When I first started building sites in WordPress a year ago I was disappointed in the quality of the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plugins available. During that time I put several plugins to the test, and here are the five I use exclusively to optimize my WordPress sites. Remember website optimization still takes that personal touch, but these plugins will help you not only achieve organic traffic but make your life easier.

All in One SEO Pack

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack
This is my favorite and speaks the truth. In one sweet little plugin you can customize title tags, meta keywords and description. Plus if you are lazy, All in One SEO Pack automatically optimizes your WordPress blog for you using your post title and content. A win-win.

Google XML Sitemaps

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-sitemap-generator
If, like me, reading the “How to install” Google XML Sitemaps makes you eyes glaze over, then this plugin is for you. Now you can create a Google sitemaps compliant XML-Sitemap of your WordPress blog in a matter of minutes. The plugin supports all of the WordPress generated pages as well as custom ones. Every time you edit or create a post, your sitemap is updated and all major search engines that support the sitemap protocol, like ASK.com, Google, MSN Search and YAHOO, are notified about the update.

Breadcrumb NavXT

http://mtekk.weblogs.us/code/breadcrumb-navxt
I’ve used a couple version of breadcrumb plugins and this is one of the easiest to install and works like a charm. Breadcrumb NavXT creates a sequential breadcrumb navigation that plays nice with all browsers I’ve seen. Moreover the control panel gives you total custom control.

Image Caption

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/image-caption
This plugin uses the title attribute inside the img tag within your blog post and generates a neat caption directly underneath those images. Supports custom CSS styling for captions. Piece of cake to install and great for usability and organic traffic.

Permalinks Moved Permanently

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/permalinks-moved-permanently
Just in case you’ve migrated your Wordpress blog from one permalink structure to another, and you don’t want to lose the traffic that accesses your blog through the old permalinks, this WordPress plugin is a must for you.