WordPress SEO Plugins: Why Real-Time and Customized Data Matters

If a cardiologist wanted to see how your heart was doing, they’d hook you up to an EKG to measure your heart rate at rest or during activity.

What a cardiologist wouldn’t do is tell you your heart health based on a study of people like you, without doing an EKG. They need a baseline. And that baseline is the information your unique heart is putting out.

There are a lot of great WordPress SEO plugins out there. And they all function differently. A common theme among many of them is that they base their recommendations (and functionality) on SEO best practices.

Best practices definitely have their place. But you can’t rely solely on them. After a while, your site becomes average and like everyone else’s. Your website and your keywords are as unique as a heartbeat. To have a better chance of ranking on Page 1 of the search results, you need custom SEO advice. And I’ll show you how to get it.

• Best practices are great, except when they’re not
• What’s missing in your WordPress SEO guidance
• How to get custom SEO advice from your WordPress SEO plugin 
• FAQ: What data and analytics does a WordPress SEO plugin provide to enhance my SEO efforts?

Best Practices Are Great, Except When They’re Not

I’m all for large-scale SEO research studies that produce interesting data on all things SEO. Some studies you may have seen in the past show ranking factors, optimal metadata length, content length correlated to top rankings, and so on.

These studies tend to look at a massive amount of search results across all niches and all types of keywords with varying intent. Marketers use these studies as a guiding light.

This data then becomes an SEO truth which many go by. The new best practice then trickles into every corner of the SEO industry, including in-house practices, agencies, and WordPress plugins.

Folks, there is a difference between data and wisdom, and assuming that every keyword on the web requires a 1,700-word page to rank is simply crazy.

Study data provides a useful road map. But we can do better.

What’s Missing in Your WordPress SEO Guidance

When it comes to WordPress SEO plugins, there’s no shortage of great ones. You will not likely find everything you need in just one SEO plugin. So the best way to go about using them is to create a custom plugin stack that works for your SEO needs.

As we researched the SEO plugin market before we created our own, we found a gap. Many of the leading plugins base their guidance and features on established best practices and industry data averages.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with that. We saw an opportunity to help more websites succeed in the search results with an SEO plugin that gave custom SEO advice.

Instead of static recommendations based on generic research, we wanted to give real-time SEO advice based on the top-ranked pages for a keyword.

This is a game-changer. Consider this: Every keyword has a different intent, and that intent biases the algorithm. Since every keyword query has its own intent and thus its own algorithm, there are as many algorithms as there are keywords.

Then you add the bias of RankBrain and an individual’s web history on a query, and the possibilities are endless when ranking webpages. It is almost impossible to hit a home run if you’re just relying on generic best practices.

That is why analytics tools exist — to give you custom data. That is why we decided to power our Bruce Clay SEO WP plugin with analytics, not just static best practices.

How to Get Custom SEO Advice from Your WordPress SEO Plugin

Real-time analytics powers every aspect of our WordPress SEO plugin. That’s because our plugin is run like software as a service (SaaS) rather than a static WordPress plugin.

It enriches your WordPress workspace with SEO recommendations based on real-time search results and analytics.

Our WordPress SEO plugin uses live connections with:

• Google Analytics
• Google Search Console
• SEOToolSet®

So you never need to leave WordPress again to analyze your keywords, competition and performance in real time.

As a result, the optimization advice is customized. This helps you optimize your page to the same level as the top-ranked pages in Google’s search results.

Our WordPress SEO plugin gives you custom SEO advice and performance data such as:

• Target content length
• Readability scores and goals
• Custom meta information advice
• Keyword density and distribution goals
• Mobile usability and speed scores
• Average time on page
• Page views
• Conversions
• Clicks
• Impressions
• Click-through rate
• Content performance by author

Traffic tab in Bruce Clay SEO WP plugin

And by the way, when you subscribe to our SEO plugin, you get full access to all the tools in our SEOToolSet. Since our WordPress SEO plugin is powered in part by the SEOToolSet, you don’t have to leave WordPress to get the benefits of it.

But if you log in to your SEOToolSet, you can take advantage of more SEO tools and reports at no extra charge.

How much do we believe in this technology? Our issued U.S. patent number is 10698961.

Ready to get real-time SEO advice in WordPress? Get your free trial of our WordPress SEO plugin now.

Read more on how the Bruce Clay SEO plugin helps you with:

• Keyword optimization
• Avoiding duplicate content
• Custom SEO advice per keyword
• Tracking your content performance

FAQ: What Data and Analytics Does a WordPress SEO Plugin Provide to Enhance My SEO Efforts?

Search engine optimization (SEO), also known as search engine marketing, is critical to ensure that your website appears prominently in search results. WordPress provides an ideal platform for SEO efforts; however, with the right plugin this process can take off even further.

Understanding Keyword Performance Metrics

A key component of SEO is knowing how well your chosen keywords are performing. WordPress SEO plugins offer comprehensive keyword analysis, revealing vital information like search volume, competitiveness, and trends. Armed with this data, you can fine-tune your content strategy and focus on keywords that resonate most with your target audience.

On-Page Analysis for Content Optimization

To succeed in the digital sphere, your website’s content must be optimized for both search engines and users. WordPress SEO plugins provide in-depth on-page analysis, highlighting areas where you can improve. These insights encompass readability, keyword density, meta tags, and even suggestions for internal linking. By implementing these recommendations, you can enhance your content’s relevance and user-friendliness.

Backlink Tracking and Competitor Analysis

Staying ahead of the competition is a core tenet of SEO. WordPress SEO plugins can assist you in this endeavor by offering tools to monitor backlinks and analyze your competitors’ strategies. By keeping tabs on your inbound and outbound links, you can identify opportunities for link building and detect potentially harmful backlinks. Additionally, gaining insights into your competitors’ keyword rankings and content strategies can guide your own SEO efforts.

Performance Metrics and Site Speed Optimization

Website speed and performance are crucial ranking factors. Many WordPress SEO plugins provide performance metrics and recommendations for enhancing site speed. These insights can help you identify and rectify issues that may be slowing down your site, improving user experience and search engine rankings.

Empowering Your SEO Journey

A WordPress SEO plugin can be a game-changer for your SEO endeavors. These plugins offer an array of data and analytics, from keyword performance metrics to on-page analysis and competitor insights, all of which empower you to make informed decisions to enhance your website’s SEO performance.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Leverage WordPress SEO Plugin Data and Analytics for Enhanced SEO:

1. Install and activate a reputable WordPress SEO plugin.
2. Configure the plugin settings according to your website’s needs.
3. Perform keyword research using the plugin’s tools to identify high-potential keywords.
4. Create and optimize content around the selected keywords, following the plugin’s on-page recommendations.
5. Monitor keyword performance metrics regularly and make adjustments to your content strategy as needed.
6. Utilize the plugin’s backlink tracking features to manage your site’s backlink profile.
7. Analyze competitor strategies using the plugin’s competitor analysis tools.
8. Incorporate insights gained from competitor analysis into your own SEO strategy.
9. Review the plugin’s performance metrics and take action to improve site speed and performance.
10. Regularly update your content and SEO strategy based on the data and analytics provided by the plugin.
11. Continuously monitor your website’s SEO performance and adapt your approach to stay competitive.
12. Stay informed about updates and new features offered by the plugin.
13. Collaborate with other SEO professionals and share insights gained from the plugin’s data.
14. Maintain a consistent focus on quality content creation and user experience.
15. Track your website’s progress in search engine rankings and organic traffic over time.
16. Adjust your SEO strategy as necessary to achieve your desired goals.
17. Stay up-to-date with industry trends and algorithm changes that may impact SEO.
18. Conduct regular audits of your website’s SEO health using the plugin’s auditing tools.
19. Implement recommended changes to address any SEO issues identified in the audits.
20. Continuously learn and adapt your SEO practices to stay ahead in the ever-changing world of digital marketing.

This article was updated on December 22, 2023.  

Bruce Clay is founder and president of Bruce Clay Inc., a global digital marketing firm providing search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media marketing, SEO-friendly web architecture, and SEO tools and education. Connect with him on LinkedIn or through the BruceClay.com website.

See Bruce's author page for links to connect on social media.