SEO metadata is the information that tells search engines what your page is about and how it should appear in search results. Optimizing these elements is crucial for improving your search rankings and encouraging users to click on your content.

Core SEO Metadata Elements

When creating or editing an article, you'll find the SEO settings in the right-hand sidebar. There are four primary elements you should optimize:

• Title Tag: This is the main headline that appears in search results. In our editor, your article title serves as the default title tag.

• URL Slug: The specific part of the web address that identifies your page (e.g., yourdomain.com/seo-metadata-optimization).

• Meta Description: A brief summary of your article that appears under the title in search results.

• Target Keyword: The primary search term you want your article to rank for.

How to Optimize Metadata in the Editor

Follow these steps to ensure your article is fully optimized before you publish:

1. Open the SEO Sidebar: While in the Article Editor, look for the SEO Settings panel on the right side of the screen.

2. Set Your Target Keyword: Enter your primary keyword first. This allows the app to fetch real-time search volume and difficulty metrics, helping you gauge the competition.

   Set your target keyword before uploading images. This allows the app to automatically rename your image files with SEO-friendly names.

3. Refine Your URL Slug: The app automatically generates a slug based on your title. You can manually edit this to make it shorter or more descriptive.

   • Use only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens.

   • Keep it under 100 characters.

4. Write Your Meta Description: Summarize your article in 1-3 compelling sentences. Use the built-in character counter to stay within the recommended limits.

Best Practices for Optimization

Title Tags

• Length: Aim for 50-60 characters. Titles longer than this may be cut off by Google.

• Keyword Placement: Place your primary keyword near the beginning of the title.

• Clarity: Make sure the title accurately reflects the content of the page.

Meta Descriptions

• Length: Keep it between 150-160 characters.

• Call to Action: Include a clear call to action (e.g., "Learn more," "Read our guide," or "Discover how") to encourage clicks.

• Unique Content: Every page should have a unique meta description. Avoid using the same summary for multiple articles.

URL Slugs

• Keep it Simple: Remove "stop words" like "a," "the," and "and" to keep the URL clean.

• Use Hyphens: Always use hyphens (-) to separate words, never underscores (_) or spaces.

Syncing with Your CMS

Once you've optimized your metadata and are ready to publish, the app will automatically sync these fields to your connected CMS (such as WordPress, Shopify, or Ghost). If you are using SEO plugins like Yoast or RankMath on WordPress, our metadata will typically populate those fields automatically during the sync process.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• "Slug can only contain lowercase letters...": Ensure you haven't included spaces, capital letters, or special characters like exclamation marks in your slug.

• "No data found" for Keywords: This can happen with very niche or new search terms. Try a broader variation of your keyword to see if data is available.

• Character Limit Warnings: If your text is too long, try to be more concise. Search engines prioritize the first 160 characters of a description, so make them count!

By following these steps, you'll ensure your content is not only high-quality but also highly discoverable by search engines and readers alike.