Search engine optimization is one of the most important areas in web design. Anyone who doesn't take first place on Google & Co. has already lost. It is important to adhere to the rules so that the search engine algorithms can find the website. There are now a variety of free and paid plugins for WordPress that offer excellent support for on-page optimization of a WordPress website and relieve a lot of work.
One plugin has come to the fore as the top dog here in recent years – Yoast SEO. It was one of the first and best plugins that offered exactly the help with on-page optimization that the ambitious WordPress web designer wanted. While most designers' knowledge of search engine optimization was still very rudimentary a few years ago, Yoast SEO was a real help. For a long time it was the top dog among SEO plugins. With a free version and a premium version (payable per website for around 80 euros for a year of support and updates) you had all the help you needed.
Word quickly spread and everyone used the plugin to take their search engine optimization to a new level. Regardless of whether they are WordPress agencies, WordPress web designers or self-proclaimed WordPress professionals - everyone knew and knows Yoast SEO and most of them still use it diligently today and are convinced that they are using the best of the best. Wrong thought!
Yoast SEO – The top dog is getting old
As good as Yoast SEO was, the top dog is already getting old and the developers have been resting on their laurels for far too long. Which, by the way, they still do, because there are still many web designers who use Yoast and don't know or don't want to know that there are significantly better SEO plugins. The developers of Yoast SEO would probably step on the gas if more and more developers turned away from their plugin.
Many of these alternatives often offer more services in the free version than Yoast in the premium version. But why do so many web designers still use Yoast as the SEO plugin par excellence? Quite simply, it was the first really good SEO plugin, it ranks first in the WordPress plugin list with over 5 million downloads and with over 25,000 5-star reviews, and every long-time WordPress web designer still uses it. Mostly out of habit and because he knows what he's doing and isn't interested in learning about new and better plugins. Many new web designers who learn from the “old hands” also come into contact with Yoast and then of course use it.
The time to change has come
The Internet does not stand still and search engine algorithms are becoming increasingly complex. That's why search engine optimization is one of the most important disciplines in web design. So here you should get the best help you can get. And Yoast hasn't been part of that for a long time. The developers have self-destructed their plugin in recent years due to serious development errors. Added to this are sleepy SEO developments, missing functions, poor performance, dubious advertising campaigns and a premium version that is far too expensive (mainly for agencies - for 100 licenses a total of almost 4,400 euros per year!). These are not the only costs! If you also want to use video SEO, local SEO, news SEO and WooCommerce SEO, you pay another 69 euros per year for each individual plugin!
Even though many web designers recommend Yoast SEO or place posts on Yoast first, we clearly recommend that you use the better alternatives!
Rank Math SEO – The new top dog
The Rank Math plugin, which was only introduced in November 2018 and is therefore quite young, has quickly developed into one of the best SEO plugins on the market. And the plugin has it all. The free version offers significantly more services than Yoast's premium plugin and offers more settings for advanced users.
The premium version offers even more power with connection to Google Analytics, Local SEO, advanced keyword tracker, Google Trends integration, Google News and Video sitemap, WooCommerce SEO Pro and much more.
The best thing about Rank Math, however, is its integration into the most common page builders Elementor and DIVI, which makes work significantly easier.
The costs are also manageable. The Pro version for $59 per year can be used on unlimited private websites. The business version for $199 per year is interesting for agencies and can be used on an unlimited number of customer websites. So significantly cheaper than Yoast.
SEOPress – Another top dog
SEOPress comes with similar features to Rank Math and has also gained popularity over the same period. It also offers significantly more services in the free version than Yoast in the premium version.
A special feature of SEOPress compared to Rank Math is the already integrated broken link checker, which makes another plugin unnecessary. There are also the options for white labeling and integration into the popular page builder Elementor.
However, many of these functions are only available in the Pro version of the plugin. However, the cost is eye-popping - just $39 per year for unlimited sites!
Conclusion
Yoast SEO has had its day and has descended down the ladder with many errors, while other SEO plugins have fought for their place at the top with extensive functions and high performance. There are a few other plugins such as AIO (All in One SEO), but they are less suitable for truly professional use and are more interesting for semi-professional use or ambitious hobby WordPress users. Anyone who still uses Yoast professionally should quickly rethink and choose one of the much better plugins - Rank Math or SEOPress.
We only use the business version of Rank Math for our customers. Because nothing is more important to us than that our customers occupy the best places on Google & Co.!
