Install an SEO Plugin/Tool — Step-by-Step Guide

For WordPress: Install Rank Math or Yoast SEO from the plugin store

Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress admin. Search for "Rank Math" or "Yoast SEO". Click Install Now, then Activate. Run the setup wizard — it will configure the basics automatically.

• Rank Math: The setup wizard will import settings from Yoast if you're switching
• Yoast: Follow the configuration wizard to set site type, organization info, and social profiles
• AIOSEO: Another solid alternative — install from the plugin directory the same way

For Shopify: SEO features are built-in; add JSON-LD for SEO app

Shopify handles basic meta tags and sitemaps natively. Go to Online Store > Preferences to set your homepage title and meta. For advanced schema, install "JSON-LD for SEO" by Little Stream Software from the Shopify App Store.

For Next.js/custom: Use next-seo package or manually implement meta tags

Install next-seo via npm: "npm install next-seo". Add a DefaultSeo component in _app.js for site-wide defaults, and NextSeo on individual pages for per-page meta. For other frameworks, use framework-specific meta tag helpers.

Configure default meta templates for titles and descriptions

In Rank Math: go to Rank Math > Titles & Meta. Set templates using variables like %title% %sep% %sitename%. In Yoast: go to Yoast SEO > Search Appearance. Set default patterns for posts, pages, and archives.

Enable XML sitemap generation

In Rank Math: Rank Math > Sitemap Settings > enable and configure. In Yoast: Yoast SEO > Settings > Site Features > XML Sitemaps (on by default). Verify your sitemap is accessible at /sitemap_index.xml.