1. Yoast SEO
One of the most popular WordPress plugins is Yoast SEO. It has gained immense popularity owing to its huge range of features that allow the user to optimize their site for both search engine bots and humans as well. Yoast SEO is so popular because it is easy to use, and gives you control over the optimization and readability of your content. As a result, you don’t have to write for Google, or any other search engine, you can just write for humans and still end up with content that ranks better. Yoast SEO’s main features include:- Submit an XML sitemap to help Google and Bing index your site;
- Set the focus keyword for your content;
- Edit the snippet of text that is displayed on search results alongside your title;
- Shows you how to optimize your site by providing suggestions;
- Adds canonical tags to ensure there’s no duplication of content;
- Allows you to control breadcrumbs on your site;
- Allows multiple focus keywords;
- Monitor the number of inbound and outbound links;
- Integration with the Google Search Console;
- A readability score to help you improve your content.
2. Google XML Sitemap
An XML sitemap helps search engines index your website, by listing the URLs of all of your content, as well as their likelihood to need indexing. Google XML Sitemap generates this important file for you. The main benefit of Google XML Sitemap is that you can update your file regularly, which is important if you have lots of fresh content to add frequently. It also ensures that you don’t make any mistakes, which could damage your ranking. Google XML Sitemap has been around for almost a decade, and is one of the most widely installed plugins. Once installed, it can take care of all of the work for you. It’s recommended that you use XML Sitemap as soon as you start publishing with WordPress. (You’ll need to use the Google Search Console to submit the URL of the sitemap itself.)3. W3 Total Cache
An important aspect for every marketer is website speed. The reason being that a slow website, leads to a high abandon rate. With dwindling attention spans, users simply won’t tolerate a slow site. Ultimately a high abandon rate means a downgrading of your search engine ranking, so it’s vital you keep your site fast. W3 Total Cache Plugin allows a website to scale, and avoids crashes even when there’s a massive influx of traffic. It enhances both user experience, and SEO by reducing download time and improving performance with the help of a CDN (content delivery network). For a marketer or business owner hoping to build organic traffic, this plugin is essential. Leading web hosts such as Page.ly, Synthesis, Dream Host, Media Temple, GoDaddy, and Hostgator recommend W3 Total Cache. The main features of W3 Total Cache are:- A 10x improvement in overall website performance (tested with Google Page Speed and WebPagetest);
- Repeat pages views instantly thanks to caching;
- Pages render faster;
- Visitors spend more time on your site;
- The server performs better, especially at times of high-traffic;
- Approximately an 80% reduction in bandwidth through minification of resources;
- Compatibility with shared hosting, virtual private servers, and dedicated servers;
- Transparent CDN management;
- Support for Accelerated Mobile Pages;
- SSL compatibility;
- Option to use cache-control for browser caching, future expire headers, and entity tags;
- Access to caching statistics to provide insight into website performance.
Bonus Tips to Enhance Search Engine Ranking
For novice marketers, the All-in-One SEO Pack lets you optimize WordPress sites for search engines without any additional effort. It generates meta tags and optimizes titles automatically. Those just starting out can simply focus on content and let this plugin take care of the rest. Images make content much more attractive. SEO Optimized Images is a great plugin that dynamically adds search engine-friendly alt and title attributes to any images you add. This in turn will benefit your search ranking and lead to more visitors. Simple URLs allows you to manage all the links on your website by using custom post types and 301 redirects, tracking outbound links from your site. Broken links will damage your ranking. The Broken Link Checker runs through all of your posts, comments, and other content and notifies you of any dead or broken link. You can then edit the links from the plugin’s page instead of updating ever post manually.Wrapping Up
Whether you’re a newbie or an expert, these simple to use plugins can be invaluable in driving organic traffic to your site. Avoid adding too many plugins, which will slow down your site, and stick to these tried and tested solutions to take care of the vast majority of your needs. Featured image via DepositPhotos.Nisarg Mehta
Nisarg Mehta is the CEO & Chairman of Techtic Solutions Inc. Nisarg is active in operations in his daily routine as he is one of the key decision makers in terms of technological advancements of the company. He is a friendly leader with hardworking, motivating, visionary and passionate personality.
Read Next
LimeWire Developer APIs Herald a New Era of AI Integration
Generative AI is a fascinating technology. Far from the design killer some people feared, it is an empowering and…
By WDD Staff
20 Best New Websites, March 2024
Welcome to our pick of sites for March. This month’s collection tends towards the simple and clean, which goes to show…
Exciting New Tools for Designers, March 2024
The fast-paced world of design never stops turning, and staying ahead of the curve is essential for creatives. As…
Web Tech Trends to Watch in 2024 and Beyond
It hardly seems possible given the radical transformations we’ve seen over the last few decades, but the web design…
By Louise North
6 Best AI Productivity Apps in 2024
There’s no escaping it: if you want to be successful, you need to be productive. The more you work, the more you…
By Simon Sterne
3 Essential Design Trends, February 2024
From atypical typefaces to neutral colors to unusual user patterns, there are plenty of new website design trends to…
Surviving the Leap from College to Real-World Design
So, you’ve finished college and are ready to showcase your design skills to the world. This is a pivotal moment that…
By Simon Sterne
20 Mind-Bending Illusions That Will Make You Question Reality
Mind-bending videos. Divisive Images. Eye-straining visuals. This list of optical illusions has it all. Join us as we…
By Max Walton
15 Best New Fonts, February 2024
Welcome to February’s roundup of the best new fonts for designers. This month’s compilation includes some innovative…
By Ben Moss
The 10 Best WordPress Quiz Plugins in 2024
Whether it’s boosting your organic search visibility or collecting data for targeted email marketing campaigns, a great…
By Robert Reeve
20 Best New Websites, February 2024
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, so this latest collection is a billet-doux celebrating the best of the web this month.
Everything You Need to Know About Image Formats In 2024
Always trying to walk the tightrope between image quality and file size? Looking to branch out from JPGs and PNGs this…
By Robert Reeve