The Yoast SEO WordPress plugin is a powerful tool that allows you to optimize your website for search engines. Once installed, the plugin will present SEO tasks for you to apply to your website content for better search engine optimization.
In addition, the plugin will also allow you to connect your Google Search Console account, integrate your social media profiles, bulk edit your settings, and more.
Continue reading to learn how to:
- Install the Yoast SEO WordPress Plugin
- Configure Yoast SEO Plugin
- Setup Your Social Profiles in Yoast
- Create a Sitemap in WordPress with Yoast
- Use the Yoast Bulk Editor
- Use the Yoast File Editor
- Import and Export Yoast SEO Settings
Install the Yoast SEO Plugin
The first step to using the Yoast SEO plugin is to install and activate it. Follow the steps below to learn how:
- Login into your WordPress dashboard.
- Navigate to Plugins < Add New.
- In the search box type ‘yoast‘.
- You will see the Yoast SEO plugin by Team Yoast listed. Click Install Now < Activate.
- You are finished when you see a Plugin activated message.
Configure Yoast SEO Plugin
Next, you’ll need to configure the Yoast plugin using their configuration wizard. This includes setting up one of the best features of Yoast: connecting to your Google Search Console (GSC) account.
In addition to giving you SEO suggestions, the addition of GSC will give you analytics on your website’s performance. You can setup Yoast SEO and connect your GSC account by following the instructions below:
- Click on the SEO link in your WordPress Dashboard.
- You will see a First-time SEO configuration section, click on the configuration wizard.
- A welcome message will appear, click on Configure Yoast SEO.
- On the Environment page, choose Option A if your site is live and ready to be indexed or crawled by search engines. Choose Option B if you do not want your site to be indexed now. In this guide, we chose Option A. Click Next.
- Choose your Site type then click the Next.
- Select if your site is for a Company or Person. You will then be able to enter the name of the person/company or upload a company logo.
- Next, enter links to your Social Profiles then click Next.
- On Search engine visibility, choose if you want to allow your Posts/Pages to display on search engine results pages. Click Next.
- On Multiple authors, choose if you will have more than one author for the site. Click Next.
- On the Google Search Console menu, click Get Google Authorization Code.
- A window will appear. Choose the Google account that is associated with your website.
- When asked if you want to allow Yoast SEO to access your Google Account, click Allow.
- You will then be provided with an authorization code, copy it.
- Paste it into the field on the Yoast Google Search Console page and click Authenticate < Next.
- On Title settings, choose a character for separating your title and site name. Click Next.
- If you want to subscribe to the Yoast SEO Newsletter, enter your Name, Email, then click Sign Up! >Next.
- Yoast will then ask if you want to Upgrade to Premium and/or explore training opportunities. Make your choices, then click Next.
- You are finished with the Yoast SEO Configuration Wizard when you see Success. Click Close.