How to Properly Use Focus Keyphrase in WordPress (Beginner’s Guide)

A focus keyphrase is the primary topic of a specific piece of content. It is the keyword or phrase you expect users to enter into search engines to find the information you provide.

At WPBeginner, we set focus keywords for our content using All in One SEO. We find that this strategy has improved our website SEO and improved our search rankings.

In this article, we will share our approach to properly using focus keywords to improve content and boost SEO rankings.

What Is a Focus Keyphrase in WordPress?

The Focus Keyphrase is the keyword you want to rank for in search engines.

It is an important part of WordPress SEO best practices, and every website owner should apply it to their content creation process.

For instance, if you were writing an article about the best coffee shops in New York City, then your focus keyphrase could be ‘best coffee shops in New York City’.

You can also use variations of the keyphrase. For example, ‘coffee shops in NYC’ could be a good alternative to rank for.

Once you have a focus keyphrase in mind, you can focus on that particular topic and make it more comprehensive in order to improve your blog post for SEO.

All of the top WordPress SEO plugins can help you set a focus keyphrase when writing a post or page.

For instance, All in One SEO allows you to easily set a Focus Keyphrase for each post, page, product, and custom post type. The plugin then shows a TruSEO score with suggestions to improve your content.

Similarly, Yoast SEO also comes with a Focus Keyphrase feature that helps you analyze your content.

How to Properly Use Focus Keyphrase in WordPress

For this tutorial, we’ll be using All in One SEO for WordPress which is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market. It’s used by over 3 million websites, and this is the plugin we use here on WPBeginner.

With that said, the basic concept is the same, and the tutorial would work for any other SEO plugin that supports the focus keyphrase feature.

One of the advantages of using All in One SEO for WordPress is that it supports multiple focus keyphrases.

Plus, you also get a free Semrush integration that helps you unlock additional keyword ideas to make your content more comprehensive.

First, you need to install and activate the All in One SEO for WordPress plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Note: There’s also a free version of AIOSEO plugin available that you can use as well, but for the sake of our screenshots, we’re using the Pro version.

Upon activation, the plugin will launch the setup wizard that will help you set up the plugin.

If you need help, see our tutorial on how to properly install and setup All in One SEO for WordPress.

Setting Focus Keyphrase in WordPress

After the setup, you can add a new blog post or page, or edit an existing one.

On the post edit screen, scroll down to the AIOSEO Settings section. From here, you’ll find the option to set a focus keyphrase for that particular post or page.

Simply enter your focus keyphrase and click on the Add Focus Keyphrase button.

As soon as you set a focus keyphrase, All in One SEO will analyze your content for that particular keyphrase and will show you a score.

Improving Your Content for Focus Keyphrase

All in One SEO shows a score after you set your focus keyword with practical tips to improve your content for that particular keyphrase.

For instance, in the above screenshot, the plugin is telling us to include the focus keyphrase in the SEO title.

Following all the recommendations will give your focus keyphrase the perfect score.

Let’s break down these recommendations so that you have them in mind when writing your content.

1. Focus Keyphrase in SEO Title

The plugin recommends adding your primary focus keyphrase in the SEO title.

By default, All in One SEO uses your post title in the SEO title. That means that if you used a focus keyword in the post title, then the SEO title will automatically include that.

You can also choose to have a custom SEO title and manually edit it in the AIOSEO settings for that particular post.

2. Focus Keyphrase in Meta Description

Meta description is the short SEO description for that particular content. By default, the plugin will pick it up from the post excerpt.

However, we recommend manually writing a meta description of no more than 160 characters for best results. This way you can creatively use your focus keyphrase in the meta description.

For more information, take a look at our guide on SEO title, meta description and keywords.

3. Focus Keyphrase Length

All in One SEO recommends using a focus keyphrase no more than four words. However, you can use a longer focus keyphrase if you feel that you would be able to use it properly in your content.

4. Focus Keyphrase in URL

WordPress supports SEO friendly URL structures, which allow you to use meaningful URLs for your posts and pages.

This URL is usually automatically generated from your post title. If you have used your focus keyphrase in your post title, then it will also be included in the URL.

However, you can also manually edit the URL under the Permalink section in the Post settings column.

5. Focus Keyphrase in Introduction

Adding your focus keyword in the introduction section of your article is highly recommended for SEO purposes.

The intro section is the first sentence or paragraph of your article. If possible, try to use the focus keyword as early as possible.

6. Focus Keyphrase in Subheadings

Subheadings are essential in making your content more readable. That’s why search engines consider them important.

Using your focus keyphrase in a subheading adds more weight to it.

7. Focus Keyphrase in Image Alt Attributes

Image SEO can help your content rank higher in search engines since images play an important role in improving user experience as well as SEO.

The alt attribute is a meta tag that describes an image for visually impaired users, machine readers, and search engines.

Make sure that you use your focus keyword at least once in the alt attribute for all images inside your article.

Using all the above-mentioned tips for your primary focus keyword will give you a perfect focus keyphrase score.

Using Multiple Focus Keyphrases in WordPress

Search engines usually will look for more complete sources to show in search results, to make sure searchers get the information they’re searching for. That’s why longer blog posts often tend to rank better.

You can make your content more complete by trying to cover all the necessary information and keyphrase variations that a user may be looking for.

For instance, users looking for the best coffee shops in NYC may also be looking for famous coffee shops in Brooklyn.

All in One SEO for WordPress allows you to optimize your content for multiple focus keyphrases.

After you have optimized your content for the primary keyphrase, you can add more keywords under ‘Additional Keyphrases’.

All in One SEO for WordPress will show a score for each additional keyphrase that you add.

It will also show more recommendations for each keyphrase.

Now, it is important to understand that sometimes you may not be able to include a secondary keyphrase in the meta description, intro, or post title.

Don’t sacrifice user experience for SEO and only apply these suggestions if you can do that without affecting readability and user experience.

Find More Focus Keyphrase Ideas

Now when it comes to keyword ideas, most beginners often rely on their own instincts to guess what users may be looking for.

However, it is not necessary to use guesswork when you can get actual data.

All in One SEO for WordPress comes with built-in integration with Semrush to provide you with additional keyword ideas right inside the post editor. Semrush is the most comprehensive SEO tool on the market that helps you find smart insights with actual data.

Simply click on the Get Additional Keyphrases button under AIOSEO settings when writing a post.

This will launch a popup wizard where you can either log in to your Semrush account or sign up for a new free Semrush account.

Note: If you want to try the pro version, you can use our exclusive Semrush coupon code to get a free 30-day trial.

After that, you’ll be asked to give AIOSEO permission to connect to your Semrush account.

Click on the ‘Approve’ button to continue.

That’s it!

Once your site is connected to your Semrush account, the plugin will close the popup and fetch the additional keyword ideas.

You’ll see a list of keyphrases with volume and trend graph. Ideally, you would want to include keyphrases with more search volume and a growing trend.

Simply click on the ‘Add Keyphrase’ button to select a keyphrase and All in One SEO will show a keyphrase score right away.

Tip: It is important that you need to write for humans first. Avoid changing your content unnecessarily just to stuff additional keyphrases.

Alternative: If you’re looking for an alternative to Semrush, you can use the free WPBeginner Keyword Generator. It will instantly generate 300+ keyword ideas from Google that you can use in your content.

Bonus: Track Your Keyword Performance with AIOSEO Search Statistics

Adding focus keyphrases is a great start, but how do you know if they’re actually working? That’s where AIOSEO’s Search Statistics feature comes in. It lets you easily see how your keywords are ranking in search results directly from the WordPress dashboard.

To get started, you can quickly import the keywords you want to track from the focus keywords in your posts.

After that, the plugin will give you an overview of your keyword ranking positions in an easy-to-read report.

To see more details and how each specific keyphrase is ranking, you can scroll down the page. This area includes important metrics like position, position history, search impressions, clicks, and average click-through rate.

By regularly checking your AIOSEO Search Statistics, you can find out what keyphrases are driving results and adjust your strategy for maximum traffic.

For more details, see our guide on how to check if your blog posts are ranking for the right keywords.

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We hope this article helped you learn how to properly use focus keyphrases in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to improve your organic click through rate to get more free traffic from search engines, and our comparison of the best SEO rank tracking tools that you can use to see how your website is performing.

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