When it comes to near foolproof ways to launch and run a truly efficient website or blog, it doesn’t get much better than WordPress.
Not only is the platform itself very user-friendly, but there are so many helpful WordPress plug-ins out there that take the guesswork out of running your site.
There are even incredible plug-ins like All in One SEO and Yoast that can help you manage your ongoing SEO campaign and positively dominate your goals.
But when it comes to All in One SEO vs Yoast, which is the better choice? Let’s unpack what you need to know to make the best possible decision for your site.
Installing All in One SEO vs Yoast
Naturally, the experience of using a particular plug-in isn’t the only thing to consider when you’re trying to make an informed decision. The process of getting it up and running in the first place is also something to pay attention to.
That said, you’ll want to buckle up and prepare to go through a whole process if you choose Yoast, as it has to progress through a 12-step installation sequence before it will be up and running.
You’ll also need to decide whether to proceed through the plug-in’s first-time SEO configuration wizard yourself or pay Yoast to set it up for you.
All in One SEO, on the other hand, is pretty simple to install. There are only four steps to worry about, and nothing about the process strikes fear into a beginner’s heart. Launching the setup wizard is a simple one-click process, as well.
Audit Checklist SEO Tools
One especially helpful setup tool is the SEO audit checklist. Only All in One SEO has that, while Yoast doesn’t have anything comparable, so that’s something to consider.
The SEO audit checklist is especially helpful for those who are new to building websites or maybe just don’t know a lot about SEO yet. It assesses your entire site in mere seconds and spits out a comprehensive list of potential issues for you to address.
It doesn’t just leave you to guess how to fix those issues, either. The tool recommends specific improvements so you can get to work fixing any problems and smoothly move on to the next thing.
Everyday Optimization Tools in All in One SEO vs Yoast
Once you’re up and running with either SEO plug-in, you’ll be working with your choice daily to optimize each post. Here’s how you can expect that experience to go with either plug-in.
On Yoast
If you’re running Yoast, you’ll be using a content analysis tool that simplifies the process of optimizing any (or all) of the posts on your site. (You can access this tool by clicking the Yoast plug-in icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.)
Yoast also adds an SEO meta box directly below WordPress’s standard post editor. The box contains key information at a glance, like the focus keyword field and analysis feedback on your content.
Yoast features a handy Google preview that gives you an idea of how your content will appear on a SERP, as well, which helps with meta tag optimization.
It’s also relatively easy to analyze a piece of content for a specific keyword or phrase. Just type it into the plugin and let it work its magic.
Yoast also gives you individual tabs that let you adjust schema markups for your site, as well as configure choices pieces of content for key social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
On All in One SEO
If you’re running All in One SEO, on the other hand, you get access to TruSEO Score, All in One’s comprehensive scoring system for content.
Just open any page or article on your website, and you’ll see that content’s score prominently displayed. If you want more info, simply click it to open an analysis panel.
With All in One SEO, you’ll also find there are scores associated with each of your target keywords. And as with the general score attached to any of your content, all you have to do is click for additional information plus suggestions on potentially improving that score.
Like Yoast, All in One features a handy setting box located directly below your post editor, as well, so you won’t waste any time hunting around for what you need. Just input your title, meta description, and target keyword, and you’re all set.
All in One also comes complete with a helpful feature called Dynamic Tags that takes lots of the guesswork out of adding descriptive details to your titles. (Think time-based items like years and months.) You can re-categorize your posts in a flash, as well.
For instance, let’s say you have a piece of content on your site about the best copywriting tactics for 2021 and need to update the SEO title to make it current.
Dynamic Tags automatically tweaks it to reflect 2022, the better to maximize your potential traffic.
And when it comes to additional tabs to help you customize schema or optimize social media posts, All in One SEO has you covered there, too.
Readability Assessments in All in One SEO vs Yoast
With Google and the rest of the search engines getting exponentially smarter with every update, properly optimizing content with relevant keywords is no longer enough to get it to rank. That same content also needs to deliver a clean, easy experience for human readers of all backgrounds.
That said, readability should be a key concern for every website owner and SEO specialist. Both All in One SEO and Yoast have you covered there.
Those plug-ins analyze your content for readability and assign it an overall score. Both also offer users lots more detail on demand plus related suggestions, including assessments on factors like sentence length, paragraph length, active vs passive voice, etc.
However, All in One SEO has a slight edge over Yoast in this regard, especially for beginners, as it’s a bit easier to navigate, in general.
XML Sitemaps in All in One SEO vs Yoast
Naturally, creating great content that’s keyword-optimized, readable, and exemplary in every way is crucial for boosting your Google ranking. But ultimately, it won’t matter how great your content is if Google never indexes it in the first place.
That’s where XML sitemaps come in. You’ll also be happy to know that both All in One SEO and Yoast offer XML optimization support enabled by default.
However, All in One SEO also offers RSS sitemap support. (Those are automatically submitted to Google and the rest of the search engines.) Search engine crawl bots check RSS sitemaps more often than they do XML sitemaps, as they tend to reflect the latest changes to the website in question.
Both All in One SEO and Yoast also grant users the ability to customize their sitemaps and additional sitemaps associated with Google News, video, and more.
All in One SEO users can access these features when they upgrade to the pro version, while Yoast users can access those features via individual add-ons.
Social Media Integration
Another crucial aspect of any comprehensive SEO campaign these days is definitely social media. And the more helpful your WordPress SEO plug-in of choice can be with your social media marketing efforts, the better.
All in One SEO offers users some solid options here with the ability to integrate up to eleven different social media profiles.
Yoast allows you to integrate up to eight – still pretty helpful, although maybe not as much for businesses with robust social media presences.
Both plug-ins also offer you the ability to customize your Facebook thumbnails and Twitter cards, so you’re no longer stuck with whatever either platform selects for those assets at random.
Pricing and Support for All in One SEO vs Yoast
Although money may not be everything when it comes to SEO plug-ins, it’s still crucial that your choice makes it easy to scale your strategies with your marketing budget in mind. Both All in One SEO and Yoast offer free versions with minimal features, but upgrading to premium in either instance will give you more functionality to work with.
Both options offer several reasonably-priced tiers suitable for different companies and business goals. However, Yoast comes attached to higher price points across the board.
Each tier is also less inclusive when it comes to special features than you’ll see with All in One, as you must purchase each separately.
Both plug-ins offer exceptional customer support. Free versions are supported via well-maintained help forums, while premium upgrades come with added ticket support.
All in One SEO vs Yoast: Which Offers the Best Value?
Regardless of your SEO goals for your brand, your WordPress site’s future rankings are in excellent hands with either All in One SEO or Yoast.
Both plug-ins take so much of the guesswork and tedium out of optimizing your content in every way a modern digital-age business needs.
However, in most cases, All in One SEO will be a smarter, more valuable pick overall. Here’s a brief recap of the reasons why.
- It’s neater, cleaner, and more user-friendly.
- It’s easier to install, and the set-up process is simpler.
- It comes with additional tools like the SEO audit checklist.
- It makes optimizing individual posts, articles, and pages a lot easier.
- Allows users more different options when it comes to connecting key social media accounts.
- It’s cheaper than Yoast and gives you more for your money.
- It’s a better fit for those building new websites or who are new to SEO.
And if you like what either All in One SEO or Yoast does for your WordPress experience, it’s well worth exploring the possibilities other plug-ins bring to the table.
Check out our comprehensive write-up on today’s best WordPress plug-ins for a closer look at some picks that might be right for you!
