Content managements systems such as WordPress make it easier to run a website due to the vast array of plugins available to help improve many aspect of your website, including search engine optimisation (SEO). With so many SEO plugins to choose from, however, it important to choose carefully, as the plugins you choose could affect your website on many levels – they could literally enhance the performance or cause your website to lose visitors and ranking.
Here are four things to consider when choosing a SEO plugin.
1. Multi-function
A multi-function plugin will handle several aspects of your SEO, such as meta data, sitemap and integration with Google Analytics and Search Console. This could help to increase your level of efficiency by addressing several aspects of your SEO in one area rather than having to use several plugins. This would also mean that your website has less plugins to load, which may improve speed.
2. High ratings
Look at the rating associated with the plugins; for example, is it three, four or five star? Also look at the trend of the ratings – has the plugin been consistently ranking well over time? Check the reviews associated with the plugin, both the excellent and the poor reviews.
3. Coding and documentation
The plugin should be efficiently coded. The average person who has no knowledge of coding may not be able to assess the CSS or JavaScript codes, but you can consult a specialist in WordPress web design in London such as https://happy2host.com/. Poorly written coding could cause your website to load slowly and create conflict with your theme and other plugins.
There should also be clear, concise documentation available about the plugin, including how to install, update and configure it.
4. The plugin writer’s reputation
You may also want to check out the plugin creator. Some plugins are created by people with ill intent, so you want to check that the plugin creator is reputable. Do they have a website, could you easily reach out to them for assistance if necessary, and do they respond to users’ queries? Also of importance is how often the plugins are updated. Avoid using plugins that are not updated regularly.
Taking steps could make a huge difference to your website performance and your user experience (UX).