Are you a WordPress user who’s explored SEO plugins for your website? You’ve likely come across Yoast, one of the most popular options available. I was a Yoast user myself for half a decade, but recently, I made the switch. Here’s my personal account of why I moved from Yoast to Rank Math, and why you might consider doing the same. You can check out RankMath Pro here: https://rankmath.com/?ref=jess2 (affiliate link)
Understanding WordPress SEO Plugins
Let’s get one thing straight before we dive deeper: If you’re new to the world of WordPress, plugins, or SEO, it’s important to understand what these plugins do — and what they don’t. Many people mistakenly believe that simply installing an SEO plugin guarantees a spot in Google’s search results. However, these plugins don’t work as a magic pill to grant you instant Google visibility.
What SEO plugins do, in reality, is provide a checklist for your website and content. They help you optimize your site to increase the chances of appearing in Google search results.
Why Rank Math Over Yoast
After five or six years of using the Yoast SEO plugin, I shifted to Rank Math. This decision wasn’t made because Yoast is inherently flawed or inadequate. In fact, I found Yoast to be fine. However, I’ve discovered that Rank Math offers slightly more advantages, making it a better fit for me.
More Free Features
One of the top reasons that might appeal to many is that Rank Math offers more free features compared to Yoast SEO. Essentially, Rank Math delivers more bang for your buck.
Greater Value for Premium Users
Interestingly, I found Rank Math more satisfying than even the premium version of Yoast SEO. Although they both perform similarly, there are slight differences. To dive into the minute details would make for an extended read, but I’ll include some links to articles that provide a comprehensive comparison.
Analyzing Multiple Keywords
One of the standout features of Rank Math is that it allows you to analyze several keywords per post or page. On the other hand, Yoast SEO typically limits you to one keyword per post or page.
Note: Software reviews can become outdated, and the offerings might change over time. So, if you’re reading this several months or years later, keep in mind that aspects like keyword analysis allowance or pricing might have altered.
Pricing Considerations
As of the time of this review, Rank Math’s premium version is slightly cheaper than Yoast’s premium offering. Although the difference isn’t monumental, it could be an appealing factor for those on a tight budget. Remember, investing in a premium plugin doesn’t magically enhance your Google visibility — it merely unlocks more features to help you better analyze your content.
The Downsides of Rank Math
No tool is perfect, and Rank Math is no exception. A minor inconvenience I’ve noted is that, unlike Yoast Premium, Rank Math doesn’t automatically create a redirect if you delete a post or change the URL — you’ll have to do this manually. While not a deal-breaker for me, it would have been a nice feature to have.
Aesthetic Preferences and Website Speed
As a web designer, I can’t help but notice the plugin interface aesthetics. While it doesn’t directly impact performance, I found Rank Math’s interface more modern and appealing than Yoast’s.
Most importantly, a crucial factor that led to my switch was the plugin’s size and its impact on website speed. Yoast’s larger plugin size and more extensive lines of code can slow down your site, which is detrimental for both SEO and user experience. On the other hand, Rank Math is a smaller plugin with fewer lines of code, lessening its impact on site speed.
Migrating from Yoast to Rank Math
If you’re currently using Yoast and considering a switch, don’t worry about migrating your SEO information. Whether you have hundreds of blog posts or multiple pages on your site, Rank Math allows you to import your SEO data from Yoast seamlessly. This feature is undoubtedly a game-changer and makes the transition far less daunting than it might initially seem.
In conclusion, these are some of the primary reasons why I decided to switch from Yoast to Rank Math. This post isn’t a comprehensive review of both plugins, but I hope my personal insights help you make an informed decision.
