WordPress users have to make the decision to use automatic updates for plugins. At least, for any respectable plugin that has some name brand recognition which is why All in One SEO’s latest non-consent auto-update feature is drawing heavy criticism.
It started yesterday when discussions first started popping up initiated by one WordPress user who noticed that the All in One SEO plugin turned on automatic updates without notifications. An upset user of the plugin voiced his anger in a WordPress support post
Just to be clear, this is nothing new when it comes to WordPress plugins but, again, it is usually not expected from the more well established plugins that have been used for years. Still, it is generally frowned upon for a plugin to iniate auto-updates without notifying the WordPress plugin user.
The reason is that an update can cause problems like broken page layouts or even keep a site from loading all together if the latest plugin update happens to conflict with another plugin’s code (a common problem with using many plugins simultaneously).
Are WordPress SEO Plugins Even Useful?
The short answer is “yes” because these SEO plugins provide the only access to meta-description fields when dealing with WordPress CMS right out of the box. Custom built WordPress websites can be made to have easy access to meta tags but many CMS sites use templates so the plugins would still be required.
However, if you are expecting one of these SEO plugins to rank your site by putting you on the first page for your desired keywords then you will be sadly disappointed. You will still need real SEO skills and knowledge to accomplish that.
Yoast, a plugin similar to All in One SEO, offers a type of “grading system” based on colors (green, yellow, orange, and red). It is somewhat useful if you are bad with content but it is still a 3rd party metric so simply following it constantly could be a giant waste of time as well. Yoast’s color grading system should be used as a guide (red needs content/keywords etc.) but it is not what Google uses to determine ranking. Keep that in mind.