Setting Up Rank Math Plugin for WordPress
Rank Math is an SEO plugin with a broader feature set in the free version compared to Yoast: support for up to 5 keywords per post, advanced schema.org markup, built-in 404 monitor, redirect manager, Google Search Console integration without additional plugins.
Setup Wizard
After installation—must run Rank Math → Setup Wizard. Key choices:
- Site Type: choose exact type (Blog, News, eCommerce, etc.)—affects Organization/Website schema
- Google Search Console: connect here—keyword data appears right in post editor
- Sitemap: enable, choose content types
Search Appearance
Titles & Meta → Global Meta:
Separator: |
Home Page Title: %%sitename%% - %%tagline%%
Titles & Meta → Posts:
Title: %%title%% %%sep%% %%sitename%%
Description: %%excerpt%%
Robots Meta: Index, Follow
Titles & Meta → Categories:
Important: by default categories are indexed. For tags with few posts—set noindex.
Schema.org Markup
Rank Math supports 20+ schema types: Article, Product, Recipe, FAQ, HowTo, Event, Course, Review, JobPosting. Type choice—in post editor, Rank Math block → Schema.
For service pages—Service type:
{
"@type": "Service",
"name": "Website Development",
"provider": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Company Name"
},
"areaServed": "RU",
"serviceType": "Web Development"
}
Redirects
Rank Math → Redirections—built-in 301/302/307 redirect manager. Can import from CSV or set up manually.
// Programmatic redirect addition via Rank Math API
\RankMath\Redirections\DB::add([
'url_to' => '/new-url/',
'sources' => [['pattern' => '/old-url/', 'comparison' => 'exact']],
'header_code' => 301,
'status' => 'active',
]);
404 Monitor
Rank Math → 404 Monitor logs all 404 errors with URL, Referer, User Agent. Allows quick redirect creation for popular 404s.
Google Search Console Integration
Rank Math → General Settings → Webmaster Tools → connect GSC. After connection, post editor shows block with keyword data from GSC.
Bulk Actions
Rank Math → Status & Tools → Database Tools → Bulk Edit Robots Meta—allows mass change of indexing settings for hundreds of posts without manual editing.
Rank Math vs Yoast
Rank Math free version is functionally richer than Yoast free. Rank Math Pro ($129/year) adds: Analytics (full GSC + GA4 integration), Content AI (GPT analysis), advanced Schema Builder. For most sites, free version is sufficient.
Timeline
Rank Math installation and setup with GSC connection, schema for main content types—3–5 hours.