Library·SOP·SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) helps people discover useful pages. Improve one existing or in-progress WordPress page so its main heading, sections, and answers help the intended reader finish a clear task. Use Google results to understand the kind of page people expect, then write reliable content and check the saved page. This work does not promise a ranking change.
Last reviewed: · Editorial review
Clarity, structure and references reviewed in this version. This is not a test in a live account.
Search engine optimization (SEO) helps people discover useful pages. Improve one existing or in-progress WordPress page so its main heading, sections, and answers help the intended reader finish a clear task. Use Google results to understand the kind of page people expect, then write reliable content and check the saved page. This work does not promise a ranking change.
This SOP covers:
This does not cover:
Work on one page with a clear purpose. The checklist keeps the current page, research, and planned changes together.
If you already have a checklist for this page, reuse it. Otherwise, make your own copy of the On-page SEO improvement checklist and open the Content plan tab. Use Page URL, Page or post title, Main phrase, Reader and their question, and Current content / brief to describe the starting page. Later steps name the exact fields for your search notes, content decisions, new outline, and final check.
Record the page, its reader, and the task it should support in the Content plan.
Enter the live address in Page URL, or the WordPress edit link if this is an unpublished draft. Enter the current title in Page or post title.
In Reader and their question, write who the page is for and what that reader needs to do or understand. In Main phrase, use a phrase from an existing brief or Search Console report when one exists. Otherwise, write a natural phrase that names the agreed task, such as grow tomatoes in pots. If you cannot tell what the reader needs from the request or page, ask the page owner to clarify before editing.
If the page already has a writer brief, add its link in Current content / brief. For a new topic that still needs topic research, use the linked guide to research SEO keywords without paid tools before continuing.
Record the current page structure and where its main answer appears.
Open the page as a reader and note what it currently helps someone do.
In Current heading outline, list the page title and section headings in reading order.
Note which section answers the reader’s main question and where the answer is hard to find or missing.
Search results can show the task and format people are looking for. They are clues about the question, not proof that a fact is true.
Use visible Google results as dated clues about the reader’s task and useful page format.
Search Google for the phrase in Main phrase. In Search date and search phrase, record today’s date and the query you used.
Compare useful, relevant result titles and page types. In What useful search results have in common, note the reader task and sections that appear on more than one of those pages. Add their URLs when they help explain the pattern.
Select questions that help the same reader complete the same page task.
Look for closely related questions in search results, related searches, or People also ask when these features appear.
In Relevant questions to answer, keep only questions that help the reader complete this page’s main task. If Google shows no useful questions, keep the original reader question only.
Decide whether each related question supports this page or belongs on its own page.
Ask whether an answer would help the same reader finish this page’s main task and fit naturally as one supporting section. If yes, keep the question on this page.
Move a question to Topics for a separate page when it serves a different task or needs enough explanation to distract from the main answer. A tomato-growing guide might answer a quick sunlight question, while a detailed fertilizer schedule could serve a separate task. This example is fictional.
When the page owner selects a separate topic and needs a writer handoff, use the linked guide to create an SEO content brief.
Keep the useful content, repair gaps that matter to the reader, and organize the answer so people can find each part.
Choose what to do with each section based on the reader’s task, and record the reason in Keep / rewrite / remove.
Keep a section that is accurate and helps answer the main question.
Rewrite a section that is vague, hard to follow, missing a needed step, or out of date.
Remove text that repeats another section or distracts from the main task. Give a short reason in Keep / rewrite / remove; do not remove useful material only to shorten the page.
Plan a descriptive main heading, an introduction that starts the answer, and useful sections in a reader-friendly order.
In Proposed main heading (H1), describe the page’s main task. In Proposed introduction, tell the reader what the page will help them do and begin answering their question. H1 is the main page heading; H2 starts a main section; H3 is a smaller section inside an H2.
In Proposed section headings (H2 / H3), put the main sections in the order a reader needs them. Use H3 only for a smaller topic inside its related H2. Include the main phrase when it fits naturally and accurately; no exact heading count or repetition target is needed.
Worked example (fictional)
Before
After
The improved version tells readers what the page covers and gives the section one clear job. Check any gardening advice with a source that fits the reader’s location before using it.
Prepare factual answers the site can stand behind, and record their source or reviewer.
For each new or rewritten factual answer, use first-hand knowledge, a reliable source, or a knowledgeable reviewer. Check important or time-sensitive facts before publishing.
Write the answer in your own words. Include the practical steps, example, or explanation the reader needs to act; do not copy a search result.
In Answers, examples and supporting sources, name the source or reviewer for each important factual addition.
Make the planned content changes in the WordPress Block Editor, then inspect the saved page as a reader.
Update the heading and body blocks in the WordPress Block Editor to match the Content plan.
In WordPress, open Pages or Posts, find the item by its current title, and choose Edit. Confirm its address matches Page URL in the Content plan.
Update the page title only when the proposed main heading needs it. Edit paragraph blocks to match the planned introduction and answers, then edit the Heading blocks to match the planned section names.
Select each Heading block and use its level control in the block toolbar or settings. In most themes, the page title supplies the H1; check the outline before adding another. Use H2 for main sections and H3 for related subsections, so readers can follow the structure.
Preview and save the changed page, then hand it off if someone else must publish it.
Preview the page after editing the heading and body blocks.
Compare the top of the preview with Proposed main heading (H1). Confirm that this page-specific heading appears above the body, not only a different site banner or promotion.
If the planned heading is missing, return to the editor. Add a Heading block above the first body block and enter the planned main heading.
If you added a Heading block, select it and choose H1 from the level control in the block toolbar or settings.
Preview again. Confirm the planned page heading appears once above the body. Do not change the site template.
If you are authorized to publish, choose the editor’s Save or Publish control and confirm the save finishes. If another person must approve or publish, save the draft and send that person its edit link with the specific decision still needed.
Check the saved page and record the final result in the Content plan.
If the page is published, open its public address in Page URL. If it is still a draft, use the editor’s preview link. Read from the main heading through the last changed section. Confirm the planned page heading appears above the body, the introduction starts the answer, the headings follow the planned order, and each new answer is visible and understandable.
If the page is still a draft, use its preview link and ask the named editor to check the same items after publishing.
In Live-page check, record the published URL and what you checked, or the draft preview link and who will check it after publication. In Remaining work and owner, name each open question or issue and the person who will resolve it.
