AIOSEO Documentation

Documentation, Reference Materials, and Tutorials for AIOSEO

Using Keywords to Analyze Your Content

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Written By: author avatar Steve Mortiboy
author avatar Steve Mortiboy
Steve has over 25 years of project management and service delivery experience. He started his career in defense communications before moving to the British Ministry of Defence where he worked for the British Army. For the past 15 years, Steve has worked in IT, managing large projects and enterprise clients. Recently he has worked with entrepreneurs and small businesses helping them to meet the needs of their growing client base. A recent immigrant from England, he brings some international flavor to the team.

Would you like to know whether your post actually targets the terms you want to rank for?

All in One SEO scores your content against the keywords that you set, and tells you what to change for each one.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through adding keywords, reading the suggestions for each one, choosing your focus keyword, and saving your changes.

Before you get started, make sure All in One SEO is installed and activated on your WordPress site.

In This Article

Adding a Keyword

To get started, open the post you want to work on in the WordPress editor. Next, scroll below your content to the AIOSEO Settings section.

From here, select the Optimization tab. Then select the Keywords tab in the Content Optimization panel.

The Keywords tab selected on the Optimization tab of the AIOSEO Settings section, showing the Add an additional keyword field and the keyword table below it

On a post with no keywords yet, the field above the table reads Add a focus keyword. That's because the first keyword you add becomes your focus keyword. Once the post has a focus keyword, the label changes to Add an additional keyword.

Next, type the term you want the post to rank for into the Add a focus keyword field. Then click the Add Keyword button.

A keyword typed into the Add an additional keyword field with an arrow pointing to the Add Keyword button

Your keyword joins the table underneath, with its own Score out of 100 and a count of how many Improvements it has.

The keyword table showing two keywords, each with its own score out of 100 and a count of improvements

Every keyword is scored separately. This shows you at a glance which terms your content already covers well and which ones need work.

Reading the Suggestions

When you add a keyword, its suggestions open automatically below the row. They're sorted into two groups, the same way the other analysis areas work.

The Improvements group lists the checks worth your attention. The Good group collects the ones your content already passes.

A keyword row expanded to show two items under Improvements, covering keyword density and keyword in image alt attributes, with a collapsed Good group of four below

Each item names the check and tells you what to do about it. A keyword density suggestion, for example, tells you how many times your keyword currently appears and the number recommended for a post that length.

A handful of checks, including the one for your keyword in image alt attributes, only run against your focus keyword.

Choosing Your Focus Keyword

One keyword in the table is your focus keyword. This is the primary term you want the post to rank for. The filled circle at the start of its row marks it.

To select a different keyword, click the circle at the start of its row.

The keyword table with an arrow pointing to the empty circle at the start of the second keyword's row, used to make it the focus keyword

Choosing a focus keyword matters because a few checks only run against it. Those checks tell you so directly, rather than leaving you to wonder why they aren't running.

Managing Your Keywords

Each row has its own set of controls under Actions.

The Actions controls on a keyword row, showing the performance tracker, edit, remove, and expand icons

The actions you can perform on a keyword are:

  • Open Keyword Performance Tracker: opens the rank tracker, which charts the keyword's position in search results over time.
  • Edit Keyword: change the keyword without losing the row.
  • Remove Keyword: delete the keyword from the AIOSEO Settings for this post.

The button at the end of the row expands and collapses that keyword's suggestions.

The rank tracker is part of Search Statistics, which is available to customers withour Elite ​license level for All in One SEO Pro. Search Statistics draws its data from your Google Search Console account. Our guide on using the Keyword Rank Tracker covers what it reports and how to use it.

If you remove your focus keyword while other keywords remain, the first keyword left in the table becomes your new focus keyword.

Saving Your Keywords

Keywords are stored with the post itself. When you've finished adding them, click the Save or Update button at the top of the post editor.

The top of the WordPress editor with the Save button outlined, beside the AIOSEO score showing 78 out of 100

The number beside it is your post's overall score. That score covers the whole post rather than any single keyword.

That save keeps your keywords along with the rest of your edits to the post. Once the post is saved, your keywords and their scores are waiting for you the next time you open it.

That's it! Your keywords are saved, and each one now has its own score and suggestions to work through.

Further Reading / Next Steps

Not sure which terms to target? The Discover additional keywords link above the table finds related keywords you can rank for. Our guide on getting keyword suggestions from Semrush covers it.

Keywords are one of five areas All in One SEO checks. To see what the others cover, read what TruSEO is, or browse all of our TruSEO content analysis documentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below, we've answered some of the most common questions about keywords:

How many keywords can I add?

A single post can hold up to 10 additional keywords alongside its focus keyword. We don't recommend adding too many because the content of your post should be focused on only a few keywords. General content about a range of keywords don't perform as well in search results.

See Adding a Keyword above.

What's the difference between the focus keyword and the others?

The focus keyword is the primary term you want the post to rank for. Every keyword gets its own score and suggestions. A few checks, though, only run against the focus keyword.

See Choosing Your Focus Keyword above.

Why did my keyword disappear?

The post was most likely closed before it was saved. Keywords are stored with the post, so they need a save to be kept. Adding the keyword again and saving the post puts it back.

See Saving Your Keywords above.

Should I aim for a perfect score on every keyword?

No. Treat the scores as a guide to where your content is thin on a term. Work through the Improvements group and stop when the remaining suggestions would cost you writing quality.

Does a good score guarantee a high ranking?

No, a good score can't guarantee your post with rank on search results. The score is just a guide to help you ensure your content and SEO are optimized for that keyword. Google states that ranking in search results involves many factors and not just the quality of your content or how well it's optimized for specific keyword.