WordPress is the world’s most used content management system (CMS) and can be a SEOs best friend if you have the right tools. Easily installable plugins can save a lot of time, headache and heartburn (maybe that’s just me) and inversely, other plugins can sometimes cause more. The good ones can help with link building, on page optimization, error checking and countless other search nerd activities.

1) WordPress SEO plugin

This plugin is #1 on the list for a reason. Not only can you post titles and meta descriptions, configure meta robots, create XML sitemaps but now, the plugin by Yoast, is using Linkdex’s suite of SEO tools. With Linkdex you can instantly see what need to be cleaned up on your pages. The plug displays a check list of ideal optimized characteristic and shows you if you site fits those parameters. A must use, in my opinion for anyone running WordPress.

2) Sitemap Generator

sitemaps are sometimes an afterthought for users when creating their blog or website even though they carry a fair amount of SEO importance. This plugin is a simple solution that offers more options that most sitemap generators on wordpress.

3) SEO Tag Cloud Widget

while I am not a huge proponent of tag clouds, this is a great tool if you do use them on your site. Because the clouds are not readable by search engines, this plugin converts them to HTML so that they can be scanned by the all powerful search bots.

4) SEO No Duplicate WordPress Plugin

believe it or not, you most likely have duplicate content on your site. We all do it, most of the time without even noticing. This plugin permits you to put a higher importance level to different posts or pages. So, if the search engine does recognize duplicate content it does not penalize your more valuable pages.

5) SEO Rank Reporter

in search engine optimization it is extremely important to know what is working and what is not. With SEO Rank Reporter you can analyze several specific keywords within your website to see how they are performing. This a great tool to test new keyword and to find the under performing ones to remove.

None of these plugin are going to guarantee you to get on page one of google by any means. But, they certainly do help by making some of the hard work a little less difficult.

When I am looking for a through plugins I always like to check out rating and the plugin page first to ensure you know exactly what you are looking for. The plug-in programmer’s website usually offers screenshot so that you can see what the plugin will look like when installed. Also, make sure that each plugin is compatible with your version of WordPress. This can sometimes cause deeper issue within your website if it is not compatible. If you are not sure which version you are running you can always check the WordPress dashboard when you log in.

What are your favorite WordPress plugins? Leave your comment below.