How to install Yoast SEO Premium

Thank you for purchasing Yoast SEO Premium! In this article, we’ll explain how to install the Yoast SEO Premium plugin. If you want to install the free Yoast SEO plugin, please check out our installation guide for the free Yoast SEO plugin.

You can install Yoast SEO Premium in two ways:

  • automatically, after you purchase the plugin;
  • manually, via MyYoast.

Let’s take a look at each of these installation flows step by step.

How to automatically install Yoast SEO Premium


Before we explain how the automatic installation flow works, it is good to know that only Yoast SEO Premium can be installed using this installation flow. You can access the installation flow in two ways: right after you purchase Yoast SEO Premium and complete the checkout process, or by going to https://my.yoast.com/install. Then, to install Yoast SEO Premium to your WordPress site, follow these steps.

  1. Enter your site’s URL in the designated field.

    You can either add a new URL or choose an existing one you’ve already added to MyYoast (both options indicated with an arrow in the image below).

  2. Click the Download Yoast SEO Premium button.

    Depending on the browser you are using and the settings you have you may:
    a. be prompted to select the folder where you want to have your plugin downloaded (see image below). Then, a .zip format of the plugin will be downloaded to your hard drive.
    b. the plugin may automatically download in your downloads folder.

  3. When the download is ready, click the button: I’m ready. Please take me to my website.

    You will automatically be taken to the backend of your website. If you are not logged into your site you will need to log in. When logged in, you’ll automatically land on the Add Plugins screen in WordPress.

  4. In the Add Plugins screen, upload the plugin .zip to your WordPress site and click the Install Now.

    You can do that either by clicking Choose File and then finding and selecting the .zip. Or, you can drag the downloaded .zip from the folder where you downloaded it and drop it in the Choose file filed.

  5. Click Activate Plugin.

    When the plugin is installed, you will be taken to a new screen that shows you the installation status. If the plugin was successfully installed, you should see that message on the screen.

  6. Enjoy using Yoast SEO Premium!

    Yoast SEO Premium will be active on your site. You will be taken to a screen that confirms that your installation was successful. On that screen, you will also see some suggestions on where to start with your SEO optimization. For example, you can start by doing the Yoast SEO Premium internal linking workout.

How to manually install Yoast SEO Premium

Getting the Yoast SEO Premium plugin to work consists of three steps:

  1. Downloading the plugin
  2. Installing the plugin
  3. Connecting your subscription

Let’s go through each step in a bit more detail.

Step 1: Download the Premium plugin

First of all, you need to download the Premium plugin. You can download the plugin in the Downloads section of MyYoast. When you click the download button of the Yoast SEO Premium plugin in MyYoast, you will either be prompted to select a folder to save the zipped file or your browser will save the zip file automatically to your Downloads folder. Either way, make sure to remember where you save this file.

You can always visit the Downloads section of MyYoast, should you wish to download the plugin again.

Don’t have a MyYoast account yet? Use our QuickStart Guide to find out how to create one. Keep in mind that we create a new MyYoast account for you when you purchase with a new email address.

Screenshot of the My Yoast customer portal menu
You can download the Yoast SEO Premium plugin in the Downloads section of MyYoast
Screenshot of the Yoast SEO Premium download button in My Yoast
Click the Download button to start downloading the Yoast SEO Premium plugin

My download is a folder, not a .zip file

If you’re downloading one of our plugins and instead of a .zip file you get a folder, your computer is unzipping the archive file immediately. The steps to change this behavior depend on the browser you use to download the file. After you change the behavior using the steps here, return to the Downloads section of MyYoast and download the plugin again.

Step 2: Install Yoast SEO Premium

Yoast SEO Premium is an “add-on” for the free version of the plugin. This means that Yoast SEO Premium is a companion to the free version, and you need both plugins to work. So, before you can install Yoast SEO Premium, make sure you have Yoast SEO free installed and activated.

If you already have Yoast SEO free installed, please update it to the latest version before you install Yoast SEO Premium.

How to install Yoast SEO Premium

Installing the Premium plugin is a little different than installing our free plugin since it’s a downloadable plugin and not one that you can find in the free WordPress plugin repository. Let’s go through the steps you have to take to install the Yoast SEO Premium plugin!

  1. Log in to your WordPress website.
    When you’re logged in, you will be in your Dashboard.
  2. Click on Plugins in the Admin menu on the left (see image below).
    The Plugins settings will expand.
    Plugins menu item WordPress
  3. Click Add New.
    A new screen will open.
    Note: If you don’t see the Add New option, your site is either a part of a multisite network, or you don’t have the right permissions to install plugins on the site. If you are in a multisite environment, please install the plugin through the network admin under “My Sites”> “Network Admin”>”Plugins”.
    Add New option in Plugins menu item
  4. Click the ‘Upload Plugin’ button at the top of the screen.
    The screen will expand with the option to upload files.

    Upload Plugin button
  5. Click the Choose File button.
    A new box will pop out. You can browse the folder where you save the plugin and select the plugin .zip file there.
  6. Click Install Now.
    You will need to wait for the plugin to install. That may take a while. If you get an error message, check the Common installation errors for a possible solution.
  7. Click Activate Plugin.
    You have to activate the plugin for it to work. If you have a multisite installation, you will see the option to “Network Activate”. To activate the plugin for all sites within the network, click “Network Activate”.

Install through Composer

Want to install our premium plugins via Composer? We’ve got you covered with this guide on how to install Yoast plugins using Composer.

Step 3: Connect your subscription

Now, you can move on to the final step: it’s time to connect your subscription! Go to the Sites section of MyYoast. There, click ‘Add site’, enter the URL of the site you would like to add to your account and select the platform that your site is running on. Lastly, click on ‘Add’ to confirm.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll see your site in the Sites overview. Click the ‘Manage’ button behind your site’s URL, and connect your subscription to your site by switching the toggle to ‘On’, as shown in the image below.

Switch the toggle to ‘On’ to connect your subscription to your site

That’s it! Yoast SEO Premium is now installed and activated on your site!

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