Rank Math Review 2023 – Is it a Good SEO WordPress Plugin?

Want to read an honest review on the popular Rank Math SEO plugin? If yes, then you’re at the right place.

Rank math is an all-in-one WordPress SEO plugin that comes with an amazing list of features. It can help your website to gain a good SEO ranking and standards. However, it’s a feature-packed new SEO plugin that you may be overwhelmed by its features.

So, to help you out, we present you with an honest review for beginners on Rank Math. Here, we’ll look into its key features, user interface, pricing, pros, cons, etc. 

So, here we go! 

A) What is Rank Math SEO?

Before start reading the Rank Math review, we recommend you learn what is SEO and how it works. If you are familiar with the term SEO, then you can keep reading this article.

Rank Math is one of the best and fast-growing WordPress SEO plugins that help your website in improving its SEO and attract more traffic. It’s considered a game-changer in the world of SEO plugins as it provides you with a comprehensive set of features. 

Rank Math makes it easier for anyone to optimize their content with its built-in suggestion based on widely-accepted practices. Besides that, within a small period, it has become popular among a wide range of users. 

The best part is that most of the features that you get with it can be found within its free version. Hence, it’s a perfect SEO plugin for you if you also wish to do more on the SEO part of your website.

It comes with intelligent features that give the power of entire SEO capabilities with just a few clicks. In fact, it has the power of multiple plugins so you won’t need to download any other plugins. 

Therefore, Rank Math is also marketed as the “Swiss army knife of WordPress SEO”.

B) Features of Rank Math

Rank Math provides you with a plethora of features that are very powerful and useful. Now in this section of the Rank Math review, let’s look at some of its top features which you’d get if you use them:

• Allows you to optimize your content with up to 5 keywords.
• You can track your keyword rankings in Google.
• Offers XML sitemaps.
• Supports more than 15 types of schema markup aka rich snippets.
• Suggests you multiple keyword variations of your focused keyword.
• Check the keyword density for your focused keyword.
• Built-in smart redirection manager.
• Built-in 404 error monitor.
• Suggest if internal or external linking is missing in your blog post.
• Fully support WordPress multi-user website.
• One-click import from Yoast and AIOSEO.
• AMP support.
• Robots.txt and .htaccess editor.
• Overlay icons on social images.
• Open Graph support.

C) How to Install and Configure Rank Math SEO Plugin?

Just like any other WordPress plugin, Rank Math is also quite easy to install and configure. The process is so easy that even beginners can install and set up the plugin without any hassle. 

Now let’s look stepwise at how you can install and set up the Rank Math SEO plugin in this review:

Step 1: Installing and Activating the Plugin

To install and activate the Rank Math, you have to log in to your WordPress dashboard and then go to Plugins > Add New.

After that at the very top, on the right-hand side, you would see the search field. There type in Rank Math and find the plugin.

Once you found your plugin click on the Install Now button. After installing it, click on the Activate button. This is how you fully install Rank Math on your website.

Step 2: Creating a Rank Math Account

Once you have installed and activated the plugin, you now need to start the setup wizard. But before that, it would be a good idea if you create your Rank Math Account and then connect it to your website. And after that, you can proceed with your setup process.

To create a Rank Math Account you need either go to their official website. From there, you can register yourself.

Another way would be to go to your WordPress Dashboard > Rank Math > Dashboard > Help and click the Connect Now button. Once you have clicked the button, it’ll redirect you to their login site and there you can create a new Rank Math account.

Step 3: Selecting User Mode

At first, it’ll ask you to select the user modes. As you can see Rank Math has 3 modes currently – Easy, Advanced, and Custom Mode (Pro only). You can select any one of them but Custom Mode is only available for Rank Math Pro users.

Next, you’ll see the Start Wizard button that you’ve to click on to start the setup wizard. From here you’ll officially begin the process of setting up the wizard.

Step 4: Setting up Wizard

After that, it’ll take you to this option called Your Website. There you’ll be able to add basic information about your website. Like, what type of website you’re running, logo for Google, default social share image, etc.

Following that, you’ll also be able to configure:

• Connecting to Google Services.
• Sitemap configuration.
• Tweaking some SEO settings like making external links nofollow, redirecting, etc.

Once you’re ready, click on the Save and Continue button to complete the setup wizard.

Step 5: Advanced Options

After completing the setup wizard, you can either Setup Advanced Options or Return to the Dashboard. In the advanced option, you’ll be able to take care of Role Manager, 404/Redirection, and Schema Markup.

Hence, this is how you install and set up Rank Math from scratch. It’s extremely easy and simple to configure. If you still find it hard, then go with Easy Mode in the setup process. 

In the Rank Math dashboard, you’ll get everything that you need for providing a better user experience and creating an SEO-friendly website. There you’ll find modules such as 404 monitor, AMP, sitemap, Image SEO, role manager, etc.

D) Using Rank Math – How to Optimize Your Posts/ Page for SEO? 

In this section of the review, we’ll talk about different features of Rank Math that help you optimize your website for better ranking in search engines. Let’s see the use of these features separately and try to understand their importance in optimizing your post for SEO.

i) How user-friendly is Rank Math’s user interface?  

Rank Math comes with a pretty clean and simple to use yet quite powerful user interface. Its visually attractive interface makes it easier to distinguish all the features that are present in this plugin. 

While creating or editing posts, Rank Math will allow you to see the SEO information in two different places on the editor. The Gutenberg block editor will allow you to see the information in the editor sidebar.

Likewise, if you’re using classic editors, then you can find out the SEO analytic section only at the bottom of the page.

Now let’s look at how you can analyze your website and how Rank Math can help you improve it. 

ii) How does Rank Math analyze your website and improve its SEO?

If you go to your WordPress editor, then you could see the score at the top right of the editor. Right now the score is 24 of 100 which is not good. 

But once you click the score box it’ll open up a single-post analysis which will show you some tips on how to SEO for your page. Before that, don’t forget to insert the focus keyword that you want to rank for.

As you could see, we’ve used 2 focus keywords for this article i.e. ‘what is WordPress’ and ‘what is WordPress used for.’ Also, if you look at the score again, then it has changed to 79/100 which is considered to be good.

Likewise, you can also check each keyword to see how well is your content SEO-optimized for that keyword. Rank Math allows you to optimize your content with up to 5 keywords in its free version.

If you again look back at those tips, then you’ll see that the number of suggestions that were there has also reduced. 

iii) How good are content analysis and readability analysis of Rank Math? 

You could see that your results are in 4 groups of categories – Basic SEO, Additional, Title Readability, and Content Readability. Based on that, Rank Math will provide you with different suggestions on how you can improve it.

Rank Math reviews your content and gives scoring using some color-coding. If your score is given with a “Green” indicator then it’s good and if “Red” then you need to improve.

For the focus keyword – what is WordPress, you could see that everything in the basic SEO section is indicated with Green color. This means that there isn’t an issue that can affect your SEO. 

Similarly, if you look at the Additional and Title section, then there are three errors each. And we could also see that each error is dedicated to red colors. These are the issues that we’ve to resolve if we wish to improve the overall SEO score of the content.

Likewise, if you look at the Content Readability section, then it’s green and has said All Good. However, there is one small issue in “Your content contains images and/or videos(s)”. You could see that it’s slightly toward red coloring. This indicates that you don’t have enough images/videos on your content and adding some more can improve your overall SEO score.

Besides that, it also comes with a preview snippet editor that allows you to edit the title, permalink, and description of your post. At the same time, you can also live preview your snippet for both desktop and mobile devices. 

Hence, we could say that Rank Math does a pretty good job when it comes to optimizing your post for SEO. It indicates and suggests to you some tips that you can clearly and easily follow for better results.

E) How to Rank Higher on Search Engines Using Rank Math Content AI?

Recently, Rank Math has come up with an update including the Content AI. It’s an Artificial Intelligence-based content wizard that provides sophisticated suggestions. And that’s for related keywords, links, and questions.

So, you’re able to use them for improving your content, headings, or meta tags. That’s also from right inside your WordPress editor. Ultimately, this optimizes your content and also helps you to increase your site traffic.

Some remarkable features of Rank Math Content AI are:

• Shows a new AI score to understand how well your post is optimized on a scale of 100.
• Suggests you on how many words to write, what media to add, what headings to use, etc.
• Uses the functionality of a credit system. By that, Rank Math displays the number of credits remaining. It means the number of times the analysis can repeat.
• Displays recommendations based on the language of the focus keyword and your target country.

Now, let’s have a look at the steps on using the Rank Math Content AI in this review. So, follow the steps sequentially.

Step 1: Enable Rank Math Content AI

First of all, you must enable the Content AI module on your WordPress dashboard. For that, navigate to Rank Math > Dashboard > Modules. 

There, search for the Content AI section. And then, enable the option of this module as shown in the screenshot above.

Step 2: Configure Rank Math Content AI

To configure the module, you need to click on the Settings button present at the module. Or you can navigate to Rank Math > General Settings > Content AI for a site-wide configuration.

Here, there are 2 options for you to configure the Content AI. So, let’s have a quick look.

• Default Country: You can choose your default country among 80+ countries that Rank Math supports. There’s also a Worldwide option for a global audience. According to what you select as the target country, you get suggestions from the keyword research.
• Post Type: After that, you get to choose the post types where you want to use the Content AI. It can be either post, pages, or both.

As mentioned before, Rank Math offers you credits depending on the membership you hold. So, the number of credits you have left is also displayed here. You can click on the refresh button to know your current credits left.

After you make the changes, click on the Save Changes button present on the bottom-right side.

Step 3: Research Keywords With Content AI

With the above steps, the configuration is completed on your WordPress dashboard. Now, follow the steps below to use Content AI for researching keywords.

Step I) Edit Post/Page

First, you need to click on the Edit option on the post/page where you want to optimize the content. Let’s say it’s a post, so go to Post > All Posts, and then click the Edit option of the post.

Step II) Open the Rank Math Metabox

Once your Gutenberg Editor opens, click on the Rank Math SEO icon present at the top-right corner. Or you can also click on the 3 vertical dots. Then, choose the Rank Math option from the Plugins section.

This opens the Rank Math Metabox.

Step III) Select Content AI

Now, on the Rank Math Metabox, go to the Focus Keywords section in the General tab. There, write your focus keyword on the text box. Then, select the Content AI option as shown in the screenshot below.

Step IV) Research and Explore the Focus Keyword

With that, you can now research the focus keyword. Or you’re able to enter a new keyword that you want to research. Also, you can see your number of remaining credits and choose the target country again.

If no changes are required, then all you need to do is check the focus keyword you kept. Lastly, click on the Research button.

Step V) Overview of the Content AI Results

Once you click on the Research button, you’ll get an overview section. Here, it gives how well your content is optimized for the focus keyword. And it’s based on the Rank Math Content AI.

So, you’ll get a Content AI score on a scale of 100. Also, you receive color code scores on multiple things like word count, link count, media count, heading count, and more.

Each color you get represents the result of your keyword usage. So, they mean:

• Green: Passed
• Orange: Partially passed
• Red: Failed
• Dark Red: Overused

Moreover, below them, you can also see 3 sections namely Keywords, Questions, and Links. From here, you can receive suggestions for your keywords, questions, and links, respectively.

For a more detailed explanation, you can check the documentation of Rank Math.

F) Podcast SEO using Rank Math – (New Feature)

A podcast is an audio program where people talk about certain topics. You can compare podcasts to classic radio programs. Also, it’s one of the most popular forms of content nowadays. There are many popular podcast streaming platforms, including Spotify and Google Podcast, where you can find interesting podcasts to listen to.

Like any other content, a podcast also requires good SEO practice to rank in search engines. Also, Google has a dedicated podcast section in the search results. A good podcast SEO consists of metadata, relevant keywords, transcript, optimized website, etc. 

Moreover, recently, Rank Math has introduced an update including Podcast SEO. It’s a premium feature that allows you to create podcasts on a WordPress website. Additionally, you can perform SEO of the podcasts and publish them on multiple platforms automatically. 

Some of the awesome features you can enjoy in Rank Math Podcast SEO are:

• Automatically submits the RSS feed to Google Podcasts.
• You can use third-party tracking prefixes like Chartable, Podsights, and more.
• Podcast schema builder to add episodes to your podcasts.
• Also, you can use the shortcodes to add podcasts anywhere within the WordPress website.
• The toggle option, helps you to choose if the episode is family-friendly or not.

Now, let’s look at how to use the Rank Math podcast SEO. Follow the steps carefully for better results.

Step I) Enable Podcast SEO 

Firstly, you need Rank Math PRO installed and activated in your WordPress dashboard. Afterward, go to Rank Math > Dashboard > Modules and search and enable the Podcast module.

However, to enable Podcast, you first need to enable Schema (Structured Data) module.

After this, you need to configure your Podcast. To do so, go to  Rank Math > General Settings > Podcast from the WordPress dashboard. You can add properties like name, description, category, and image in the podcast configuration. Press Save Changes to save all your configurations.

Step II) Use Podcast Episode Schema

After you complete the podcast configuration, you can add episodes with the help of schema. First, you have to add a create post to your WordPress dashboard via Posts>Add New.

Provide an appropriate title for the podcast episode and press the Rank Math tab on the top right corner. Press the Schema followed by the Schema Generator button.

Now, you can browse through the schema generator and click on the Podcast Episode tab. 

Now, you need to provide information about the episode, like name, description, author, duration, upload audio, and more.

Congratulations, you’ve successfully configured and published a podcast episode on your website.

Also, you don’t have to worry if you’re not running WordPress block editor. You can copy and paste the shortcode into your desired editor, and the episode will be added to the front end of the website.

Step III) Submit to Podcast Distribution Platforms

You can submit the podcast episodes to different platforms with the help of the podcast RSS feed. Firstly, you need to submit the RSS feed URL after verifying that you’re the podcast owner. In this section, we’ll show you how to submit podcasts to popular platforms like Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Go to Rank Math > General Settings > Podcast to access the RSS feed URL. The RSS feed URL is shown on the top, like in the image below.

 a) Submitting Podcast to Google Podcasts

Submitting the podcast to Google Podcasts is an inbuilt feature you can enjoy with Rank Math PRO. Every podcast episode you upload on the website is automatically added to Google Podcasts. You can manually edit and manage the podcast via Google Podcast Manager. 

b) Submitting Podcast to Apple Podcasts

Go to Apple Podcasts Connect and log in with your Apple ID. Press the Get Started button.

If you’re submitting for the first time, you have to create a podcast account. After that, click on Add Show.

 A pop-up screen will appear asking you to Choose Show Type. Select Add a show with RSS feed and click Next.

Following this step, now paste the RSS feed URL and then press Add.

After a while, Apple Podcasts will fetch all the necessary information. Review the data and press Publish once you’re ok with the results.

That’s all, now, you can share your podcast with your listeners via Apple Podcasts.

c) Submitting Podcast to Spotify

Head to Spotify for Podcasters and log in with your Spotify account. Click on the Log Inbutton to proceed.

Following this, you’ll be directed to a new page like in the image below. Again, press the Get Started button.

Now, you have to enter your RSS feed URL and click on Next.

After some time, Spotify will send an 8-digit code to your Rank Math email for verification purposes. Add the code and proceed. Now, enter all the details about your podcast and press Next.

Here, you can review all the details and press Submit.

Congratulations, you’ve successfully submitted your podcast to Spotify. And, after a couple of hours, the podcast will be ready for your listeners.

G) Sitemap Configuration in Rank Math

Similarly, if we look at sitemap configuration in Rank Math, then it’s an extremely easy process to carry out. Unlike other SEO plugins, Rank Math allows you to configure this setting at the very start of the setup wizard only.

In that very process, it allows you to enable sitemaps for your website. Along with that, you also enable sitemaps for images too. This feature allowing you to configure at the beginning only shows how important it is to create a sitemap for your website.

Whatsoever, if you missed it at the beginning, then, you can configure it now. Go to Rank Math > Sitemap Settings in your Rank Math menu. This will take you to the General section which provides you with all the Global Sitemap settings.

From there, you can set the maximum number of sitemaps per page, option for including featured images, exclude entire taxonomies, and more. Likewise, you can change sitemap settings for single posts, pages, and attachments separately also.

Hence, generating the sitemaps for your website is easy and anyone can learn how to use them without any technical support. 

H) Rank Math Pricing 

Now in this section of the review, let’s talk about the pricing and the cost involved in downloading Rank Math. 

Rank Math is a freemium WordPress plugin which means that you get this plugin for both free and premium plans. If you want a free version of this plugin, then you can download it from the official WordPress plugin directory.

However, if you think that you or your business has a budget, then you can go with the premium plans. When it comes to premium plans, Rank Math seems to offer you two different plans. 

You can check out the pricing details from the Rank Math Pricing page on its official website.

Here, the first one is called Pro Plan which will cost $59/year. It can be used for unlimited personal websites and can track up to 500 keywords.

Similarly, the second one is called Business Plan which will cost $199/year. It can be used in unlimited personal and client websites and can track up to 10,000 keywords. This plan is perfect for all those freelancers, businesses, and agency owners.

And, the third pricing is Agency Plan which costs $499/year. This plan is perfect fpr agency owners. It includes support for 500 clients, free 600 Content AI credits, and more.

However, after purchasing this plugin if you feel that this isn’t the one for you then they guarantee you money back within 30 days. 

I) Customer Support Options

Rank Math provides you with lots of awesome features within its free version that sometimes become extremely overwhelming for lots of users. Because of that, you might get stuck in the middle of using those features on your own.

The best thing you could do when you need help is to go to their official website and click on the HELP menu at the top of the page. On clicking that, it’ll show you two options – Support and Knowledge Base.

If you click on the Knowledge Base option, then you’ll find all the pre-written information that you might need starting from Plugin Requirements to Fixing 404 Errors. Also, you can type in the queries and search for your answer. 

Likewise, the Support option will redirect you to another page and there you can search for your queries. Then, it’ll provide you with a suitable solution from its Knowledge Base or Blog.

Also, you can check its support forum on WordPress.org. This is a really good place for free users who are looking for some help.

In fact, if you still need help, then you can issue a ticket as well. There you’ll be able to address your issue and then the team of experts will contact you and provide you with the solution. However, you have to first create a Rank Math account to be able to issue a ticket.

But if you want support from experts only, then you’ll have to purchase one of their premium plans. In case you go with the Business plan, then only you’ll get 24/7 priority support. Or else, you’ll get 24/7 standard customer support only. 

J) Pros and Cons of Rank Math

So, let’s quickly look at some of the pros and cons of Rank Math.

First, let’s start with the pros:

Pros

• Lightweight and fast WordPress plugin
• Get premium-like features within a free version
• Easy to use and beginner-friendly
• Quick and easy to set up
• Distinguished and user-friendly user interface
• Optimize your content with 5 keywords at a time
• Provides great customer support
• Compatible with all popular WordPress themes

Cons

• Sometimes it becomes overpowering and complicated for beginners to get started with
• Lots of features get unnoticed and unused
• Compatibility issue with other WordPress SEO plugins

K) Rank Math Alternatives 

There is no doubt that Rank Math is the best SEO plugin for WordPress. It’s quite beginner-friendly as well as comes with a plethora of useful features.

But there are other SEO plugins too in the market which come with their unique features and functionalities. So, you must carefully choose the plugin that suits your needs.

Now, let’s look at some of those alternatives to Rank Math in this review:

1. Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO is a widely popular SEO plugin that comes with a complete set of website optimization tools. It’s extremely easy to use and comes with everything that you need for improving your SEO. 

In fact, Yoast SEO only lets you optimize your content with one keyword, and if you wish more than to have to purchase its premium plan.  However, Rank Math allows you to optimize your content with up to 5 keywords. 

2. All in One SEO

AIOSEO is another popular SEO alternative to Yoast SEO and Rank Math that provides you with powerful and easy-to-use features. As the name suggests, it provides a comprehensive set of tools for improving your website’s SEO rankings.  

AIOSEO is a really good alternative to other SEO plugins if you’re looking for something simple yet powerful enough to do your work. Also, it comes with TruSEO Score On-page Analysis that can provide you with an in-depth analysis of your on-page SEO.

Check our detailed review of the AIOSEO plugin if you want to know more about this plugin.

You can also check the comparison guide on Rank Math vs All in One SEO.

3. SEOPress 

SEOPress is yet another simple yet fast and powerful SEO plugin for WordPress. This plugin comes with all the features that you need for optimizing your WordPress website. It has more than 100,000+ active installations and is perfect for boosting your traffic and improving your social sharing.

Unlike Rank Math, SEOPress is fully white-labeled and ad-free. It means there is no advertising and footprints in both the backend and front. Also, it’s really easy to import or switch from one SEO plugin without losing any data.

L) Our Final Verdict on Rank Math – Should You Use it?

According to use, Rank Math has the potential to be that SEO plugin that can do work of 5-7 plugins by itself. It’s quite easy to use and provides you with a better experience than the other SEO plugins you have used to date. 

Hence, we think that you should give it a try whether you’re a newbie or an SEO expert. As it guarantees to provide you with better SEO optimization of your WordPress website. 

However, we suggest you install and explore it by yourself to truly understand how convenient it’d be to use it as an everyday SEO tool.

So, we hope that you were able to understand this Rank Math review article. And with the guidance of this review, you were able to use the Rank Math plugin for optimizing your content on your WordPress website.

Conclusion

That’s about it. This is a brief review of the Rank Math WordPress SEO plugin. We hope that you’ll agree with our review.

If you’ve any further queries about Rank Math WordPress SEO plugin, then please leave a comment below. We’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible. 

Also, check out our article on the best WordPress SEO plugins and tools also check out the best keyword research tools for better SEO. If you are new to the term SEO, we have a detailed guide on what is SEO as well. Be sure to go through it once. 

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