Getting Started
SETTINGS TAB
Metabox Settings
The Zynith team has provided the option to globally show or hide several important SEO Signals. Each of the signals is outlined below with an explanation of why they were included in the plugin. These signals are dynamic and will change color when meeting a predetermined threshold based on the theme selected.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade-Level Signal
The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level is a readability formula that measures the complexity of a written text in terms of the grade level required to comprehend it. Named after its creators, Rudolf Flesch and J. Peter Kincaid, this formula is widely used in education and publishing to assess the difficulty level of a piece of text.
The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level is based on two key factors: average sentence length and average number of syllables per word. By analyzing these factors, the formula calculates a grade level equivalent to the years of formal education required to understand the text. For example, a text with a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 8.5 would be comprehensible to someone who has completed 8th grade and is halfway through their 9th-grade year.
The formula assigns a grade level by converting the average sentence length and syllable count into a mathematical formula. Longer sentences and words with more syllables result in a higher grade level, indicating a more challenging text. Conversely, shorter sentences and simpler words correspond to a lower grade level, indicating easier readability.
The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level is particularly useful for educators, publishers, and writers who aim to tailor their content to a specific audience. By analyzing the grade level of a text, they can make informed decisions regarding the suitability of the material for different readers, ensuring that it aligns with the intended audience’s reading comprehension abilities.
Content Length Signal
Content length can have a significant impact on SEO rankings. Search engines tend to favor more comprehensive content as it can provide more value to users. Longer articles tend to have more relevant keywords, internal and external links, and higher chances of being shared. Additionally, longer content allows for better exploration of topics, increases user engagement, and reduces bounce rates. However, it is important to maintain quality and relevance throughout the lengthier content to ensure its effectiveness in improving SEO rankings. Consider the length of currently ranking content for the best results. This signal will display a red bar when there is less than 1,400 words of content.
HTML to Text Ratio Signal
The HTML-to-Text Ratio is a metric that measures the proportion of HTML code to the actual readable text content on a web page. It indicates the density of text compared to the amount of code present. A higher HTML-to-Text ratio implies that there is more text content relative to the HTML code, which is generally considered favorable for SEO rankings. Search engines like Google focus on delivering high-quality and relevant content to users, so a higher text ratio suggests that the page contains valuable information. Additionally, a higher ratio can improve page load times, as less code needs to be processed. However, it’s important to strike a balance, as having too little HTML code can negatively affect the design and functionality of the page, potentially impacting user experience and SEO rankings.
Broken Links Signal
Broken links can have a detrimental effect on a website page’s SEO performance. When search engines crawl a website, they follow links to discover and index new pages. If a link is broken, the search engine’s crawl process is interrupted, preventing it from fully exploring the website’s content. This can result in incomplete indexing and lower visibility in search engine results pages.
These broken links also negatively impact user experience, leading to frustration and a higher bounce rate. Search engines take user experience into account when ranking pages, so a website with broken links may receive lower organic traffic. It is crucial for website owners to regularly monitor and fix broken links to maintain a strong SEO performance.
Internal Links Signal
These links connect different pages within the same domain, allowing search engines to easily navigate and understand the website’s structure. By strategically placing internal links, website owners can guide search engine crawlers to important pages, improving their visibility in search results.
Internal links can also distribute the link authority and relevance throughout the website, boosting the overall SEO performance. They also help users navigate the website more efficiently, leading to improved user experience and engagement, which are additional factors considered by search engines when ranking websites.
External Links Signal
Outgoing external links can have both positive and negative impacts on a website page’s SEO performance. On one hand, linking to high-quality and authoritative websites can enhance the page’s credibility and provide additional value to the readers. Search engines often reward websites that offer relevant and helpful information by improving their search rankings.
On the other hand, excessive or irrelevant outbound links can dilute the page’s focus, leading to a negative impact on SEO. It is crucial to strike a balance and only include outbound links that are relevant, trustworthy, and add value to the overall user experience.
AI Generated Content Signal (Beta)
Utilizing AI is crucial in today’s digital landscape, and its influence on search algorithms has garnered significant attention in relation to SEO. AI detection allows website owners and search engines to identify and differentiate between AI-generated content and human-created content. While there is an ongoing debate about the positive or negative impact of AI-generated content on a website’s SEO performance, the ambiguity surrounding its effects cannot be ignored.
On one hand, AI-generated content can enhance a website’s efficiency by automating certain tasks, reducing costs, and increasing productivity. It can also generate vast amounts of content in a short period, potentially boosting a website’s visibility in search engine rankings. However, there are concerns that AI-generated content may lack the authenticity, creativity, and emotional intelligence that humans bring, potentially leading to a decline in user engagement and trust.
Quick Ryter
Quick Ryter is a novel approach to getting relevant AI-generated content into your posts and pages as quickly as possible so you can begin building authority around unfamiliar topics. Quick Ryter utilizes OpenAI’s proprietary AI model to help generate content on your page and post editor in the metabox on a page or post when you have added an OpenAI API Key.
How To Use QuickRyter
Using the QuickRyter is as simple as opening a new or existing page/post and adding the information into the metabox and clicking “generate”. You will need to provide the following information for each generation:
- The article title or H1
- Your desired H2(s) as a comma-separated list
- Your brand or business name
Table of Contents
A table of contents plays a crucial role in enhancing a website page’s SEO performance. It provides a clear and organized structure to the content, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index the page. This leads to improved visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) and higher chances of attracting organic traffic. A table of contents also helps to enhance user experience by allowing visitors to quickly navigate through the page and find the information they are looking for.
This can lead to a longer time on the page, lower bounce rates, and higher engagement, all of which are positive signals for search engine algorithms. Moreover, a well-structured table of contents can help in the creation of featured snippets, another highly sought-after strategy in SEO.
Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs are a navigation aid commonly used on websites to indicate the user’s current location within the website’s structure. They typically appear near the top of the page and consist of a series of clickable links, representing the hierarchy of pages leading to the current one.
Breadcrumbs are important because they provide users with a clear understanding of where they are within the website and allow them to easily navigate back to higher-level pages or sections. They enhance user experience by reducing confusion, improving website usability, and increasing the overall efficiency of navigation. Breadcrumbs also contribute to search engine optimization by providing search engines with a clear hierarchy of the website’s pages.
This can lead to a longer time on the page, lower bounce rates, and higher engagement, all of which are positive signals for search engine algorithms. Moreover, a well-structured table of contents can help in the creation of featured snippets, another highly sought-after strategy in SEO.
Styles
Styles are selectable to modify and customize the display of the Zynith plugin boxes throughout the WordPress back-end environment. This is a purely aesthetic change, and it is up to you which option you prefer. Each style is outlined below with a brief description:
WordPress Mods
CATEGORY BASE
The URL structure can play a significant role in SEO in helping search engines understand the content and relevance of a webpage. A well-structured URL can improve the visibility and ranking of a website in search results.
WordPress, by default, includes a “/category/” base prefix for some URLs. This prefix helps organize and categorize the content on a WordPress website. It indicates that the page belongs to a particular category, making it easier for users and search engines to navigate through the site. However, this default structure may not always be the most ideal for SEO purposes.
To optimize the URL structure for SEO, it is recommended to customize the permalink settings in WordPress. Removing the “/category/” base prefix or using more descriptive URLs, such as including keywords or relevant terms, can enhance the clarity and relevance of the URLs for search engines. This can potentially improve the website’s search engine rankings and overall visibility.
If this setting is applied to an already existing website, there is the potential for creating URL conflicts by duplicating already existing URLs. If you’re unsure if you need to use this option, leave it switched off. Also, consider reviewing your WordPress permalink settings to have more control over your URL structure (WordPress dashboard > Settings > Permalinks).
RSS FEEDS
RSS feeds, short for Really Simple Syndication, are a way of distributing and gathering content from different sources in a standardized format. They allow users to subscribe to websites and receive updates automatically without having to visit each site individually.
In a standard WordPress installation, RSS feeds are automatically generated and readily available. WordPress generates an RSS feed for every post type, including blog posts, pages, categories, and tags. These feeds provide a summary or the full content of the latest posts and updates from the website.
To access a WordPress site’s RSS feeds, users can append “/feed” to the website’s URL. For example, if the site’s URL is “www.example.com,” the RSS feed URL would be “www.example.com/feed.” Users can then subscribe to this URL using a feed reader or aggregator.
Some users would prefer not to have these URLs continue to be generated, which is why Zynith has allowed them to be toggled off. By using the toggle, you can turn off the functionality and stop your site from generating the “/feed” URLs
GENERATOR TAGS
Generator tags in WordPress are HTML meta tags that display information about the version of WordPress and the theme being used by a website. These tags are automatically added by WordPress and can be found in the website’s source code.
The generator tags serve as a way to identify the technology stack of a website, including the version of WordPress and the theme used. While they can be helpful for developers and theme creators to identify version compatibility, they can also be used by potential attackers to target vulnerabilities specific to certain versions.
Because of that, Zynith has allowed its users to toggle to remove the generator tags from the website’s page source codes. Simply flipping the toggle will remove your generator tags and leave your website one step closer to safety.
SITEMAP FILENAME
A sitemap is a file that lists all the pages of a website and helps search engines like Google to crawl and index those pages effectively. It acts as a roadmap specifically for search engine bots to discover and understand the structure of a website. By providing a sitemap, website owners can help ensure that all their important pages are indexed and made available in search engine results.
Google provides the following relevant quote about the maximum size of a sitemap before splitting:
“Sitemaps should be no larger than 50MB (52,428,800 bytes) and can contain a maximum of 50,000 URLs. These limits help to ensure that your web server does not get bogged down serving very large files. This means that if your site contains more than 50,000 URLs or your sitemap is bigger than 50MB, you must create multiple sitemap files and use a sitemap index file.”
Because of this, the Zynith team has chosen to create a single XML sitemap instead of adding additional categorical sitemaps via indexes to help simplify the process for Search Engines to crawl the XML sitemap.
The standard location for an XML sitemap is in the root with the filename as follows: https://domain.com/sitemap.xml. However, Zynith includes the option to change the name of this file if you would like. Additionally, we have included the option to manually regenerate the sitemap as necessary.
Remember to upload your sitemap in Google Search Console and remove the old ones!
Follow this guide from Google’s Search Console Help which covers how to submit a new sitemap.
HOMEPAGE SEO SETTINGS
For those of you who have chosen not to use a “static page” as their homepage, we have added a section that would allow you to define a Meta Title and Meta Description. This will allow the virtual page that WordPress creates with your posts to have a meta title and meta description. This will only be used in the case that a static homepage is not defined.
MISCELLANEOUS / DEBUGGING
Zynith also gives its users the option to delete all tables created to be used for the Zynith SEO Plugin. If you would like to swap over to another plugin and drop the tables feel free to use the purge function to remove them before switching.
Use this function only if absolutely necessary, as doing so will result in the loss of all data created with Zynith.
Business Details Tab
Use the Business Details tab to enter the basic information about your business or organization. This information will be stored and used when creating schema with the Zynith Plugin.
Schema Templates
Use this section to paste in and save your favorite schema templates for future use. You can apply the schema you save into your templates per page by selecting them from the templates drop down on each page.
Simply name your schema template and paste the schema code into the “Schema Template” box without <script> tags. If you need to verify your schema code to make sure its correct before saving it, consider using the following resource: SCHEMA VALIDATOR
Scripts Tab
Zynith allows you to inject custom script into the <head> and <body> sections of every page globally. Script injection of tracking codes and Facebook pixels is a method used to insert custom scripts or codes into a WordPress website. These scripts are typically used for tracking user activities, analyzing website performance, or implementing specific functionalities.
It is important to note that you should ensure you trust the code you get from any third-party source before injecting it into your pages via the <head> and <body> script fields. You may find these helpful for Google Tracking Codes, Facebook Pixels, or other analytics solutions.
Robots.txt Tab
Robots.txt is a text file that is placed on a website’s server to instruct web robots (also known as web crawlers or spiders) on how to interact with the site’s pages. It plays a crucial role in website management by providing guidelines to search engine robots about which parts of the site should be crawled or not.
The file includes instructions like allowing or disallowing specific directories or pages from being indexed by search engines. This is important for websites because it helps control the visibility and accessibility of their content. Properly utilizing the robots.txt file can ensure that sensitive or private information remains hidden from search engine results, prevent duplicate content issues, and prioritize the crawling of important pages, ultimately improving the website’s overall search engine optimization (SEO) performance.
Zynith gives two options for creating the Robots.txt file: a manually created statics robots.txt; and a dynamically generated Robots.txt file.
What is the difference:
A static robots.txt file is a fixed file that remains unchanged and is stored on a website’s server. It is typically placed in the root directory of the website. It instructs search engine crawlers on which pages or directories should not be crawled or indexed. On the other hand, a dynamic robots.txt file is generated dynamically based on certain conditions or rules set by the website administrator. It can be modified in real time and can adjust its instructions depending on factors such as user-agent, IP address, or time of day. This allows for more flexibility in managing search engine access to different parts of a website.
If you’re unsure of what you need, the standard example given should suit your needs, so simply paste it into the field and click save.
Robots Meta Tab
Search and Replace Tab
The search and replace function is used to find and replace very specific strings of text or code within your website. It can be used for various purposes. For example, using Zynith to swap out locations or services on single pages or selected pages/posts:
Original Text – The text you would like to modify
Replacement Text – The text you would like to replace
Page/Post Selector – Select the individual pages/posts or change them universally
License / API key Tab
Use this section to enter your License Key details and unlock plugin updates as well as gain access to the AI features contained within the Zynith SEO Plugin. Zynith SEO leverages a connection with OpenAI’s language models to provide AI Outputs. Because of this there are additional costs associated with using the AI features contained within the app. Your Open AI key associates those costs with your personal account so you can pay directly without any additional price markup.
- To find your License Key simply login at the zynith.app website and you will see any active keys listed on your account’s dashboard page.
- To generate an Open AI key, navigate to the Open AI website and follow the instructions to create your account and generate a key that you can use for the Zynith SEO Plugin.
**OpenAI charges for tokens in third-party applications based on the number of tokens generated using the OpenAI API. Tokens are essentially chunks of text, and their usage determines the cost. Each API call returns a response that includes the number of tokens it consumes. OpenAI tracks the total tokens used and charges accordingly. The pricing model aims to ensure fair compensation for the resources utilized and encourages efficient usage of the API to provide an optimal experience for developers. Detailed information about token pricing can be found on the OpenAI website.
Settings Tab
GOOGLE SERP PREVIEW
The Google SERP Preview will show you a preview of your Meta Title, Meta Description, and Featured Image Image so you know exactly what to expect.
META TITLE
A concise and descriptive title that summarizes the content of a webpage and appears in search engine results. Consider placing your intended keyword in the title.
META DESCRIPTION
A brief summary that provides a concise description of the webpage’s content. Consider placing your intended keyword here as well.
OPEN GRAPH IMAGE
An open graph image is an image specifically formatted and optimized for social media platforms to enhance the appearance and visual appeal of shared links.
TARGET KEYWORD
Enter your target keyword here to have the plugin calculate the keyword density or % that your keyword exists on your page. While there is no “correct” keyword density if the number gets too high you may have over-optimized your content.
OTHER SEO OPTIONS
You can use these options as well to noindex / nofollow your specific website page content. This will only apply on a page-by-page basis. If you would like to globally noindex or nofollow content on your website, consider using the robots meta tab under Zynith’s Settings.
You may also encounter a red banner warning if you have image assets on your website page that are missing image alt-tags. They serve an important function for both visually impaired users and search engine optimization (SEO). You can update these using the media library.
SCHEMA Tab
Schema is a structured data markup language that helps search engines understand content better and deliver more relevant search results to users. It provides a standardized way to categorize and organize information on web pages, making it easier for search engines to interpret and display the data.
By implementing schema markup, websites can enhance their SEO performance by improving the visibility and appearance of their search results. Schema markup enables search engines to display rich snippets, such as star ratings, reviews, and other additional information, which can increase click-through rates and improve the user experience.
With the Zynith SEO Plugin, you have two options to create your schema. You can use manually created schema (with or without prebuilt templates) OR, if you have added your OpenAI API Key, you can use AI to generate schema by clicking the “Generate AI Schema” Button.
MANUAL SCHEMA
Write your own schema or start with a template based on whatever type of schema makes the most sense for your content. We have created templates for Article, Blog, Creative Work, Event, FAQ, Local, Person, Place, Recipe, Review, Video, Web Page, and Product Schema Types. Consult the table below for more information on each type.
AI-GENERATED SCHEMA
You can also consider using the AI Generated Schema option. This option will allow you to use OpenAI’s API to create schema by submitting the content of your page for review by OpenAI servers. The output may or may not be perfect on the first go-round, so make sure to review the outputs for completeness as well as correctness.
Signals Tab
On this tab, you will find the signals that Zynith outputs when looking at the current content on your page/post. The Signals are dynamic and will change if a minimum threshold is reached. Consult the table to see the minimum thresholds.
(these minimums are interpretations and not rules or requirements for your content to rank)
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N/A
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Over 1400 Words
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Over 80%
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No Broken Links
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3+ Internal Links
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3+ External Links
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Human Written Content
Headings Tab
On this tab, you will find a list of all of the headings on your website page or post that have an “H-tag” in an expandable list for you to confirm that your pages have a proper heading hierarchy. For example, in HTML code, you will see them as <h1>, <h2>, etc.
H-tags are HTML elements used to structure and organize the content of a webpage. First, H-tags help search engines understand the hierarchy and importance of the content on a page, which can improve the page’s visibility in search engine results. H-tags also make it easier for users to navigate and scan through the content of a webpage, as they provide a clear and concise structure.
