Library·SOP·SEO
Improve one WordPress page around a real reader need: plan the content and URL, update the page's search title and description with its active SEO plugin, improve images and internal links, then check and hand off the finished page.
Last reviewed: · Editorial review
Clarity, structure and references reviewed in this version. This is not a test in a live account.
Improve one WordPress page around a real reader need: plan the content and URL, update the page's search title and description with its active SEO plugin, improve images and internal links, then check and hand off the finished page.
This SOP covers:
This does not cover:
Work on one page at a time. The checklist keeps the plan and follow-up together while you make the actual page changes in WordPress.
If you already have a checklist for this page, open it. Otherwise, make your own copy of the On-page SEO improvement checklist and rename it for the page. Read Start here, then use this same copy throughout the guide.
Content plan for the page URL, reader task, phrase, current and proposed content, and remaining work. Use Page checklist to mark each task Not started, In progress, Done, or Not needed. Mark work Done only after you have checked it. When something is Not needed, explain why in the note column.Choose one existing post or page, or create one new draft. Follow the matching substep below to fill in Content plan > Page URL and URL decision.
For an existing page, open the live page, copy its current URL into Page URL, and write “Keep the current address” in URL decision. A wording improvement does not require changing a working URL.
For a new page, create a draft using Posts > Add Post or Pages > Add Page. Enter a working title and save the draft. Copy the editor’s address from your browser into Page URL so you can return to this draft.
In the new draft’s Settings sidebar, select Post or Page, then open Slug (called URL in some versions). Enter a short address that describes the page, with hyphens between words, such as growing-tomatoes-in-pots. Save and record the planned public address in URL decision.
In Content plan, describe who the page helps and what that reader needs to do or learn. Add one main search phrase if you have one; if not, write a natural phrase from the reader's task. Treat it as a plain-language label, not a quota to repeat. For example, growing tomatoes in pots names a task more clearly than gardening tips.
Use the page request or an existing content brief if you already have one. If you still need to choose an existing page to improve, use the related page-opportunity guide and return here with one URL.
If a new topic needs a complete writer brief with search and business research, use the related brief guide, then return here with its reader task and supporting facts. You do not need a full brief when the page request already explains the task and you can confirm its facts.
Use what readers need to decide which sections to keep, improve, remove, or move to a separate page.
Read the current page as its intended reader. Record useful sections, gaps, outdated material, and the current heading outline in Content plan. If you have a main phrase, search it once and note the date, useful result patterns, and questions that belong on this page.
For each existing section, choose Keep, Rewrite, or Remove and give a short reader-focused reason. A section that answers a different question with a long explanation may deserve its own page; a short related detail can stay here if it helps finish the same task.
Add questions the reader must answer to complete this task. Note a reliable source or a knowledgeable reviewer for facts that need support. Do not copy a search result; use it to see what the reader expects and then add useful, accurate information of your own.
Use the reader task and your content plan to revise the main heading, introduction, section order, examples, and supporting answers in WordPress. Follow the related procedure for the detailed heading and body-content decisions.
Use the SEO plugin already active on the site. This guide does not install or switch plugins.
Read the installed-plugin list to find which SEO plugin is active for this site. You only need to inspect the list; leave plugin settings unchanged.
In the WordPress dashboard, open Plugins > Installed Plugins. If that menu is not available to your account, ask the site owner which SEO plugin is active.
Look for Rank Math, Yoast SEO, All in One SEO, or SEOPress marked active. A matching premium add-on may appear separately; it belongs to the main plugin. If none is active, or two different ones are active, ask the site maintainer which one controls this page’s title and description. Write that question in Remaining work and owner. You can finish other page edits while you wait, but leave the title and description task open.
Write a clear, page-specific search title and description that accurately summarize the revised page. Follow the matching guide below to save and check them in the active plugin.
If Rank Math is the active plugin, follow its related guide to write and save this page’s title and description.
If Yoast SEO is the active plugin, follow its related guide to write and save this page’s title and description.
If All in One SEO is the active plugin, follow its related guide to write and save this page’s title and description.
If SEOPress is the active plugin, follow its related guide to write and save this page’s title and description.
Use images and links when they help someone complete the page's task. Do not add them merely to meet a count.
Use Image plan to note the image, source or permission, filename and size, what it teaches, alternative text or decorative choice, and any useful caption. Follow the related image procedure to add or improve the image and check it on the saved page.
Follow the related guide to find useful pages on your site and add links from the page you are improving. Use the same Link plan tab. Plan which existing pages could link back, but add those incoming links after this page is live.
Preview the whole result, resolve important factual gaps, and confirm what was actually published.
Check facts that could mislead a reader or change what they can do. Add a reliable source or name the site owner who can confirm them in Answers, examples and supporting sources or Remaining work and owner.
Save the draft and preview the whole page. Use the checks below before you publish or hand it to the person who publishes for you.
Open Preview (or the device icon), then choose Desktop and Mobile in turn. Read the page from top to bottom. Check that headings follow a useful order, images fit, text is readable, and links open the destinations in Link plan. Fix any problems before continuing.
Publish the new page or save the update to the existing page. If someone else publishes for you, send them the preview URL and checklist, and ask them to complete the live-page checks below after publishing.
Once this page is live, return to the related internal-link guide. Add the planned links from useful existing pages to this page’s public URL, then open each saved source page and test the link. Record the results in Link plan. If no existing page offers a helpful place for a link, record that and leave this task as Not needed.
Open the published URL and check the actual page, not only the editor preview. For a new page, replace the editor link in Content plan > Page URL with this public address. Update Page checklist and Content plan > Live-page check, Remaining work and owner, and Next review date.
Confirm the live page has the intended heading and copy, each planned image loads and fits, and every link opens the destination recorded in Link plan. Recheck any image alternative text or plugin values in the editor if the preview does not let you confirm them.
Name the person who will resolve each open question or optional follow-up. Choose Next review date based on how quickly the page's facts change, such as a seasonal growing guide or a product page with changing details. If there is no open work, record that and still choose a sensible next review date.