How to Set Up Yoast SEO on Your Website (Step-by-Step Guide)

Installing Yoast SEO sounds scarier than it is—like learning Latin just to blog. Good news: it’s super doable. Especially if you’re using WordPress, which Yoast was built for. In this walkthrough, we’ll go step-by-step through installing, configuring, and connecting Yoast SEO to the tools that help your website actually get found. Trust me, all you need to install Yoast plugin is just a few steps.

Why Set Up Yoast SEO in the First Place?

If your author website or blog is the cozy bookstore of your dreams, Yoast is the neon sign that tells people you’re open. It helps search engines (like Google) understand what your site is about so readers can actually find you.

Step 1: Install Yoast SEO on WordPress

This part is super quick. Here’s how to set up Yoast SEO by installing the plugin on your WordPress site:

Log into your WordPress dashboard.
On the left-hand menu, click Plugins → Add New.
In the search bar, type Yoast SEO.
Click Install Now, and once it finishes, click Activate.

Boom. You’ve now taken the first step to set up Yoast SEO on your website.

Step 2: Launch the Yoast Configuration Wizard

Once the plugin is activated, Yoast will prompt you with a wizard. This is where the real Yoast SEO setup begins.

Go to SEO → General in your WordPress sidebar.
Click the Configuration Wizard tab.
Follow the guided steps—Yoast will ask about your site type (e.g., blog, online store), whether it’s public or private, if it has multiple authors, etc.
Set your preferred name and logo (yep, branding matters).
If you’ve already connected to Google tools, Yoast will pull that in automatically.

The wizard helps tailor your Yoast SEO setup to match your website goals.

Step 3: Connect to Google Tools

To fully optimize your Yoast SEO setup, you’ll want to connect it with Google Search Console and optionally Google Analytics.

How to Connect to Google Search Console:

Go to Google Search Console.
Add a new property (your website URL).
Choose HTML tag as the verification method.
Copy the meta tag Google provides.
Go back to WordPress → Yoast SEO → Settings → Site Connections.
Paste the meta tag into the Google verification code field.
Save changes and click Verify back in Google Search Console.

(Optional) Connect to Google Analytics:

If you want to track who’s visiting your site and how they found you, set up Google Analytics. Then, install a plugin like Site Kit by Google or manually paste your GA tracking code into your site’s header.

Yoast doesn’t handle Analytics directly anymore, but Site Kit plays nicely with it and integrates with your WordPress dashboard.

Step 4: Finalize Basic Yoast SEO Settings

Before you start publishing posts, check these final settings to complete your Yoast SEO setup:

Titles & Meta Descriptions: Go to Search Appearance in Yoast to control how your pages appear in search results.
Social Media Settings: Add your accounts under SEO → Social.
XML Sitemaps: Yoast creates these automatically—verify they’re enabled under SEO → General → Features.

This part of your Yoast SEO setup helps search engines and social platforms understand your content better.

Step 5: You’re Ready to Use Yoast SEO on Your Content

Now that you’ve finished the initial Yoast SEO setup, the plugin will assist you while you write posts. It gives real-time suggestions to help you improve your content’s visibility.

No need to overthink it. Just focus on showing up, improving over time, and letting Yoast be your helpful guide.

Final Tip to Set Up Yoast SEO Smoothly

Bookmark this post so you can return to it whenever you need a refresher. The next post will teach you how to use the Yoast SEO meta box to optimize individual posts and pages. Trust the process—your Yoast SEO setup will get smoother as you go.

Need help writing that blog content? Check out How to Write Your First Novel for tips that get the words flowing.