I have tested and used all these Plugins on multiple sites for more than a year. Actually some for more than a decade. I do not write for Google… I write for People. I find the best use of my time is to use SEO Framework. It does what needs to be done without wasting time. People can obsess over the Internal SEO on their sites and they are literally “Guessing” so what’s the point?

Case in point, Do you know what Google really wants? Nobody but Google does. The Plugin Creators are also guessing. In May 2024 there was a Data Breach at Google. When the documents were read there was FACTUAL PROOF that they do in fact “Sandbox” new websites even though they claim they do not.

My advice would be to use a Plugin if you use WordPress… but do not obsess. Just follow basic rules like the length of Titles and Descriptions. Don’t bother worrying about Keywords. Write for people. Focusing on Keywords will make your content look contrived (Fake is easy to spot). Just make sure you cover the basics. If you plan to go back later and alter your articles you will want to make sure you make a good decision up front. If you disable a Plugin or switch it could have ramifications for your entire site.

Takeaway: Write content that is interesting and compelling and for people! Use Plugins for SEO to help you add the basics. Do not obsess. And FOCUS the time you would have wasted trying to get “Green Bars” in the Plugin by trying to make perfect internal SEO (According to some Plugin) and put your time and effort into using Social Media to generate Traffic, Be careful when using Social Media sites because if you make a mistake and get banned you could lose weeks or even months of work.

Lets Talk About the Most Popular Plugins as of this Writing

1. All in One SEO (AIOSEO)

  • Pros:
    • Packed with features, especially for beginner users or those who want a set-it-and-forget-it SEO solution.
    • Offers features like social sharing, local SEO, XML sitemaps, and advanced schema support in its premium version.
    • Very user-friendly, with lots of guidance and recommendations for people new to SEO.
  • Cons:
    • Feature bloat: Many of the features are just “nice to have” and don’t always lead to a noticeable impact on your site’s SEO performance.
    • If you’re advanced enough, you might find that the plugin overcomplicates things with features you may never use.
    • The plugin can feel like it’s selling you extras that aren’t always necessary for every site.

2. The SEO Framework

  • Pros:
    • Lightweight and efficient: Perfect for sites where you want to keep things simple and fast. You get solid SEO features without all the overhead.
    • No clutter, just the essentials like meta titles/descriptions, schema markup, sitemaps, and basic on-page SEO.
    • Strong performance, great for sites that want to stay lean and don’t need every possible SEO feature.
  • Cons:
    • Lacks advanced features like redirection management and other premium tools unless you upgrade.
    • Some users might miss features like local SEO or the advanced content analysis that other plugins like Yoast or Rank Math provide in their free versions.

3. Rank Math

  • Pros:
    • Comprehensive free version with features like redirection, advanced schema support, and local SEO. This makes it a powerful tool for growing your site.
    • Redirection feature is one of the biggest benefits as your site expands. It’s especially useful for managing broken links, updating content, and ensuring SEO equity is maintained when changing post titles or URLs. Redirection is critical as your content ages and you perform updates.
    • Easy to use: Despite its powerful feature set, Rank Math remains relatively easy to use and navigate.
  • Cons:
    • Can feel “heavier” compared to something like The SEO Framework, with more features that you may not need at the outset.
    • Some advanced settings can be overkill for smaller sites, but they become valuable as your content grows.

Key Factors for Your Decision

Given what I have mentioned—especially the growing nature of your site and the need for ongoing SEO maintenance—Rank Math appears to have the most compelling advantages for most scenarios, especially in terms of redirection. Here’s why:

  1. Redirection Management: This is a game-changer for scaling. As you update old articles, change URLs, or even slightly tweak titles, Rank Math’s redirection feature ensures you don’t lose any SEO value. It prevents 404 errors, redirects old URLs to new ones, and ensures that any traffic that would have gone to an outdated link is directed to the most relevant, updated content. This can have a huge impact on maintaining SEO rankings as your site grows.
  2. Content Updates: As you update or expand your content, the redirection feature becomes vital. You might change post titles for SEO optimization or re-structure content, and Rank Math will automatically set up the redirects to point to the new URLs, saving you from manual redirects and reducing risk of losing traffic.
  3. Scalability: If you’re planning to grow the site and update older content frequently, Rank Math’s comprehensive suite of tools (including redirection, schema markup, and advanced SEO analysis) will provide much more support as your site grows. Especially as you add more content or restructure articles, Rank Math will help streamline SEO maintenance.
  4. The SEO Framework is great for simplicity, but as your site matures and your content increases, the lack of built-in redirection could become a problem. You’ll have to rely on a separate redirection plugin or upgrade to the premium version for those features.

Final Thoughts: What’s the Best Fit for You?

  • If you value simplicity and want a plugin that doesn’t over-complicate things, The SEO Framework is fantastic. It’s lean, fast, and effective for the basics of SEO—meta titles, descriptions, and schema. However, you’ll need to manage redirection separately (either manually or through a third-party plugin) as your site evolves.
  • If you anticipate your site growing, or if you frequently update your content, Rank Math is a solid choice. Its redirection feature, combined with advanced schema, SEO analysis, and local SEO, offers far more long-term benefits as your content scales. Even though it comes with more features, Rank Math is user-friendly and allows you to pick and choose what you need, so it’s not overwhelming.

If you’re in a position where content updates and redirection are critical as your site grows, Rank Math is likely the better choice long-term. It allows you to manage redirects without the need for a separate plugin, and this will save you time and effort as your content library expands.

What about Yoast?

I have used Yoast in the past, but for my own needs I found the features of the other 3 listed above to be equal to and exceed Yoast in usability. However it’s still worth a look. Perhaps they have upgraded and adding some new killer feature that makes your life easier. These are my opinions based on how I work and my experiences.

Should You Buy the Professional Version of an SEO Plugin?

The answer is as simple as this… Ii you see a time benefit (Time is money) and you like the “flow” and how it makes generating your content better and faster, Then Yes go for it. If not then keep using a free version until you see the benefit. I have plenty of thoughts about “AI” but that is for another article.

Final Note: Plugins can cause conflicts and slow your WordPress site. Use them sparingly. One thing that is not questioned by any “SEO Experts” or people in general – slow sites are bad… very bad. If you have read this far I have one more thing to ad that could really sway your rankings and your traffic by using a plugin and that is Social Media Integration. Some SEO plugins offer an easy way to share your content on Social Media. This can be a real time saver,