WordPress as a platform is pretty effective when it comes to SEO. And, while there are a couple of really well-known plugins to help optimize your site (I’m pointing at you and you), there are many more under-the-radar options to choose from.

Some plugins may focus on overall SEO, while others home in on just one aspect. Whatever the target, there are some legitimately useful choices worth considering. With that, here are 10 lesser-known WordPress plugins that can help fine-tune your SEO efforts.

BoldGrid Easy SEO – Simple and Effective SEO

Need some helpful suggestions when optimizing your content? Enter a keyword or phrase and BoldGrid Easy SEO will guide you. The plugin looks at your keyword density, content length and other page attributes. From there, you’ll gain some valuable hints that can help you level up.

It also scans your image ALT attributes as well. If you’re looking to boost your rankings within Google Image Search, this feature is a must-have.

Meta Tag Manager

For those who want complete control over their SEO, Meta Tag Manager is worth a look. As the name suggests, the plugin enables you to create various custom meta tags for your content. You can even add Open Graph tags to enhance social media sharing.

There are two ways to add tags. The first is directly within your WordPress post or page. In addition, you can add global tags that will appear across your site or via specific post types.

Rank Math SEO – Best SEO Plugin For WordPress To Increase Your SEO Traffic

Rank Math SEO has become one of the bigger names in this category, yet still under the “big two” in terms of name recognition. And there is a ton to like with this package.

Inside you’ll find a setup wizard, Schema markup, unlimited keywords per post and integration with Google. There are a massive number of features. However, you can easily disable any that you don’t need via the settings.

SEOPress, on-site SEO

SEOPress aims to be a complete solution, with features like on-page SEO, HTML/XML sitemaps, breadcrumbs, and structured data. There’s also the ability to manage any 301 redirects, ensuring that your traffic doesn’t suffer from any URLs that have changed.

The included import feature is also handy. You can import settings from other SEO plugins and even import metadata via CSV files. This can make quick work of the optimization process.

All In One Schema.org Rich Snippets

Rich Snippets are such an overlooked part of SEO (this post convinced me of it). They provide search engines with extra bits of useful info like reviews, company details (business hours, address, etc.) and a whole lot more.

All In One Schema.org Rich Snippets provides fields within the WordPress post editor that will let you customize the rich snippets in your content. Such a simple thing, but it can make your search listings more noticeable.

The SEO Framework

The SEO Framework is focused on automating much of the process of optimizing your site. With a little initial guidance, the plugin will change titles, add descriptions (with anti-spam warnings), canonical URLS, Open Graph tags and structured data.

It will also notify Google, Bing and Yandex if you’ve enabled their sitemap feature. There’s also a color-coded “SEO Bar” that will show you what areas look good and what needs further tweaking.

SEO Squirrly

SEO Squirrly takes a different approach to optimizing content. First, you start by entering the topic you plan to write about in a field provided by the plugin. It then ranks keywords in that topic with a color-coded system (green is what you’re hoping for). You’ll also receive “advice” while in the process of writing your post.

The plugin also displays a listing of related, copyright-free images you can use. This is definitely a more handheld approach for those who aren’t well-versed in SEO. One thing to note is that the free version of the plugin only supports up to 5 posts per month. Paid plans are available for sites that publish more content.

ACF Content Analysis for Yoast SEO

Ok, I cheated. ACF Content Analysis for Yoast SEO is meant for those using the ubiquitous Yoast plugin. But hear me out. If your site is publishing content via custom fields – the standard Yoast SEO plugin isn’t counting that in its assessment of your post.

Installing this plugin will ensure that you’re getting accurate SEO grades while using Yoast and Advanced Custom Fields.

WP Meta SEO

WP Meta SEO enables you to edit post and image metadata in bulk – saving you the trouble of clicking into each and every item. Beyond meta, you’re also able to bulk edit image sizes and SEO link titles.

The plugin also features on-page optimization, breadcrumb navigation, social media sharing elements, XML sitemap generation and a broken link checker. This one is an up-and-coming SEO solution.

WPSSO

WPSSO will take your existing content and create appropriate meta tags and Schema.org markup. Descriptions for various providers such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are included. Your site’s media is also optimized in the deal.

WPSSO is also able to work alongside other SEO plugins and can fill in some functionality gaps.

Small Names, Big Optimization

The plugins above prove there are indeed lots of great tools when it comes to SEO beyond the big names. In some ways, they’re like searching the web in that sometimes you may have to dig a little deeper to find some gold.

Take a closer look and see which ones will help you further optimize your WordPress website.