Yes, You Need a WordPress SEO Plugin. Here’s the Hidden Truth You May Not Know About.

“If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.”

This is a much debated upon quote that’s apparently existed since the 1970s. I tend to agree with it. The basic gist is this: we all know that nothing is truly free. If you’re given a product for 100% “free,” then SOMEONE is paying for the development for that product or service. In the modern age, advertisers are the ones paying. That means, in order for these advertisers to get a good return on investment, companies offering “free” products have to ensure that you’ll keep returning to the product. Essentially, your attention is what’s being sold.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “What about BoldGrid’s free products?” Yes, we do offer a number of completely free, full featured WordPress plugins and themes — but we also offer premium, paid versions of those products that will add even MORE value to your website. The free versions allow you to experience the unparalleled care that goes into our products and hopefully, you’ll buy one of the premium versions. Not quite the same use case.

The Google search engine, however, does fall under that category. Now, keep in mind that I’m not making any moral or ethical judgments about that particular business model. I’m just telling you about a hidden dynamic that many website owners don’t know about, one that could help your website land that coveted first page position on the Google SERPs. 

Here’s the thing: the Google search engine is monetized through advertising — quite expensive advertising at that — meaning, they have to ensure that you’ll return to Google time and time again. How do they achieve that? Easy, through the accuracy of search results. The better the search results, the more times you’ll actually use Google.

This is why SEO matters. Following proper SEO practices allows you to essentially help Google make money, which means they’ll give you preference in the search engine results. Interestingly enough, Google doesn’t seem to be too fond of SEO agencies (and specialists, to an extent), so I guess it’s one of those “keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer” type of situation, but that’s not a concern you need to have. Using a WordPress SEO plugin (like BoldGrid Easy SEO) will only help your website rise up through the ranks because it isn’t relying on any “tricks” or “gimmicks” that’ll get you on Google’s radar. Instead, it helps you follow Google’s guidelines for proper SEO.

A WordPress SEO Plugin That REALLY IS Easy To Use:

Yes, SEO can be HARD. It’s almost like a science. Large companies will often pay a lot of money to employ teams of SEO experts in order to get an advantage in the search engine rankings. If you’re here, you might not be at that level yet, but don’t lose hope: By following proper SEO principles, you WILL increase your organic search traffic. A good WordPress SEO plugin can help with that. Enter BoldGrid Easy SEO.

Basically, it analyzes your page content in real-time and makes recommendations to help you maintain best SEO practices while writing content. You just have to set your target keyword or phrase and the BoldGrid SEO dashboard will update your stats on all important on-page SEO factors.

Page Titles and Descriptions: Control and Optimize how your pages appear in Google rankings with the Title and Description editor. The BoldGrid SEO checker will ensure your target keyword is included.

Keyword Density: Analyzes your content to make sure your keyword appears often enough, and in the right places.

Header Tags and Content: Correct use of headers is important for SEO. The BoldGrid SEO checker will help you use header tags correctly and make sure they include relevant content.

Image Alt Tags: Checks your images for alt tags to help you identify areas for SEO improvement.

Content Length: Writing more keyword rich content about your topic encourages better search results. BoldGrid SEO will track your progress toward reaching a sweet spot.

Search Engine Indexing: Set your pages to be indexed by search engines with a single click after optimizing your page.

Follow/No Follow Links: Make your links visible to search engines and count toward your SEO, or hide them if necessary.

Canonical URLs: You can easily avoid duplicate content penalties by indicating a canonical URL where applicable.

You can give BoldGrid Easy SEO a try for free… OR IS IT (cue sinister music). No, seriously — it’s free to use, but it’s also part of our expansive ecosystem of both free and premium plugins and themes. Click here to start, and see your website’s traffic begin to grow.