Rank math plugin settings & Configuration (2021)
Last Updated on 25th August 2021 by Ajmer Singh
Are you having issues with setting up the SEO on your blog? This article is going to help a lot as it contains a detailed guide on rank math plugin settings.
How would you feel when you wake up one summer morning, only to discover that the content you optimized using the rank math plugin is ranking on google”s front page? Great! Isn’t it?
The rank math plugin isn’t overrated, it performs just what it was rumored about.
You will be surprised at the unique features embedded in this plugin.
It is the newbie for SEO in the market that is fast taking over other SEO plugins due to its unique features.
Before we dive deep, I will like to give a brief explanation of what the rank math plugin is and the function it performs.
What is the rank math plugin?
The rank math plugin is the best WordPress plugin for SEO.
I know you must have heard about Yoast SEO and the likes, the rank math plugin outsmarts these plugins due to its unique features.
When compared with the Yoast plugin, you will understand that the developers not only integrated all the features that Yoast has to offer.
They also added new features which include its compatibility with wooCommerce, monitoring 404 errors, adding missing alt attributes, etc.
The plugin has a user-friendly interface that makes it very easy for users to navigate.
However great the plugin is, it also has its disadvantages.
Its redirect setting can be somewhat confusing, its image attachment setting isn’t clear, etc.
having established this, I will like to proceed to rank math plugin installation.
how to install and activate the rank math plugin?
To install the rank math plugin on WordPress, follow the procedure below:
- Visit the plugin menu on your WordPress dashboard
- Click on the “add new” option displayed
- Type in rank math on the search option displayed
- Click on the install icon displayed
- The plugin is downloaded and installed by WordPress
- Click on the “activate” button to get the plugin activated
Now that your plugin has been successfully activated, its time for the rank math plugin settings
Rank math plugin settings
Set up wizard
After you must have activated the plugin, you will see the setup wizard icon just beneath the rank math icon. Click on it to get started
Note: It is possible that the rank math plugin automates itself. Your duty is to click on the setup wizard tab yourself to start configuration manually.
Connect free account
Once you click on the setup wizard tab, an option indicating that you connect a free rank math account will be displayed.
Click on the “connect your account” button displayed
A pop-up message indicating that you select the email account connected to your website will be displayed on your screen
Select an email account of choice.
You are now registered.
A pop-up notification indicating that Rank math is about to be activated will be displayed on your screen.
Click on OK
After you have provided the necessary details needed to connect your site to rank math, a setup icon like the image below is displayed.
The first section is a six-step setup, and each step requires that you answer some basic questions asked by rank math.
Based on the question answered, rank math will configure the SEO settings.
Mode selection
The first section is for mode selection and it supports 3 modes
Easy
Advanced
Custom (pro only)
You can choose any of the three modes.
The custom mode is limited to rank math pro users only.
You can choose to go with the easy or advanced steps.
However, there is a slight difference between the two.
The advanced mode has more advanced settings to configure than the easy mode.
For the sake of this class, we are going to use the advanced mode in our rank math plugin settings.
Click on the “start wizard” icon to kick start the configuration process
Import
If you used an SEO plugin like Yoast on your site.
Rank math will tell you to transfer information on your Yoast SEO to rank math
Tick the Yoast SEO button as seen in the image above
Click on the drop-down button on the Yoast SEO plugin and tick all the items to transfer all the necessary information.
Click on the “Start Import” button to import the necessary information.
Your site
This tab gives rank math information about your site. whether it is a personal blog, and an online store, etc.
Based on the information provided, rank math adds an appropriate code to your site that google understands.
Fill in the necessary details.
Analytics
This section is the fourth step under the rank math plugin settings.
Click on the “connect your rank math account”
The rank math plugin automates everything for you under this section, it connects your site with google search console and google analytics.
It will also verify your site and submit a sitemap automatically.
Sitemaps
A sitemap is a set of site links in the form of an XML file that contains information about your site pages, videos, images, and other files on your site.
It tells google what file they need to crawl and index on your site.
Setting a sitemap is quite easy
Sitemaps– enable
Include images– enable
Public post type– it allows you to add your articles and pages to the map
Public taxonomies– it allows the categories incorporated in your site to be crawled by google.
Check the image below for proper understanding.
Click on the “save and continue” icon.
Optimization
This section in the rank math plugin settings has to do with SEO optimization.
There are three parameters under this section,
Noindex empty category and tag archives – enable (this prevents the indexing of unnecessary pages on your blog)
Nofollow external links – disable (we don’t want to add a rel=” no follow” to every outbound link)
Open external links in new tab/windows – enable (leave this on, so that when visitors click on the link, a new tab of the site you referenced will be opened)
Click on the “save and continue” button.
Take a look at the image below for reference,
Your site is ready.
Click on the “set up advanced” options as seen in the image below.
The advanced options under the rank math plugin setting have three sections
The role manager
The 404 + redirection
Schema markup
The role manager
The role manager allows you to restrict which of your WordPress site users can have access to your rank math settings.
It allows you to allocate responsibilities to your team.
Once enabled, a lot of settings will open up, your duty is to select only the permissions you want your team to have access to. Then save.
The 404 + redirection
With the 404 + redirection feature in the rank math plugin, you can now bid broken links goodbye.
Setting the 404 + redirection is easy:
404 monitor – enable
Redirections – enable
Click on the “save and continue” option displayed
Schema Markup
The next setup on your rank math plugin setting is the schema markup.
Schema is a language that helps search engines understand the content on your website.
Rankmath plugin incorporated a schema markup in its features that allows you to add schema metadata to your post and pages.
Schema is enabled by default, leave the settings as it is.
Click on the “save and continue” button to finish the setup and return to the dashboard.
The image below signifies that your setup is completed and configured
Final thoughts
I hope you were able to find your way around the rank math plugin settings on your WordPress site with the guide I have provided above.
Victoria is a graduate of biochemistry from the prestigious Kogi state University, Nigeria. She has a passion for writing and has written multiple content for blogs within and outside Nigeria. While she is not writing, she is reading or traveling round the world
