Step 14a Configure Rankmath SEO Plugin

Task Library

Set the focus keyword, SEO title, and meta description in RankMath and tune the post until it scores 70+ so the article competes in search from day one.

Category: Content Factory – Post

Use this when the draft post is categorized and tagged (Step 13 done) and needs its on-page SEO locked in before internal linking and publication.

Inputs

  • Draft post in WordPress with RankMath active
  • The article's primary keyword (chosen in Step 6 when the title and headings were written)
  • The article's GCT – who the post targets and what it should rank for

Steps

  1. Open the RankMath panel on the post and set the focus keyword to the article's primary keyword.
  2. Write the SEO title: under 60 characters, focus keyword near the front, written for a human click – no clickbait, no truncation in the SERP preview.
  3. Write the meta description: under 160 characters, contains the focus keyword, gives a concrete reason to click.
  4. Verify keyword placement RankMath checks for: in the SEO title, the permalink, the first paragraph, at least one H2/subheading, and image alt text where it reads naturally.
  5. Run the RankMath analysis and resolve flagged items until the score is 70 or higher. Fix real issues (missing keyword placements, thin sections, missing links) – never keyword-stuff to game the score.
  6. Confirm the snippet preview renders correctly for desktop and mobile, and that canonical/schema defaults are sane for a standard post.
  7. Save the draft and proceed to Step 14b (LinkWhisper).

Definition of done (QA checklist)

  • Focus keyword set; RankMath score 70+ achieved without keyword stuffing
  • SEO title under 60 characters with focus keyword; meta description under 160 characters with focus keyword
  • Keyword present in permalink, first paragraph, and at least one subheading
  • SERP snippet preview reads cleanly with no truncation
  • Linked back to the definitive article and relevant siblings
  • Complies with Blog Posting Guidelines (if it publishes content)

Example(s)

  • Example needed – run the Meta-Article Prompt after first real run. The /website-qa-audit Layer 2 check "Verify Rank Math score above 70 on every page" is the site-wide audit twin of this per-post step.

File in the zip: skills/content-factory-post/step-14a-configure-rankmath-seo-plugin.md. Download the Task Library zip.

Index: Task Library. Article guidelines.

Scroll to Top