There’s a TON of SEO-related plugins available for WordPress. On last check, there were over 3,400+ in the public WP plugin repository. We’ve tried and tested a decent amount of them, but by no means have we had the time or resources to look over all.
With that said, over the years there are a few that we keep coming back to and almost always install on any new site we develop/manage for clients.
In alphabetical order, the 5 SEO WordPress plugins we recommend are:
1. All In One SEO Pack
All In One SEO Pack is an all-encompassing plugin which takes care of a multitude of SEO elements. It is great for specifying page title formats, canonicalization, meta elements, webmaster verification and robots indexing (among other things).
What’s nice about All In One SEO Pack is the simplicity of it all. All configurations can be found on a single, long-form page which allows for settings to be addressed and altered in a sequential and orderly manner. This makes the task of optimizing your website’s architecture and technical aspects surprisingly easy and taken care of relatively quickly. There is also a PRO version of All In One SEO Pack, which allows you to generate sitemaps and alter robots.txt files.
To download All In One SEO Pack, click here.
2. Autoptimize
As you may or may not know, the faster a webpage loads, the better (for everyone!). To speed things up, you can implement a number of plugins – one of those being Autoptimize.
Autoptimize gives you the ability to speed up your pages by optimizing your sites overall performance, including JavaScript, CSS, HTML, images, Google fonts, emojis and more.
To download Autoptimize, click here.
3. Header Footer Code Manager
While not *technically* a SEO plugin, HFCM is a plugin that we recommend to all SEOs and webmasters alike. Prior to HFCM, we would constantly have to edit our code using the WordPress theme editor. Not anymore.
Adding and removing various blocks of code sounds infrequent, but it happens more often than you may realize. Whether it’s web analytics, domain and console verification, structured data or any other reason, having this plugin makes it a thousand times easier to manage.
Another great feature of HFCM is the ability to choose where exactly your code is found on, such as a specific page or sitewide. You can even choose to have your code only display on mobile devices or desktop. Once you start using HCFM, you’ll wonder how you ever got around without it.
To download Header Footer Code Manager, click here.
4. Simple 301 Redirects
Like the name suggests, Simple 301 Redirects helps you create a quick, effective 301 for any page on your site and redirect it to any URL you choose. It works instantly and can just as easily be deleted if necessary.
Simple 301 Redirects also has a wildcard option if you are looking to redirect an entire domain e.g. if you want to ensure Website1.com/page5 redirects to Website2.com/page5 and Website1.com/page9 redirects to Website2.com/page9 without having to repeatedly set up individual redirects.
To download Simple 301 Redirects, click here.
5. Simple WP Sitemap
While there are a myriad of sitemap generators to choose from, what makes Simple WP Sitemap great is its ability to instantly update after a new page is created or even deleted.
Simple WP Sitemap creates a XML sitemap that is easy to understand to both the search engines and users alike. There is no advertising or excess information in any sitemap they create. In terms of customization, you can sort pages by posted date, last updated, alphabetically or randomly. There is also the option to create a HTML sitemap version, block certain pages and include categories/tags if you choose.
The premium version of Simple WP Sitemap goes even further, allowing you to split sitemaps into multiples, create image sitemaps, exclude directories and more.
To download Simple WP Sitemap, click here.
6. Wordfence Security
Even the most secure websites get hacked from time to time. It’s not enough to rely on your web hosting company to provide adequate security.
Wordfence is a fantastic solution for keeping your site safe from any external threats. It’s highly customizable and surprisingly effective. There is a pro version if you need extra features, but most webmasters will be just fine with the free version.
To download Wordfence, click here.
Final Thoughts
We hope these SEO plugins have been helpful. But don’t stop there. Many more plugins are waiting to be discovered, developed and repurposed for maximum search visibility and optimal user experience. Install, activate, test, reiterate. That’s the way to win!
