Yoast SEO is one of the most popular WordPress plugins for optimizing your WordPress built website for search engines like Google and Bing. While it offers a wide range of features, focusing on the essentials like XML Sitemaps, SEO Titles, and Meta Descriptions can save you time and deliver the best results in 2025. Avoid getting bogged down by unnecessary features—focus on what truly matters for SEO in 2025 Google ranking world.
Video Tutorial for Setting Up Yoast SEO (2025 version)
Step 1: Install and Activate Yoast SEO
- Go to your WordPress dashboard.
- Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for “Yoast SEO.”
- Click Install Now and then Activate.
Step 2: Set Up Site features and XML Sitemaps
XML Sitemaps help search engines like Google discover and index your content efficiently. Here’s how to enable them:
- Go to Yoast SEO > Settings > Site features from your WordPress dashboard.
- Enable XML Sitemaps feature.
- While on that page, enable Open Graph data feature Google can analyze and understand.
- Using Twitter? Enable X card data feature too.
- Save your changes.
Yoast SEO will automatically generate and update your sitemap. You can view it by visiting yoursite.com/sitemap_index.xml.
Step 3: Setup SEO Titles and Meta Descriptions
First you setup the plugin Yoast SEO > Settings > Site features from your WordPress dashboard.
Use Yoast variables for Pages/Posts (and Products for eCommerce sites). Your Homepage SEO Title and Meta Description should be manually added when you edit the Homepage itself.
%%title%%
%%excerpt%%
Products for eCommerce sites can leave Meta description empty.
Search Engine Optimize SEO Titles and Meta Descriptions
SEO Titles and Meta Descriptions are critical for improving click-through rates (CTR) and search engine rankings. You should set them up while you are adding an individual Page Post or a Product.
- Edit any post or page on your website.
- Scroll down to the Yoast SEO meta box below the content editor.
- Enter a compelling SEO Title (ideally under 60 characters) and a concise Meta Description (around 150 characters).
- Use relevant keywords naturally, but avoid keyword stuffing.
- Check the preview to ensure your title and description look good in search results.
Google Guidelines and Best Practices for Title
- Make sure every page on your site has a title specified in the
<title>element. - Write descriptive and concise text for your
<title>elements. Avoid vague descriptors like “Home” for your home page, or “Profile” for a specific person’s profile. - Avoid keyword stuffing. It’s sometimes helpful to have a few descriptive terms in the
<title>element, but there’s no reason to have the same words or phrases appear multiple times. - Avoid repeated or boilerplate text in
<title>elements. It’s important to have distinct text that describes the content of the page in the<title>element for each page on your site. - Brand your titles concisely. The
<title>element on your site’s home page (About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Shipping Policy etc.) is a reasonable place to include some additional information about your website.<title>ExampleSocialSite, a place for people to meet and mingle</title> - Make it clear which text is the main title for the page.
Google Guidelines and Best Practices Meta Descriptions
Also called Snippets in Search Results. Make sure your descriptions are truly descriptive. Because meta descriptions aren’t displayed in the pages the user sees, it’s easy to let this content slide. But high-quality descriptions can be displayed in Google’s search results, and can go a long way to improving the quality and quantity of your search traffic. Learn more about best practices for Descriptions here./p>
- Create unique descriptions for each page on your site.
- Include relevant information about the content in the description.
- Avoid keyword stuffing. It’s sometimes helpful to have a few descriptive terms in the meta description, but there’s no reason to have the same words or phrases appear multiple times.
- Use site-level descriptions on the main home page or other aggregation pages, and use page-level descriptions everywhere else.
RankYa Pro Tip: URL name, TITLE and Meta Description should all work in harmony. Write descriptions that are clear, engaging, and directly address the user’s intent with call to actions (for example: Buy Now. Visit us here. Includes Discounts. Includes Video Tutorials). You can only follow the best practices to influence Google Search Results.
Step 4: Focus on Creating Original, Helpful, and Reliable Content
While technical SEO is important, Google SEO fundamentals prioritizes original, helpful, reliable, and people-first content in 2025. Here’s why:
- Original Content: Avoid using AI to generate content. Avoid duplicating content from other sources. Create unique, original valuable content that stands out (content means everything on your landing page, text, images, videos etc.).
- Helpful Content: Solve your audience’s problems or answer their questions. Provide actionable insights and clear value (watch RankYa SEO Tutorials for 2025 to find the right keywords to target in 2025).
- Reliable Content: Use accurate information, cite credible sources, and keep your content up-to-date.
- People-First Content: Write for your audience, not just for search engines. Focus on readability, engagement, and user experience.
Remember, no amount of technical SEO can compensate for poor-quality content. Invest your time in creating content that resonates with your audience and do NOT use AI if you want to see any search traffic coming from Google in 2026.
Yoast SEO Schema Markup Structured Data
If you want to take advantage of Google Rich Results through Structured Data, then, stop using Yoast SEO Plugin Schema Markup option. Instead invest in coding your WordPress theme with full nested Schema Markup.
FREE vs Premium of Yoast SEO
Why? Because with Yoast Premium version you’ll get SEO Workouts and Redirection option. There is a better redirection plugin that is free here: Redirection plugin
Is Yoast SEO Plugin Useful in 2025?
Yes, but 70% of its latest features are not helpful. Simply focus on XML Sitemaps, SEO Titles, and Meta Descriptions, you can optimize your website effectively without wasting time on less impactful SEO features. Most importantly:
- Create Original, helpful, reliable, and people-first content to build trust with your audience and improve your search rankings.
- Ensure your WordPress site is easy to use and user-friendly on mobile laptop desktop (in 2025 Google TV) as well.
- Create content on regular basis and make it easy for your website visitors to share your content.
Anyone can setup and use Yoast SEO Plugin for WordPress effectively in 2025. As mentioned throughout RankYa Website, Google search results are changing and you need to be prepared to take advantage of these changes such as Google Rich Results using Structured Data. Follow RankYa to learn easier how-to lessons as new content is on the way.
