The Yoast Question
Yoast SEO is installed on over 5 million WordPress sites. But do you actually need it?
Let's break down what Yoast does, when it helps, and when it's unnecessary overhead.
What Yoast Actually Does
1. Meta Tag Management
Yoast lets you set custom titles and meta descriptions for each page without touching code.
Useful if: You're not a developer and need an interface for meta tags.
Unnecessary if: You can add meta tags in code or your theme handles it.
2. XML Sitemap Generation
Yoast automatically creates and updates your sitemap.
Useful if: You don't want to manage sitemaps manually.
Unnecessary if: Your theme or another plugin handles sitemaps.
3. Social Meta Tags
Open Graph and Twitter card tags for social sharing.
Useful if: You share content on social media and want preview control.
Unnecessary if: Your theme includes social meta tags.
4. Content Analysis
The famous "green light" system that scores your content.
Useful if: You're learning SEO basics.
Unnecessary (and sometimes harmful) if: You chase green lights instead of writing naturally.
5. Schema Markup
Basic structured data for your pages.
Useful if: You don't have other schema implementation.
Unnecessary if: You have custom schema or another plugin.
The Problem with Yoast
It's Become Bloated
Modern Yoast loads significant JavaScript and CSS. It adds database queries. It slows down your admin.
For what most people use it for (meta tags and sitemaps), it's overkill.
The "Green Light" Problem
Yoast's content analysis creates bad habits:
- Stuffing keywords to hit percentage targets
- Writing awkwardly to satisfy the plugin
- Prioritizing plugin scores over readability
Google's algorithms are far more sophisticated. They don't care about your Yoast score.
It's Not Magic
Many people install Yoast expecting it to "do their SEO." It doesn't.
Yoast helps you implement technical SEO basics. It doesn't:
- Write good content for you
- Build backlinks
- Improve your site speed
- Make strategic decisions
Alternatives to Yoast
RankMath
Similar features, lighter weight, better free tier.
SEOPress
Simpler interface, fewer resources, good for basics.
The SEO Framework
Lightweight, no bloat, automated best practices.
Manual Implementation
For developers: handle meta tags in theme code. It's faster and cleaner.
What About Next.js?
Next.js doesn't use WordPress plugins. SEO is handled in code:
export const metadata = {
title: 'Page Title',
description: 'Page description',
}
You don't need Yoast because:
- Meta tags are in your code
- Sitemaps are generated at build time
- Schema can be added as JSON-LD
- No plugin overhead
This is arguably better — SEO configuration is version-controlled with your code.
When You DO Need Yoast
Yoast still makes sense when:
- You're running WordPress without developer access
- You need a user-friendly interface for meta tags
- Your content team needs guidance on SEO basics
- You want social preview customization
When to Skip It
Skip Yoast when:
- You're a developer who can add meta tags in code
- Site speed is critical and you want less plugin overhead
- You're building on Next.js or another modern framework
- You're chasing green lights instead of writing naturally
The Bottom Line
Yoast isn't bad — it's just not always necessary.
For WordPress sites with non-technical editors: Use Yoast or RankMath for the interface.
For developer-maintained sites: Handle SEO in code. It's cleaner and faster.
For Next.js: No plugin needed. SEO is built into the framework.
The best SEO tool is good content and a fast website. Plugins are just helpers.