Watch the whole course free on YouTube
FreeAll 5 lessons, with captions and chapters. Open the playlist on YouTube →
- Install Yoast SEO and Run the First-Time Setup
From the lesson
“Search engines like Google decide which pages to show, and Yoast SEO helps yours put its best foot forward. It shapes how your pages look in Google's search results. It adds a plain-language checklist right inside the editor. And it handles the technical search details for you, automatically. Here's the plan for this lesson. It's three short steps.” Watch the full lesson →
- Set Up Yoast Site Title, Separator and Post Titles
From the lesson
“Yoast's Settings screen is where you shape how search engines see your whole site at once, not just a single post. Let's map the areas that matter before we open it. First, your site's name, tagline, and title separator. Then, how your posts and pages appear in search results. Next, which archive pages search engines should skip. And finally, advanced items like breadcrumbs and your sitemap.” Watch the full lesson →
- Optimize a WordPress Post for Search With Yoast
From the lesson
“Yoast reviews every post you write, and tells you in plain language what to improve. First, the focus keyphrase — the words people type into Google to find this page. Next comes the SEO analysis, which gives traffic lights for your titles, links, and images. Readability looks at sentence length, passive voice, and how smoothly your writing flows. The Google preview shows how your listing looks in search results.” Watch the full lesson →
- Edit Your Home Page SEO and Fix Broken Links in WordPress
From the lesson
“In this lesson, you'll explore Yoast's Tools screen and give your home page its own search listing. Then you'll see where the free version ends. The Tools screen lets you move settings and edit many pages at once. You'll write your home page's search title and summary. We'll show which features are paid so upsells never surprise you. And a light monthly habit to keep your site healthy.” Watch the full lesson →
- Turn Yoast Traffic Lights Green on a Real Article
Following along on your own site and stuck on something the video doesn't cover? Book a WordPress tutor — a live session on your own website, $85 an hour.
This short Yoast SEO (Free) tutorial gets the popular plugin set up and working for you in under half an hour. You'll learn how to configure it, optimize a real post, and fix each SEO and readability check until the lights turn green, so nothing about your SEO setup is left to guesswork.
What you'll learn
Search engines decide which pages get shown, and Yoast SEO helps yours put its best foot forward without any code. In this Yoast SEO (Free) WordPress plugin course you'll learn how to run its guided setup, where every setting lives, and how to optimize individual posts and your homepage. After watching you'll be able to publish content that's clearly structured for search, and you'll have a simple monthly habit for keeping your posts in good shape, all with the free plugin.
Inside the course
- Installing Yoast & First-Time Configuration
- Yoast SEO Settings Walkthrough
- Optimizing a Post with Yoast
- Tools, Home Page SEO & a Monthly Habit
- On-Page SEO: Turning the Traffic Lights Green
Who this course is for
This is aimed at beginners and site owners who want their content to be found without wading through a manual. No prior SEO experience is assumed. If you'd rather read, our free written WordPress tutorials cover the same ground, and live 1-on-1 training is there if you want a walkthrough tailored to your site.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Yoast SEO Premium to follow along?
Is this Yoast SEO tutorial good for beginners?
The first lesson is free to watch with a free WP Tutoring account — no card. Every lesson is also free on YouTube, with captions and chapters.
- All 5 lessons free on YouTube
- Follow along on a clean WordPress install
- Keep your free account forever