It is vital to use an SEO plugin to rank higher in search engine results. So, we will review and compare two of the top WordPress SEO plugins for you, namely All In One SEO plugin versus the Yoast SEO plugin.
It takes a lot of effort and dedication to climb up the SEO rankings, as the competition on the web is very high. There’s a lot more to it than finding a good host for your WordPress site, like optimizing the meta descriptions, title tags, permalinks, navigation links, and so on.
Fortunately, thanks to SEO plugins you don’t have to be an SEO expert to understand and excel in these aspects. There are many dedicated SEO plugins that can help you improve your site’s ranking without breaking a sweat.
We have tried and tested two plugins that are dominating the market in order to bring to you a comparison. One is the Yoast SEO plugin, which was developed by Joost de Valk. And the other is All In One SEO Pack, built by Michael Torbert and Steve Mortiboy.
Our comparison will be based on their settings and configurations, social media, XML sitemaps, and content analysis.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
Yoast SEO Plugin
Introduction
Yoast SEO plugin started as an SEO tutorial in 2008. It wasn’t until 2010 that it hit the SEO plugin market, with the name of WordPress SEO by Yoast. Then in 2015, they re branded as Yoast SEO.
Yoast SEO has now been downloaded by 25 million users around the world and is available in 17 different languages.
Settings and Configuration
You will meet a wide range of features on the dashboard. Let’s start with the basics. Navigating to SEO>General, you can switch between five essential tabs. The Webmaster Tools tab is particularly significant as it allows you to connect your website with Google, Alexa, Bing, and Yandex.
Furthermore, the Titles and Metastab avails you various themes for your website. You’ll find several title templates to design your posts, pages, homepage, etc. Not only that, but you can also decide whether or not to enable the meta box or display date on the search engine snippets.
Social Media
Social media marketing is an integral component of today’s marketing strategies. And with this plugin, you can integrate your website with social media tools like Twitter Cards, Facebook Open Graph, and Pinterest Open Graph through the tabs at SEO > Social. If you scroll down this tab, you will be introduced to separate tabs for each of your social media channels, using which you can design your social media appearances however you please.
With the SEO plugins, the strings are always in your hand and you can make any adjustments according to your liking.
XML Sitemaps
It is immensely important to be indexed by the search engine after publishing new content on your website. Otherwise, it would be impossible to achieve any SEO rank at all.
Yoast offers a built-in XML sitemap feature, keeping the non-coders in mind. You can enable this function just by clicking on SEO > XML Sitemap. With Yoast SEO pack, not only your posts but also your images will be indexed. That is to say, your website will show in the Google Image search as well. It’s all at your fingertips!
Content Analysis
Yoast content analyzer comes with some unique functionalities, one of them being the Snippet Editor. It allows you to edit and preview your content in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page). As a result, you can customize your details as required.
Moreover, the Content Analysis tool will help you input the keyword, so it can analyze your content based on the SEO optimization practices, such as readability, keyword density, and so on. Such functionalities will help you optimize better.
The analyses are marked in red or green (red being the points to improve), giving you a clear understanding of what you need to work on.
Moving on to the Yoast’s biggest competitor, All In One SEO plugin.
All In One SEO Plugin
Introduction
All in One SEO plugin was officially launched in 2007. It has been downloaded by 26 million users ever since and has more than a million active users each month.
All In One SEO lives up to its name with its rich snippets and interactive search elements, allowing you to attach images, videos, articles, etc., to draw the attention of a large audience.
Settings and Configuration
All In One has made it a mission to offer the utmost convenience to its users. They hand out the settings in one particular tab rather than dividing it across multiple tabs, accessible at SEO > General Settings. Moreover, each option provides an explanation as to what it is and what it does, all in one screen! Here you will be able to edit titles and descriptions, as well as configure your posts’ styles. You can also integrate Google+ and Google Analytic with your website.
Clearly, All In One is much easier to use than Yoast.
Social Media
Activating the Social Meta module through All In One SEO > Feature Manager, you can configure your social media settings, also in one screen.
All In One SEO plugin offers a wider range of social settings than the Yoast SEO plugin while allowing you to connect your website with an unlimited number of social channels. You can connect with Facebook Open Graph, which will give you full charge to decide how your profile will appear on Facebook.
XML Sitemaps
XML Sitemaps in All In One SEO plugin requires activation through Feature Manager.
All In One only notifies the search engines of your choosing at any sitemap update. You can also exclude posts from sitemap if you deem them unnecessary. Basically, you have full control over the sitemaps.
What makes All In One’s XML Sitemaps unique compared to Yoast’s is that it offers a configuration called Priorities and Frequencies. Through this, you can communicate with the search engine about the importance of certain posts or pages published on your website.
Content Analysis
Much like the Yoast SEO plugin, All In One leaves it up to you to decide how you want to present your snippet in the search engine. You will be allowed the liberty to write and modify titles and meta descriptions.
Although you can control the technical details, unlike Yoast, All In One does not offer a specialized content analysis tool.
Final Words
As essential as they are, SEO plugins are not the solution to your low SEO ranking, rather they are only a supplement. Both Yoast and All In One SEO plugins have their own perks and drawbacks, depending on your purpose.
If you are looking for a straightforward and easy-to-use plugin, All In One will be the right choice for you. However, if extensive analysis and advisory are your priorities, then we would definitely suggest that you install the Yoast SEO plugin.
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Thank you for writing about these two plug-ins, as most people are having a hard time to decide which one is better. I used to have All-in-One SEO, but when I tried Yoast I never went back to All-in-One SEO. Yoast spoonfeeds the user; I find it extremely helpful in areas I usually miss (like the Google preview, meta-description). I also like that you have an option to set a post as Cornerstone Content, and to optimize how you write. Maybe All-in-One SEO does not match Yoast’s capabilities, but I’m not a pro in SEO stuff. All I know is Yoast founders believe in open-source platforms and learning, and that’s one of the reasons I’m sticking with this plugin. But I agree with you, it depends on what one wants to achieve. Thanks for sharing your insights! Cheers, A
Hi, thank you for writing and for sharing your experience with both plugins.