SEO meta box
How to review and complete metadata before publishing
The SEO meta box is the panel inside the Article editor that shows fields generated automatically by the plugin and editable before publication. It integrates with the major SEO plugins installed on your site — Yoast SEO, RankMath and SEOPress — and also outputs schema JSON-LD structured data injected into the page head.
When to open this screen
Review the SEO meta box before publishing every generated article. The plugin generates meta title, meta description, focus keyword and schema markup automatically during article generation, but human review ensures accuracy and brand alignment.
If no SEO plugin is installed, the plugin saves meta data in its own fields and injects schema JSON-LD directly. If Yoast, RankMath or SEOPress is installed, the plugin populates their native fields so all metadata is managed through the standard SEO plugin workflow.
The correct procedure is to review the SEO meta box after editing the article body. SEO fields depend on the content being final — editing the body after setting the meta description often requires updating the description to reflect the changes.
What’s on this page
Recommended procedure for reviewing the SEO meta box
A consistent SEO review process ensures that every published article meets baseline optimisation standards regardless of who generated or edited it.
1. Check the focus keyword
Verify the focus keyword is the primary term you want the article to rank for. Update if the generated one is too broad.
2. Review the meta title
Check length (50–60 characters), keyword inclusion and that it matches the article’s actual content.
3. Refine the meta description
Check length (150–160 characters), readability and whether it would make a reader click from the SERP.
4. Verify the schema type
Check that the detected schema type (Article, FAQ, HowTo) matches the article format.
SEO meta box fields explained
Each field in the meta box serves a specific function in search visibility. Understanding their purpose helps you review them efficiently.
Focus keyword (Yoast)
Stored as _yoast_wpseo_focuskw. Used by Yoast for the green/orange/red SEO score indicator.
Focus keyword (RankMath)
Stored as rank_math_focus_keyword. Powers the RankMath content analysis score.
Focus keyword (SEOPress)
Stored in SEOPress fields if that plugin is active. Follows SEOPress scoring logic.
Meta title
Stored in the SEO plugin’s native title field. Overrides the WordPress post title in SERPs.
Meta description
Stored in the SEO plugin’s native description field. The snippet displayed below the title in Google.
Schema: Article
Applied to standard informational articles. Helps Google understand the article format.
Schema: FAQPage
Applied when the article contains a structured Q&A section. Enables FAQ rich results.
Schema: HowTo
Applied when the article describes a step-by-step process. Enables HowTo rich results.
Word count
The plugin tracks word count per article. Below 500 words is flagged as short; above 900 as good.
How the plugin detects the correct schema type
The plugin analyses the article content and heading structure to automatically detect the most appropriate schema type. You can review the result before publishing.
Article detection
Default schema for all articles that do not match FAQ or HowTo patterns.
FAQPage detection
Triggered when the article contains multiple Q&A pairs with identifiable question headings.
HowTo detection
Triggered when the article has numbered steps or a clear step-by-step structure with action verbs.
Manual override
If the detected schema type is incorrect, it can be overridden by editing the stored meta value directly.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake is not reviewing the meta description length: the AI-generated description is often slightly over 160 characters, which causes truncation in SERPs. A second mistake is leaving the focus keyword as the generic topic keyword when a longer-tail keyword would give the article a better ranking opportunity.
Summary
The SEO meta box is the last technical checkpoint before publication. Review focus keyword, meta title and meta description for every article — these three fields have the greatest direct impact on search visibility and click-through rate.