keyword optimization is a crucial factor in SEO, and Yoast SEO Premium provides a keyword optimization helper to identify potential keywords for your pages and posts.
You can choose up to 3 focus keywords in a single post with Yoast Premium, helping you rank for multiple keywords in one go.
Images are also important for your website, and Yoast SEO Premium makes it easy to optimize them by ensuring they are sized correctly and compressed for the web.
Optimizing your posts and pages is key to maximizing the benefits of Yoast SEO Premium, and you can do this by customizing the settings per post in the Yoast SEO meta box.
Adding a focus keyphrase or keyword is a good starting point, and Yoast SEO will then check your post content for SEO and readability analysis.
Don't stress too much about the analysis report, just use it to improve your content and make it more user-friendly.
Yoast SEO Premium also provides basic support for online stores and eCommerce websites using WooCommerce, allowing you to optimize your product pages just like blog posts and pages.
However, if you're using WooCommerce, you'll need to purchase the Yoast WooCommerce SEO add-on for extended eCommerce features.
Yoast SEO Setup
To set up Yoast SEO, start by installing and activating the plugin. Upon activation, you'll notice a new menu item labeled Yoast SEO, which you can click on to run the 'First-time configuration' wizard.
The wizard will guide you through the initial setup, but if you're setting up Yoast SEO on an existing website, you'll need to import your existing SEO data first. This is an important step, as it will ensure that your previous SEO efforts aren't lost.
The Yoast SEO setup process involves several steps, including running the first-time configuration wizard, configuring the Yoast SEO settings – Site Basics, making site connections to search engines, and fine-tuning the advanced settings. Here's a quick overview of the steps involved:
- Importing Your SEO Data
- Running the First-Time Configuration Wizard
- Configuring the Yoast SEO Settings – Site Basics
- Making Site Connections to Search Engines
- Fine-Tuning the Advanced Settings
Note that the default settings for Yoast SEO are highly optimized and should work for most websites.
Setting Up WordPress Plugin
To start setting up the Yoast SEO plugin, you'll first need to install and activate it. For more details on how to do this, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
You'll notice a new menu item labeled Yoast SEO after activation. Upon clicking on it, you'll be prompted to run the 'First-time configuration' wizard.
If you're setting up Yoast SEO on an existing website, you'll need to import your existing SEO data first. This can be done by heading to the Yoast SEO » Tools page and clicking on the 'Import and Export' link.
The first-time configuration wizard will guide you through the initial setup. You can skip Step 1 and directly run Step 2 if you're setting it up on a new WordPress website.
Here's an overview of the steps you'll need to follow to set up Yoast SEO:
- Importing Your SEO Data
- Running the First-Time Configuration Wizard
- Configuring the Yoast SEO Settings – Site Basics
- Making Site Connections to Search Engines
- Setting Up Content Types Display for Search Results
- Step 6: Adjusting Category & Tag Search Settings
- Fine-Tuning the Advanced Settings
- Exploring Advanced Task Settings in Tools
- Integrating Yoast SEO With Third-Party Platforms
- Optimizing Your Posts and Pages With Yoast SEO
- Optimizing Taxonomies for SEO (Categories and Tags)
- Optimizing eCommerce Products
- Monitoring and Tracking SEO Performance
Advanced Page Analysis
With Yoast SEO, you can do an advanced page analysis to ensure your pages are using relevant keywords in the correct context.
This feature offers a detailed analysis of content readability, which is incredibly important for user experience. It's not just about search engines; it's also about making your content easy to understand for your visitors.
The plugin checks your post content for SEO and readability analysis, so you can view the analysis to improve your article further. This helps you identify areas where you can quickly improve.
The Yoast SEO meta box below the post editor provides a new level of customization, allowing you to add a 'Focus keyphrase' or keyword, which is the main keyword that you think your users will type into search engines to find this post.
You should write a custom SEO description because the excerpt generator only picks up the first paragraph, which might not be the most important one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Yoast SEO for free?
Yes, you can use Yoast SEO for free, with access to a range of features to help you improve your website's search engine ranking. For additional premium features and support, consider upgrading to Yoast SEO Premium.
Is Yoast SEO free any good?
The free version of Yoast SEO is suitable for basic optimization needs, but for advanced features and more comprehensive search engine optimization, consider upgrading to a paid plan. It's worth exploring the free version first to see if it meets your needs.
Sources
- https://10web.io/blog/yoast-premium-vs-free/
- https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/how-to-install-and-setup-wordpress-seo-plugin-by-yoast/
- https://www.bookingpressplugin.com/yoast-seo-alternatives/
- https://azibyaqoob.com/yoast-seo-free-vs-yoast-seo-premium-full-review/
- https://www.lodestarmg.com/2020/01/03/free-vs-premium-yoast-seo-plug-in-worth-the-cost/
Featured Images: pexels.com