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SEO Machine provides flexible publishing options: automated WordPress publishing via REST API or manual file management. Choose the workflow that fits your team’s process.

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Publishing Options

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Option 1: WordPress REST API (Automated)

Publish directly to WordPress as drafts with all SEO metadata automatically populated. Best for:
  • Teams with WordPress sites
  • Automated workflows
  • Yoast SEO users
  • High-volume content production

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Option 2: Manual File Management

Manage content files locally and publish through your existing CMS workflow. Best for:
  • Non-WordPress sites
  • Editorial review processes
  • Multi-step approval workflows
  • Custom publishing pipelines

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WordPress Publishing Workflow

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Prerequisites

1

Install WordPress Plugin

Install wordpress/seo-machine-yoast-rest.php as an MU-plugin on your WordPress site. This exposes Yoast SEO fields to the REST API.
2

Add Theme Snippet

Add wordpress/functions-snippet.php to your theme’s functions.php file for additional API support.
3

Generate Application Password

  1. Log into WordPress Admin
  2. Go to Users → Your Profile
  3. Scroll to “Application Passwords”
  4. Enter name: “SEO Machine”
  5. Click “Add New Application Password”
  6. Copy the generated password
4

Configure Environment Variables

Add credentials to .env file:
WORDPRESS_URL=https://yoursite.com
WORDPRESS_USERNAME=your_username
WORDPRESS_APP_PASSWORD=xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx
See wordpress/README.md in the SEO Machine repository for detailed setup instructions.

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Publishing Commands

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Publish Blog Posts

/publish-draft [filename]
Example: 
/publish-draft drafts/content-marketing-guide-2025-03-04.md

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Publish Landing Pages

/landing-publish [filename]
Example: 
/landing-publish landing-pages/podcast-hosting-trial-2025-03-04.md

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Publish Custom Post Types

/publish-draft [filename] --type [custom-type]
Example: 
/publish-draft drafts/product-comparison.md --type compare
Custom post types must be registered in WordPress with REST API support enabled.

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What Gets Published

When you publish to WordPress, the command:
1

Parses Metadata

Extracts all metadata from the markdown file’s frontmatter
2

Converts to HTML

Converts markdown content to WordPress-compatible HTML
3

Creates Draft Post

Creates a new post in WordPress with status “draft” (never auto-publishes)
4

Sets Yoast SEO Fields

Populates Yoast SEO metadata:
  • SEO Title (from Meta Title)
  • Meta Description
  • Focus Keyphrase (from Target Keyword)
5

Assigns Taxonomy

Sets categories and tags if specified in frontmatter
6

Returns Edit URL

Provides direct link to edit the post in WordPress admin

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Metadata Mapping

Draft FieldWordPress/Yoast Field
H1 TitlePost Title
Meta TitleYoast SEO Title
Meta DescriptionYoast Meta Description + Excerpt
Target KeywordYoast Focus Keyphrase
URL SlugPost Slug
CategoryPost Categories
TagsPost Tags
ContentPost Content (HTML)

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Adding Categories and Tags

To assign categories or tags, add these fields to your draft frontmatter: 
**Category**: [Content Marketing]
**Tags**: SEO, content strategy, B2B
Multiple categories/tags are comma-separated. If a category doesn’t exist, it will be created automatically.

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WordPress Publishing Checklist

Before publishing to WordPress:
  • Article has been optimized (/optimize command run)
  • SEO score ≥ 70 (blog posts) or ≥ 75 (landing pages)
  • All priority fixes addressed
  • Meta title 50-60 characters
  • Meta description 150-160 characters
  • Target keyword specified
  • Categories/tags specified (if desired)
  • Environment variables configured

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After Publishing

1

Review in WordPress

Click the edit URL provided to review the draft in WordPress admin
2

Add Media

Upload featured image and inline images/screenshots (media is not transferred automatically)
3

Verify Formatting

Check that markdown converted correctly to WordPress blocks/HTML
4

Review Yoast Analysis

Check Yoast SEO panel for any additional recommendations
5

Preview

Use WordPress preview to see how the post looks on your site
6

Publish

Click “Publish” in WordPress when ready (posts are always created as drafts)
You can run the publish command multiple times on the same file. Each run creates a new draft, so you can test different versions.

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Troubleshooting WordPress Publishing

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”WORDPRESS_URL must be set”

Solution: Add credentials to .env file. See Prerequisites section above.

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”401 Unauthorized”

Solutions:
  • Verify username is correct
  • Regenerate Application Password
  • Ensure user has permission to create posts
  • Check that WORDPRESS_URL includes https://

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“Could not find category”

Solution: The category will be created automatically. This is a warning, not an error.

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”Images not showing”

Solution: Images are not uploaded automatically. You must add them manually in WordPress after the draft is created.

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”Formatting looks wrong”

Solution: WordPress may interpret markdown differently. Use the WordPress editor to adjust formatting after publishing.

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Manual File Management Workflow

If you’re not using WordPress or prefer a manual workflow, SEO Machine organizes content files for easy management.

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Directory Structure

seomachine/
├── topics/              # Raw topic ideas
├── research/            # Research briefs and analysis reports
├── drafts/              # Work in progress articles
├── review-required/     # Articles that need manual improvement
├── published/           # Final versions ready to publish
├── rewrites/            # Updated existing content
├── landing-pages/       # Landing page content
└── audits/              # Audit reports

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Content Lifecycle

1

Ideation

Directory: topics/Store raw ideas and preliminary research here. Simple text files with initial thoughts.
2

Research

Directory: research/Running /research saves briefs here:
  • brief-[topic]-[date].md - Research briefs
  • analysis-[topic]-[date].md - Existing content analysis
3

Drafting

Directory: drafts/Running /write saves articles and reports here:
  • [topic]-[date].md - Main article
  • content-analysis-[topic]-[date].md - Content Analyzer report
  • seo-report-[topic]-[date].md - SEO Optimizer report
  • meta-options-[topic]-[date].md - Meta Creator options
  • link-suggestions-[topic]-[date].md - Internal Linker suggestions
  • keyword-analysis-[topic]-[date].md - Keyword Mapper analysis
  • optimization-report-[topic]-[date].md - Final optimization report
4

Review Required (If Needed)

Directory: review-required/Articles that score below quality thresholds are saved here with:
  • [topic]-[date].md - The article
  • [topic]-[date]_REVIEW_NOTES.md - Issues to fix
5

Publishing Ready

Directory: published/Move finalized articles here when ready to publish. This is your “ready to go live” queue.

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Manual Publishing Process

1

Select Article

Choose an article from published/ directory
2

Copy Content

Copy the markdown or HTML content to your CMS
3

Apply Metadata

Use the metadata from the article frontmatter:
  • Meta Title
  • Meta Description
  • Target Keyword (focus keyword in your SEO plugin)
  • URL Slug
  • Categories/Tags
4

Add Media

Upload images, screenshots, and other media assets
5

Set Internal Links

Add internal links as specified in the article and link-suggestions report
6

Preview and Publish

Preview in your CMS, make final adjustments, and publish
7

Track in System

Move the article file to an archive or add a “published” date to the frontmatter

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File Naming Conventions

SEO Machine uses consistent naming:
  • Articles: [topic-slug]-[YYYY-MM-DD].md
  • Rewrites: [topic-slug]-rewrite-[YYYY-MM-DD].md
  • Research: brief-[topic-slug]-[YYYY-MM-DD].md
  • Analysis: analysis-[topic-slug]-[YYYY-MM-DD].md
  • Reports: [report-type]-[topic-slug]-[YYYY-MM-DD].md
Examples:
  • content-marketing-strategies-2025-03-04.md
  • email-marketing-guide-rewrite-2025-03-04.md
  • brief-podcast-monetization-2025-03-04.md
  • seo-report-content-marketing-strategies-2025-03-04.md

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Organizing by Status

You can add status indicators to filenames or use subdirectories:

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Option 1: Status Prefixes

drafts/
├── DRAFT_content-marketing-2025-03-04.md
├── REVIEW_email-guide-2025-03-01.md
└── READY_podcast-tips-2025-02-28.md

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Option 2: Status Subdirectories

drafts/
├── in-progress/
│   └── content-marketing-2025-03-04.md
├── needs-review/
│   └── email-guide-2025-03-01.md
└── ready-to-publish/
    └── podcast-tips-2025-02-28.md

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Frontmatter Format

All articles include structured frontmatter: 
---
Meta Title: Content Marketing Strategies for 2025
Meta Description: Discover 7 proven content marketing strategies that drive organic traffic and conversions for B2B SaaS companies.
Primary Keyword: content marketing strategies
Secondary Keywords: B2B content marketing, content strategy, content planning
URL Slug: /blog/content-marketing-strategies-2025
Category: Content Marketing
Tags: strategy, SEO, B2B
Word Count: 2,847
SEO Score: 87/100
Publishing Status: Ready
Created: 2025-03-04
---
You can add custom fields as needed for your workflow.

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Publishing Checklist

Regardless of your publishing method, verify these before going live:

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Content Quality

  • Article meets minimum word count (2000+ for blogs, appropriate length for landing pages)
  • Quality score ≥ 70 (blogs) or ≥ 75 (landing pages)
  • All priority fixes from optimization report addressed
  • Examples and statistics are current and cited
  • Brand voice is consistent
  • No grammatical or spelling errors

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SEO Elements

  • Primary keyword in H1
  • Primary keyword in first 100 words
  • Primary keyword in 2-3 H2 headings
  • Keyword density 1-2%
  • Meta title 50-60 characters
  • Meta description 150-160 characters
  • URL slug is optimized (short, includes keyword)
  • Proper H1/H2/H3 hierarchy (no skipped levels)
  • 3-5+ internal links with descriptive anchor text
  • 2-3+ external authority links
  • All links tested and working
  • Internal links follow user journey (awareness → consideration → decision)
  • No broken external links

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Media & Formatting

  • Featured image added
  • Inline images added where appropriate
  • All images have alt text with keywords
  • Lists use bullets or numbers for scannability
  • Key concepts are bolded
  • Paragraphs are 2-4 sentences max
  • Subheadings every 300-400 words

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Technical

  • Categories assigned (if applicable)
  • Tags assigned (if applicable)
  • Focus keyword set in SEO plugin
  • Schema markup considered (FAQ, How-To, Article)
  • Mobile responsive (preview on mobile)
  • Page loads quickly (under 3 seconds)

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Before Going Live

  • Preview in staging or preview mode
  • Check formatting in actual page layout
  • Test all CTAs and forms
  • Verify social sharing preview (og:image, og:description)
  • Set appropriate publish date
  • Add to XML sitemap (usually automatic)

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Post-Publishing Workflow

After content goes live:
1

Add to Internal Links Map

Update context/internal-links-map.md with the new URL for future internal linking
2

Share Internally

Notify your team that new content is live
3

Promote

Share on social media, email newsletter, or other channels
4

Monitor Indexing

Check Google Search Console to ensure the page is indexed
5

Track Performance

Set up tracking for:
  • Organic traffic (Google Analytics)
  • Keyword rankings (Google Search Console or rank tracker)
  • Conversions/goals
  • Engagement (time on page, bounce rate)
6

Schedule Review

Set a calendar reminder to review performance in 30-60 days

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Performance Tracking

After 30-60 days, analyze:
  • Traffic: Did the article attract organic traffic?
  • Rankings: Is it ranking for target keywords? Position 1-10?
  • Engagement: High time on page? Low bounce rate?
  • Conversions: Is it driving sign-ups, demos, or downloads?
  • Backlinks: Has it attracted natural backlinks?
Use these insights to:
  • Identify what worked (apply to future content)
  • Spot underperformers (candidates for updates using /analyze-existing)
  • Prioritize content topics that resonate with your audience

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Bulk Publishing

For high-volume content workflows:

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Batch Publishing to WordPress

Publish multiple articles in sequence: 
/publish-draft drafts/article-1.md
/publish-draft drafts/article-2.md
/publish-draft drafts/article-3.md
All articles will be created as drafts. Review and publish them in WordPress when ready.

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Scheduled Publishing

In WordPress:
  1. Edit each draft
  2. Set publish date/time in the future
  3. Click “Schedule”
This allows you to batch-create content and publish it over time.

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Editorial Calendar

Track publishing schedule:
  • Use published/ directory with files named by publish date
  • Add “Scheduled Publish Date” to frontmatter
  • Use project management tools (Trello, Asana, Notion) to track status
  • Integrate with WordPress editorial calendar plugins

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Best Practices

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Version Control

  • Keep original drafts even after publishing
  • Save copies before major rewrites
  • Use git to track changes to markdown files
  • Tag published versions in git

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Quality Control

  • Always run /optimize before publishing
  • Have a second person review high-priority content
  • Preview on mobile and desktop before publishing
  • Test all links and CTAs

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Workflow Efficiency

  • Batch similar tasks (write multiple articles, then optimize all)
  • Use templates for common content types
  • Create shortcuts for frequent commands
  • Automate where possible (scheduled publishing, social sharing)

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Documentation

  • Keep notes on what works (successful headlines, CTAs, structures)
  • Document your publishing workflow for team members
  • Track performance metrics in a spreadsheet or dashboard
  • Update context/writing-examples.md with your best-performing content

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Next Steps

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