Item: Yoast
Rating: 8
Author: Ayo Bamgbose, Assoc CIPD, MSc

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Yoast SEO is a popular WordPress plugin that helps websites to rank higher in various search engines. I started using the plugin back in 2016, as it was a free tool recommended for beginners and said to be easy to get started with. Yoast is the only tool I currently use to help optimize blog post content, images, and for social integrations.

Pros and Cons

Free plan: for startups not yet ready to invest in an SEO tool, Yoast provides a free option with plenty of useful features.
Insights and analytics: Yoast provides a useful comprehensive analysis with the use of meta descriptions, keywords, and post length.
It's useful in helping to customize the text snippets when blog posts are shared from the website to Facebook and LinkedIn.

Lack of useful tutorials and tips on how to improve scores.
We've found that it frequently marks down scores due to passive voice assumptions, even though you might not have spoken with a passive voice.
I've found that at times it can slow down my site.
For it to truly help with SEO, you’ll need the advanced premium features.

Return on Investment

When getting started, it provides a good step-by-step getting started installation guide to ensure you’re all ready to go.
Trying to improve the scores can be frustrating and time-consuming, especially if you're unsure how to improve the scores.

Alternatives Considered

SEOptimer and SEOlytics

Support Rating

I haven’t had to request direct support from Yoast, and instead prefer to seek out useful resources and video how-to to help me when I get stuck. On the Yoast website, it provides resources, but I found them unclear and not that very useful in explaining things in much more simpler terms. This is why a I had to mark it down, as I think their resources need updating with video tutorials.

Key Insights

Do you think Yoast delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Yoast's feature set?

Yes

Did Yoast live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Yoast go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Yoast again?

Other Software Used

SocialPilot, TweetDeck, Tailwind

Likelihood to Recommend

The free Yoast SEO version is what I would only recommend to those interested in getting started with optimizing their website images and blog content.
For those that truly want to improve the visibility of their website in search engines, I would suggest an investment in the premium plan, as it offers plenty of integrations and features.
For those who create and embed video content on their website, the premium feature is a must, as you can SEO your videos with advanced add-ons with Yoast.

The SEO Plugin for Beginners

Overall Satisfaction with Yoast Wordpress SEO Plugins