Yoast SEO is the most popular WordPress SEO plugin for a reason: it coaches you through on-page optimization right inside the post editor. Its centerpiece is the focus keyphrase — the search term you most want a post to rank for. Here’s how to use it.
Step 1: Install and Activate Yoast SEO
From your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New, search for “Yoast SEO”, install, and activate. A new Yoast SEO panel will appear in your post editor (in the sidebar for the block editor).
Step 2: Write Your Post First
Draft your article normally. Once you have a solid draft, it’s time to set your focus keyphrase.
Step 3: Enter Your Focus Keyphrase
In the Yoast SEO sidebar panel, find the Focus keyphrase field and type the phrase you want to rank for — for example, “wordpress seo”. It can be a single word or a short phrase.
As soon as you enter it, Yoast runs an SEO analysis and shows a list of checks with colored bullets: green (good), orange (needs improvement), red (problem).
Step 4: Turn the Bullets Green
Yoast checks whether your keyphrase appears in the right places:
- SEO title — include the keyphrase near the beginning
- Meta description — include it naturally
- URL/slug — the keyphrase should appear in the permalink
- Introduction — use it in the first paragraph
- Headings — include it in at least one H2 or H3
- Content — use it (and synonyms) naturally throughout; don’t stuff
- Image alt text — describe at least one image using the keyphrase
- Text length — make sure the post is long enough for the topic
Work through the orange and red items one by one. You can edit the SEO title, slug, and meta description directly in the Yoast panel without leaving the editor.
Step 5: Check the Readability Tab
Next to the SEO tab, the Readability analysis scores sentence length, paragraph length, subheading distribution, and transition words. Green here means humans will actually enjoy reading the post — which keeps them on the page longer.
What the Focus Keyphrase Doesn’t Do
Entering a keyphrase doesn’t magically rank you — it just focuses Yoast’s checklist on one target. Real rankings still come from genuinely useful content, good site structure, and backlinks. Think of the green bullets as hygiene, not a guarantee.
Official plugin: wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo
Last updated: September 30, 2026. The plugin formerly known as “WordPress SEO by Yoast” is now simply Yoast SEO, and the feature is called “focus keyphrase” — here’s how it works in the current version.
Founder & Editor at Durofy
