When it comes to building a website using WordPress, there is an overwhelming amount of useful plugins, with virtually every aspect of site design and optimisation being catered to.

One of the first plugins users look to is an SEO tool. An effective SEO plugin will set up a site using as much detail as required, ensuring it is best placed to secure high rankings. Amongst the variety of plugins available in the database, Yoast SEO is one of the most popular options which helps to optimise numerous WordPress sites.

So what are some of the key features that make Yoast SEO a go-to option for so many users?

Readability Analysis

Page dwell time is a vital factor in SEO, so it’s important that visitors stay on a page for as long as possible. Creating readable content is vital to the process; elements like subheadings are effective in making content more digestible, as they help to break up the page. Yoast SEO analyses the readability of a post and helps create better content for visitors.

Duplicate Content Prevention

A piece of content published on a WordPress site can often appear in a category and tag page, creating multiple versions of the same page. Yoast SEO can help avoid duplicate content issues in a number of ways. For example, you can set a canonical link as your preferred version of the page. Additionally, you can choose to add a nofollow value to your category and tag pages.

Primary Keyword Optimisation

A piece of content will usually include a target keyword that you hope will rank on the search engine. While there are no certainties when it comes to keyword density and placement, Yoast SEO makes to easy for your keyword to appeal to search engines, providing suggestions for better keyword usage in an article.

Easy Technical Configuration

Most WordPress users choose the platform for its simplicity. There are various technical SEO factors that enable Google to crawl a website, and detection of any issues potentially prevents good ranking positions. Yoast SEO will generate a sitemap and ensure your site is set up correctly, building a configuration that is carefully optimised for the search engine.

Additional Premium Features

Yoast SEO comes in free and premium options. The listed features are all available without any charge, but you can enhance the plugin by choosing a premium plan. Some premium features include additional keyword optimisation, internal linking assistance, easy page redirects, and customer support. The free plugin covers most SEO needs, but for users who want greater control, the additional premium features are worthwhile.

While there are a number of competing plugins that will help your WordPress site rank in search engines, anyone who is serious about SEO will consider Yoast as the most viable option. The scope and level of detail goes beyond most alternatives, so you can build a site that is highly optimised. Yoast SEO has proven its effectiveness over the years, making it a go-to option for countless site owners around the world.