How to migrate from wpSEO to Yoast SEO

You landed on this page because you are probably about to migrate from wpSEO to Yoast SEO. First of all, thanks for choosing our plugin! Now, we created this post to make sure your transition to Yoast SEO goes well. In the steps below, we show you how to safely import your SEO data from your old plugin to Yoast SEO.

Migrating from wpSEO to Yoast SEO

To migrate safely from wpSEO to Yoast SEO, follow the steps below:

  1. Log in to your WordPress website

    When you log in, click in the sidebar menu on “Plugins” to go to an overview of your plugins. A screenshot of the WordPress Dashboard

  2. Create a backup of your site

    If you are not sure how to do this, take a look at the article How to create a backup for your WordPress site.

  3. Install Yoast SEO

    Follow this guide to install Yoast SEO for WordPress.

  4. Deactivate wpSEO

    In the sidebar menu, click on “Plugins”. Find the wpSEO plugin and click on the “Deactivate” button to disable it.A screenshot of the wpseo plugin, with a green box around Deactivate

  5. Go to the Yoast SEO menu and select “Tools”

    The “Tools” screen will open.A screenshot of the Yoast SEO menu, with the Tools in a bright green box

  6. Click on the “Import and Export” link

    The Import and Export settings will open.
    The tools menu of Yoast SEO, with a green box around the import and export settings

  7. Select the “Import from other SEO plugins” tab to import the data from wpSEO

    Select the wpSEO plugin in the drop-down menu and click on “Import” to migrate your data. The time it takes to import your data depends on the amount of information you have in your back-up. Once the import is complete you will see a notification at the top of the screen.A screenshot of the Import menu, with a green box around import

  8. Check that your data has been imported correctly

    All your focus keyphrases, SEO titles and descriptions should have migrated to the Yoast SEO plugin. You can check this by opening any of your posts under “Posts” in the WordPress sidebar. Open the Yoast sidebar at the top right of your screen to check if your focus keyphrase and other metadata are still filled in. Screenshot of Yoast sidebar, with an arrow pointing toward the menu button

  9. Go through the First time configuration

    In the WordPress sidebar, click on the Yoast SEO menu and go to “General”. Here, you can find the “First-time configuration” tab. You will need to follow the steps so that you set up Yoast SEO properly. Screenshot of the first-time configuration menu

  10. Clean up your remaining data

    After finishing the First-time configuration, go back to the Yoast SEO menu and return to the “Import from other SEO plugins” tab under “Import and Export”. Select “Step 5: Clean up” to clean your remaining wpSEO data. When all the old data has been cleaned, you will receive a notification at the top of your screen.
    A screenshot of the wpseo import menu, with a green box around the clean up button

Are you new to Yoast SEO and do you have questions? The following posts can help!

Get started with Yoast SEO the right way

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