Rank Math is the preferred SEO plugin. Configure correctly on every new WordPress site.
Setup Wizard
- Install Rank Math > Activate > Setup Wizard
- Connect Rank Math account (free — required for schema features)
- Import from Yoast if migrating (Rank Math handles import automatically)
- Configure: Blog type, business info, social profiles
- Enable modules: Sitemap, Schema, Local SEO, Redirections, 404 Monitor
Critical Settings
General Settings > Links:
- Redirect attachment URLs to parent post: ON
- Strip category base: ON if removing
/category/from URLs
Titles & Meta:
- Separator:
|or— - Homepage:
Primary Keyword | Brand Name - Post:
%title% | %sitename% - Noindex (for single-author blogs): Date Archives, Author Archives
Sitemap:
- XML sitemap: ON
- Exclude from sitemap: Media/Attachment posts
- Images in sitemap: ON
- Ping search engines on update: ON
- Add sitemap URL to robots.txt: ON
Schema:
- Default schema for posts: Article
- Default schema for pages: WebPage
- Local SEO: LocalBusiness — fill ALL fields (name, address, phone, hours, geo)
- Logo: square format, 600×600px minimum
GMB NAP Sync
NAP in Rank Math Local SEO must exactly match GMB profile:
- Business name: no abbreviations, identical to GMB
- Address format: match character-for-character
- Phone: include country code and area code
- Hours: match to exact minutes
Redirections Module
Rank Math > Redirections > Add New:
- Source URL:
/old-slug/ - Destination URL:
/new-slug/ - Redirect type: 301 Permanent
- Regex patterns supported for bulk redirects
404 Monitor
Rank Math > 404 Monitor shows all 404 URLs with hit count.
Review weekly:
- High-hit 404s (10+ hits): add 301 redirect immediately
- Low-hit 404s: batch redirect monthly or let decay
- Sort by: Hits descending
Focus Keyword Best Practices
- One focus keyword per page (primary)
- Add secondary keywords via "Add more keywords" field
- Target 1-2% keyword density — Rank Math score of 80+ is the target
- Pillar content: target 90+ score
Rank Math vs Yoast
| Feature | Rank Math (preferred) | Yoast | |---------|----------------------|-------| | Schema | Rich, free tier | Requires premium | | Local SEO | Built-in module | Separate plugin | | Redirections | Built-in | Separate plugin | | Free features | More | Less | | Price | Free / $59/yr | $89/yr |