Yoast SEO and Rank Math are mature, widely used plugins, and plenty of sites are well served by them. People still look for alternatives, usually for one of a few reasons: they want every SEO feature without a paid tier, they want fewer upgrade prompts in the dashboard, they want a plugin that makes no calls to its vendor's servers, or they want something new like an llms.txt file or a bring-your-own-key AI writer in the same place.
If that is you, Impex Rank SEO is a free option worth trying, and switching does not have to mean starting over. This page explains what moves across automatically, what you redo by hand, and how to go back if it is not for you.
Install Impex Rank SEO free from WordPress.org
What comes across automatically
Go to Impex Rank SEO → Tools → Import from another SEO plugin. The importer detects which plugin's data is on your site and copies it, post by post:
| Data | From Yoast SEO | From Rank Math |
|---|---|---|
| SEO title | Yes | Yes |
| Meta description | Yes | Yes |
| Focus keyword | Yes | Yes |
| Canonical URL | Yes | Yes |
| Social title, description, image | Open Graph overrides | Facebook overrides |
| Noindex | Yes | Yes |
Three things make it safe to run:
- Additive only. If a post already has an Impex Rank SEO value, it is not overwritten.
- Nothing is deleted. The old plugin's data stays in your database untouched.
- Repeatable. You can run it again after adding more content to the old plugin.
What you set up again by hand
Being straight about the gaps saves you a surprise later:
- Redirects. Not imported. Export them from your current plugin first, then add them under Redirects & 404. Regex rules are supported.
- Category, tag and archive SEO. Term-level titles and descriptions are not imported. Set templates once under Titles & Metas, then edit any important category pages.
- Global settings. Title separator, organisation name and logo, social profiles, and local business details. The Setup Wizard covers most of it in about two minutes.
- Variable syntax in titles. Our templates use the double-percent form (
%%title%%,%%sitename%%,%%sep%%). If your Rank Math titles used single-percent variables such as%title%, those are copied as plain text; check a few posts and update them, or clear the field to fall back to your template. - Sitemap address. Your sitemap moves to
/impex-sitemap.xml. Submit it in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
All in One SEO and SEOPress imports are not automated yet. Tell us if that is what you use; it moves up the list when people ask.
The switch, step by step
- Back up your database (any backup plugin or your host's tool).
- Note what you have: a list of redirects, which pages are noindexed, and your sitemap URL.
- Install and activate Impex Rank SEO. Run the Setup Wizard.
- Run the importer from Tools.
- Spot-check five to ten posts. Open the SEO box and confirm title, description and keyword.
- Deactivate the old plugin. Do not leave both active.
- View source on a few pages. There should be one
<title>, one meta description, one canonical and one JSON-LD block from Impex Rank SEO. - Recreate redirects and resubmit the sitemap.
Our step-by-step article, switch from Yoast or Rank Math without losing SEO data, goes further with checks to run in the following weeks. The migration section of the docs is the short version.
What you get after switching
Every SEO module in Impex Rank SEO is free, on unlimited sites, with no licence key:
- Live content analyser with a 0–100 score, Google preview and Fix buttons
- Title and meta templates, Open Graph and X cards
- A connected JSON-LD schema graph including FAQPage and LocalBusiness
- XML sitemaps, HTML sitemap shortcode, breadcrumbs
- Redirect manager, 404 monitor and automatic 301s when a slug changes
- IndexNow, robots.txt editor and an llms.txt generator
- Bulk editor, PageSpeed check and image alt text
- An AI writer that uses your own provider key
Two automations have a small free allowance each month, because they rewrite content for you: the AI writer (3 articles) and one-click optimisation (3 posts). Everything you do by hand is unlimited. The optional Pro add-on removes those caps; see pricing.
The free plugin makes no connection to our servers. It is GPL-licensed, listed on WordPress.org, and supported in the WordPress.org forum.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose my SEO titles and descriptions if I switch?
No. The importer copies per-post SEO titles, meta descriptions, focus keywords, canonicals, social overrides and noindex flags from Yoast SEO or Rank Math, and it never deletes anything from the old plugin.
Does the importer bring across redirects?
Not yet. Export your redirects from the old plugin first and recreate them in Impex Rank SEO under Redirects and 404. Category and tag SEO and global settings also need to be set again.
Can I run both plugins together while I test?
Only briefly on a staging copy. On a live site two SEO plugins print duplicate title, meta, canonical and schema tags. Import, check, then deactivate the old plugin.
How do I roll back if I change my mind?
Deactivate Impex Rank SEO and reactivate your previous plugin. The import only adds data, so the old plugin's settings and post data are still where it left them.
Is Impex Rank SEO affiliated with Yoast or Rank Math?
No. Yoast SEO and Rank Math are trademarks of their respective owners and are mentioned only to describe compatibility. Impex Rank SEO is an independent plugin by Impex Infotech.
Try it on a staging copy first, if you like. Install Impex Rank SEO free from WordPress.org, run the importer, and compare. Running an agency with many sites to move? The Custom plan includes migration help.
Yoast SEO and Rank Math are trademarks of their respective owners. Impex Rank SEO is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
