The free version of Yoast SEO has been updated to version 19.10 and the premium version to 19.5, introducing numerous important changes.
Here’s what you need to know about these releases to decide if you should update:
WooCommerce 7.1 Compatibility
Both the free and premium versions benefit users who run the recently released WooCommerce version 7.1.
WooCommerce 7.1 is a major release featuring an enhancement to the database called High Performance Order Storage (HPOS).
High Performance Order Storage makes changes to the database. Activation of this new feature is optional for now to give plugin developers time to adapt.
A WooCommerce explainer noted:
“After the first production release, the HPOS feature will continue to be opt-in and we will assist developers in making their plugins compatible with HPOS, closely monitor how many extensions are compatible and how many stores are actively testing the feature.”
Yoast 19.10/19.5 Premium both feature compatibility with the new WooCommerce HPOS feature. This means that if HPOS activation results in a website crash, Yoast SEO can be ruled out as the cause.
Users of the WooCommerce SEO add-on for Yoast will also benefit from an update to structured data, making it eligible for new enhancements in Google search.
Yoast 19.10 Fixes a Fatal Error Bug
The updated Yoast SEO plugin offers a patch for a bug that could cause website crashes.
The Yoast SEO changelog attributes the problem to other (unnamed) plugins:
“Fixes a bug where a fatal error would be thrown in the classic editor in combination with certain plugins that misuse metabox hooks.”
An example of a metabox is a custom field that allows users to add additional content not in the main content.
Fixes Two Elementor-Related Bugs
The first Elementor-related bugfix addresses an issue that affected the ability to save Yoast SEO metadata under certain circumstances, which is significant.
The changelog states:
“Fixes a bug where Yoast SEO-related post meta data would not be saved if a user without the manage_options capability would save a post in Elementor.”
Yoast’s second bugfix is related to the previous one as it stems from the same “manage_options capability” issue.
The changelog explains:
“Fixes a bug where users with site-wide basic access authentication would be prompted to insert their credentials when saving a post in Elementor if they didn’t have the manage_options capability.”
WordPress 6.1 Compatibility and Miscellaneous
Version 19.10 deprecated over a dozen hooks used for adding custom content to Yoast SEO settings pages.
Lastly, Yoast SEO offers full compatibility with the recently released WordPress 6.1 code-named Misha.
Should You Update to the Latest Version of Yoast SEO?
Some people understandably prefer to wait before updating a plugin in case there’s a major error, and that’s a reasonable strategy.
Yoast SEO is used by over five million website publishers. The updated plugin was released yesterday, and there are no reports in the Yoast SEO support forum indicating any widespread problems with this update.
In fact, there are currently only isolated issues that often relate more to other plugins and themes.
There are no signs of a pattern of issues related to this update.
Considering updating to the latest version of Yoast SEO is a good idea, particularly for those who use WooCommerce or Elementor, though it is not limited to those users.
Yoast SEO 19.10/19.5 Premium are both compatible with the latest version of WordPress, making updating a desirable option. Keeping all plugins and themes updated is good practice to prevent incompatibility issues.
Featured image by Shutterstock/Luis Molinero
