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Yoast SEO

SEO 4 min read Entry 73 of 78
Definition

Yoast is a WordPress plugin that handles the technical search groundwork and guides you while you write.

In plain English

It does two jobs. Quietly, it manages page titles, descriptions, preferred addresses, sitemaps and social previews, the plumbing you would otherwise write by hand.

Visibly, it reviews each post as you write, pointing out a missing subheading, an over-long paragraph or a topic you never actually named.

Why it matters

It removes the excuse of not knowing the technical bits. For most sites, correct groundwork plus genuinely useful content is the whole game, and a plugin like this covers the first half by default.

Several alternatives do the same job equally well. Choose one, and run only that one.

How it works

  1. Run the setup wizardSite type, organisation or person, social profiles.
  2. Write your own title and description for key pagesNot the one generated for you.
  3. Treat the coloured markers as promptsGreen is not the goal. A useful page is.
  4. Pair the sitemap with your search dashboardPublish, submit, confirm it was picked up.

Never run two of these at once

You get duplicated settings and mixed messages, worse than running none at all. Fully remove one before turning on another.