The Flesch reading ease score: Why & how to use it

If you have ever run your writing through a readability checker like Yoast SEO, you have probably come across the Flesch reading score. This metric was developed more than 70 years ago and is still one of the most widely used ways to measure how easy your text is to read. But what does it actually mean, and how does it affect your writing for the web?

In this guide, we will explain how the Flesch reading score works, why it became so prominent in publishing and SEO, and how you can use it effectively today. We will also show you where it fits into the Yoast SEO plugin and why we have introduced new readability checks alongside it.

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Reminder: We made some changes to our readability analysis in Yoast SEO 19.3. We replaced the Flesch Reading Ease Score with the word complexity assessment. You can still find the Flesch reading ease score in the Insight tab, but we won’t use this assessment in our readability analysis anymore.

What is the Flesch reading score?

The Flesch reading score, also called the Flesch reading ease test, was created by Rudolf Flesch in the 1940s. His goal was simple: to give writers a quick way of checking whether their text was easy to understand. The formula combines three basic elements: sentence length, word length, and syllable count. When these figures are combined into the formula, which I’ll explain in just a moment, they generate a score between 0 and 100.

The highest scores are reserved for the easiest text. For example, a score in the 90s suggests that a typical 11-year-old child should be able to read it without any difficulty. A score of around 60 is closer to plain English that a high school student would be expected to understand. Scores under 30 are considered very difficult and are only really found in academic or legal writing.

Here’s a quick overview of the ranges and what they mean:

Score range Readability level Who can understand it
90–100 Very easy An average 11-year-old student
80–89 Easy Middle school students
70–79 Fairly easy Teenagers aged 13–15
60–69 Standard High school students
50–59 Fairly difficult College students
30–49 Difficult University graduates
0–29 Very confusing Specialists, academics, or experts

Just for fun: this article itself scores around 63 on the Flesch reading score, which puts it in the “standard” range.

How the Flesch reading score is calculated

The formula behind the score looks intimidating, but don’t worry, it is surprisingly straightforward. In fact, it’s only based on two things. The total number of words divided by the total number of sentences, which gives us the ASL or Average Sentence Length, and the total number of syllables divided by the total number of words to get the ASW or Average Syllables per Word. Once we have these figures, we enter them into this formula:

206.835 – (1.015 × ASL) – (84.6 × ASW)

This will give us a score between 0 and 100. The longer your sentences and the more complex your words, the lower your score will be.

Let’s take a quick example by looking at this short text below:

“The cat sat on the mat. The dog barked.”

This has very short words and sentences, so it would score in the 90s, which means it is very easy to read.

Now compare it with:

“The domesticated feline reclined languidly upon the woven floor covering, while the canine produced a resonant vocalization.”

This is essentially the same meaning, but longer words and clauses drop the score dramatically, likely into the 30s.

This example shows why the Flesch reading score works well as a proxy for readability. It rewards writing that is concise and simple with a high score and wags a finger at writing that is dense and complex, ultimately giving it a low score.

Why the Flesch reading score became important

The Flesch reading score spread beyond classrooms into business and publishing because it answered a universal question: Is my writing easy to understand?

By the 1970s, the U.S. Navy was using it to ensure that training manuals were clear for recruits. Later, several U.S. states made it part of their official requirements for insurance documents and consumer contracts. Healthcare organizations also began using it to ensure that patient information was accessible.

When personal computers became common, Microsoft Word added the Flesch reading ease test to its spelling and grammar tools. Suddenly, anyone writing a school essay or business report could get instant feedback on readability. That mainstreamed the score and kept it relevant well into the digital age.

In the world of web writing, readability became even more critical. Online readers scan rather than study text. Research shows they decide within seconds whether a page is worth their time or not. That makes clarity a competitive advantage. Tools that included the Flesch reading score gave web writers a way to benchmark themselves and improve user experience.

The Flesch reading score in Yoast SEO

When Yoast introduced readability checks to the plugin, the Flesch reading score was one of the first tools we built in. We popularized the use of tools to score your content. It gave writers using WordPress an instant way to measure whether their content was accessible to a broad audience. You can still find the Flesch reading ease score inside the plugin today, in the insights tab.

This has helped thousands of users discover that shorter sentences and simpler words often improve how people engage with their content. While the score does not guarantee better rankings, it does contribute to a positive reading experience, which in turn can influence user behavior and SEO outcomes.

The Insights tab contains a lot of information, including your Flesch reading ease score

Why Yoast moved beyond Flesch

Although the Flesch reading score remains useful, it is not perfect. It only looks at sentence and word length, without considering context, tone, or audience. A blog post aimed at medical professionals may score poorly but still be exactly right for its readers.

That is why we developed additional checks, including word complexity, which evaluates how challenging your vocabulary might be. This allows writers to balance clarity with precision, rather than chasing a single score. In practice, this means you can still use the Flesch reading score as a quick reference, but you should combine it with other insights to get the full picture.

Should you still care about the Flesch reading score?

The Flesch reading score remains a valuable guide for writers who want to make their content more approachable. If your text scores very low, it may be worth shortening sentences or replacing long words with simpler alternatives. But you do not need to obsess over getting a perfect score.

Readability is about more than numbers. Think about your audience, their expectations, and the purpose of your content. Combine the Flesch reading score with other readability signals to create a text that is clear, engaging, and optimized for both humans and search engines.

How to use the Flesch reading ease score to improve your writing

We’ve come to the essential question. How can you use the Flesch score to improve your writing? Well, you write for an audience and know your audience the best. Before writing or editing, consider what kind of texts fit your readers. Do you sell clothes or organize photography workshops? Or do you write for a mom blog or make step-by-step DIYs? Your content should be relatively easy to read in all these cases since you are targeting a broad audience.

However, remember that you do not have to chase a high Flesch reading score at all costs. For example, you may write about complex, specialist topics for a specific, more knowledgeable audience. Or, perhaps you are an academic blogging about your research? It makes sense if the Flesch test produces a lower score in those cases.

Still, whatever your situation is, your text always benefits from concise language. So, if you want to benefit from the feedback the Flesch reading ease score gives you, focus on two things:

1. Shorten your sentences

Too many long sentences make your text difficult to read, while short sentences keep the subject clear. When the sentences in your text are short, you allow your readers to absorb the information in your text. As a result, they don’t need to use all their attention to decipher what you want to say. That is why we advise you to break down long sentences; your text will be much easier to read. 

And please, don’t think that by using short sentences, you will oversimplify your text. Let’s compare two short texts to show you what we mean. First, we have this sentence:

My favorite place to visit during weekends is my grandparents’ house near the lake, where we love to fish and swim, and we often take the boat out on the lake.

Did you find this sentence easy to read? Wasn’t it too lengthy, confusing, and difficult to process? Breaking it into two or more sentences can make it much clearer:

My favorite place to visit during weekends is my grandparents’ house. It’s near the lake, where we love to fish and swim. We also often take the boat out on the lake.

These few short sentences are much easier to read. Yet, you give the same information as in the long sentence, so there is no oversimplifying. Using short sentences keeps the subject clear and lets your readers absorb the information you’re presenting. 

2. Limit your use of difficult words

Words with four or more syllables are considered difficult to read, so try to avoid them where possible. Or try not to use them too much. For example, try words like small instead of minuscule, about instead of approximately, and use instead of utilize. We have the word complexity assessment in Yoast SEO Premium to help you with that.

If you want to reach a broad audience, you should also try to avoid using jargon. If you’re a medical expert, you’re probably familiar with terms like analgesic, intravenous, and oophorectomy. However, keep in mind that most people aren’t. When you can’t find a better alternative, make sure to explain it for users who might not know the word.

Conclusion

The Flesch reading score has been around for decades, and it is not going anywhere. It still offers a quick way to test whether your writing is easy to follow, and it continues to play a role in Yoast SEO. At the same time, the web has moved on, and so have we. By combining the score with modern checks like word complexity, you can create content that is not only readable but also effective in meeting your goals.

So next time you write a blog post, take a look at your Flesch reading score. Use it as a guide, not a rule. The result will be content that your readers and search engines will thank you for.

TLDR

  • You should care about your score, but do not chase perfection. Balance readability with your audience’s needs
  • The Flesch Reading Score measures how easy a text is to read, using sentence length and word length
  • Scores range from 0 to 100: higher is easier. For example, 90–100 is very easy, 60–69 is standard, and 0–29 is very confusing
  • It became popular in education, government, and publishing before being integrated into tools like Microsoft Word and SEO platforms
  • In Yoast SEO, the Flesch reading score still exists in the Insights tab, but we now also use word complexity to provide more accurate feedback

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Why is summarizing essential for modern content?

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Content summarization isn’t a new idea. It goes back to the 1950s when Hans Peter Luhn at IBM introduced one of the first algorithms to summarize text. Back then, the goal was straightforward: identify the most important words in a piece of writing and create a shorter version. What began as a technical experiment has now evolved into a fundamental aspect of how we read, learn, and share information. Summarization allows us to cut through overwhelming amounts of text and focus on what really matters, shaping everything from research and education to marketing and SEO.

In this article, we’ll explore why summarizing is essential for modern content and how both humans and AI-driven tools are making information more accessible, trustworthy, and impactful.

What is content summarization?

Content summarization is the process of condensing a large piece of high-quality content into a shorter version while keeping the essential points intact. The aim is straightforward: to produce a clear and concise summary that accurately represents the meaning of the original text without overwhelming the reader.

Summarization makes information easier to process. Imagine reading a lengthy report or book but only needing the key takeaways for a meeting. It also helps individuals and businesses grasp the core message quickly, saving time and effort.

There are two main approaches to summarize moder content:

Manual or human-driven content summarization

Think back to the last time you turned a long article into a short brief for a colleague; that’s a perfect example and explanation of manual content summarization. In this approach, a human reads, weighs what matters, and rewrites the core points for easy digestion of information.

Manual content summarization requires critical thinking to spot what matters and language skills to explain important information clearly and concisely.

Clear advantages of human-driven content summarization are:

  • The ability to notice nuance and implied meaning
  • Flexibility to shape tone and level of detail for a specific audience
  • The creativity to link ideas or highlight unexpected relevance
  • Judgment to keep or discard details based on purpose

This human-led method complements content summarization AI, giving summaries a thoughtful, audience-aware edge.

AI-driven content summarization

The other approach is powered by technology. AI-driven content summarization utilizes natural language processing and machine learning to rapidly scan through text and generate summaries in seconds. It typically works in two ways:

  • Extractive summarization, where the AI selects the most important sentences directly from the content
  • Abstractive summarization, where the AI generates new sentences that capture the main ideas in a more natural way

The benefits are clear: speed, consistency, and scalability. AI can summarize website content, reports, or articles far faster than a human team. However, it has limits. Context can be missed, and nuances like sarcasm or cultural references may be overlooked. The quality also depends on the AI model and the original text.

Both manual and AI-driven summarization play a crucial role today. Humans bring nuance and creativity, while AI delivers efficiency and scale. Together, they make summarization an essential tool for modern communication.

What are some of the core benefits of content summarization?

Turning lengthy information into clear takeaways is more than convenient. It makes content meaningful, easier to use, and far more effective in learning and communication. Whether done manually or supported by AI tools, summarization offers key benefits:

Enhances learning and study preparation

Summarizing strengthens comprehension and critical thinking by distilling main ideas and separating them from supporting details. Students and professionals can also rely on concise notes that save time when revising or preparing presentations.

Improves focus and communication

Condensing text sharpens concentration on what matters most. It also trains you to express ideas in a precise and structured way, which enhances both writing and verbal skills.

Saves time and scales with AI tools

Summaries allow readers to absorb essential points without having to read hours of content. With AI tools, this process scales further, reducing large volumes of text into clear insights within minutes.

Boosts accessibility and approachability

Summarization makes complex or lengthy content approachable and accessible for diverse audiences. Multilingual AI tools extend this further, breaking down language barriers and ensuring knowledge reaches a global audience.

Why summarization matters in the modern content landscape?

We live in an age of too much information and too little time. Every day, there is more content than anyone can read, which means people make split-second choices about what to open, skim, or ignore. This makes it more important that your content presents clear takeaways upfront before readers move on. Content summarization is how you win that first, critical moment of attention.

Information overload

Digital work and life produce an enormous flood of text, messages, reports, and notifications. This makes it challenging for readers to find the right signal in the noise. Therefore, text summaries act as a filter, surfacing the most relevant facts so readers and teams can act faster and with less cognitive friction.

People scan and skim, so clarity wins

Web reading behavior has been stable for years: most users scan pages rather than read every word. Good summaries present the core idea in a scannable form, increasing the chance your content is understood and used. That scannability also improves the odds of search engines and AI LLM comprehension surfacing your content as a quick response to user queries.

Trust and clarity for readers and systems

A clear and crisp text summary signals that the author understands their topic and values the reader’s time. That builds trust. On the search side, concise and well-structured summaries are what engines and AI systems prefer when generating featured snippets or AI overviews. Being chosen for a snippet or overview can boost visibility and credibility in search results.

Faster decision-making

When stakeholders, readers, or customers need to act quickly, summaries provide the necessary context to make informed decisions. Whether it is an executive skimming a report or a user checking if an article answers their question, summaries reduce the time to relevance and accelerate outcomes. This is also why structured summaries can increase the chance of being surfaced by search features that prioritize immediate answers.

Prominent use cases of content summarization

Content summarization is not a nice-to-have. It is one of the main reasons modern content continues to work for busy humans and businesses. Below are the most practical and high-impact ways in which the summarization of modern content is currently being used.

Business reports

Executives and teams rely on concise summaries to make informed decisions quickly and effectively. Executive summaries and one-page briefs transform dense reports into actionable insights, enabling stakeholders to determine what requires attention and what can be deferred. Effective summaries reduce meeting time, expedite approvals, and enhance alignment across teams.

Educational content

Students and educators use summaries to focus on core concepts and to prepare study notes. AI-driven summarization tools can generate revision guides, extract exam-relevant points, and turn long lectures or papers into study-friendly formats. These tools can support personalized learning and speed up content creation for instructors.

Marketing strategies and reporting

Marketers rely on summaries to present campaign performance, highlight key KPIs, and share learnings without overwhelming stakeholders. Condensed campaign briefs and executive summaries enable teams to iterate faster, align on priorities, and uncover insights for strategic changes. Summaries also make it easier to compare campaigns and track trends over time.

Everyday consumption: news digests, newsletters, podcast notes

Readers and listeners increasingly prefer bite-sized overviews. Newsrooms use short summaries and AI-powered digests to connect busy audiences with high-quality reporting. Podcasts and newsletters pair episode or article summaries with timestamps and highlights to improve discoverability and retention. Summaries help users decide what to read, listen to, or save for later.

Content Summarization & SEO: Does it Benefit in Boosting Organic Visibility?

Did you know that content summarization can help your SEO strategy? Search engines prioritize clarity, relevance, and user engagement, and concise summaries play a role in meeting those criteria. They not only shape a smoother user experience but also help search engines quickly grasp the core themes of your content.

Boosting click-through rates

Summaries also support higher CTRs in search results. A clear and compelling meta description written as a summary can serve as a strong preview of the page. For example, a blog on “10 Healthy Recipes” with a summary that highlights “quick breakfasts, vegetarian lunches, and easy weeknight dinners” is more likely to attract clicks than a generic description.

Improving indexing and relevance

From a technical standpoint, summarization helps search engines with indexing and relevance. Algorithms rely on context and keywords, and well-written summaries bring focus to the essence of your content. This is especially important for long-form blogs, case studies, or reports where the main ideas may otherwise get buried.

Another growing benefit is visibility in featured snippets and People Also Ask sections. Summaries that clearly answer a query or highlight structured takeaways increase the chances of being pulled into these high-visibility SERP features, directly boosting organic reach.

Extending multi-channel visibility

Content summarization also creates multi-channel opportunities. The same summaries can be repurposed as social media captions, newsletter highlights, or even adapted for voice search, where users want concise and direct answers.

Supporting AI and LLMs

Lastly, in the age of AI, summaries provide context for LLMs (large language models). Clean, structured summaries make it easier for AI to process and reference your content, which extends your reach beyond search engines into how content is surfaced across AI-powered tools.

How to write SEO-friendly content summaries with Yoast?

The basics of an effective summary are simple: keep it clear, concise, and focused on the main points while signalling relevance to both readers and search engines.

This is exactly where Yoast can make your life easier. With AI Summarize, you can generate instant, editable bullet-point takeaways that boost scannability for readers and improve how search engines interpret your content.

Want to take it further? Yoast SEO Premium unlocks extended AI features, smarter keyword optimization, and advanced SEO tools that save you time while improving your visibility in search.

A smarter analysis in Yoast SEO Premium

Yoast SEO Premium has a smart content analysis that helps you take your content to the next level!

What is AI text summarization?

AI text summarization uses artificial intelligence to condense text, audio, or video content into shorter, more digestible content. Rather than just cutting words, it preserves key ideas and context, making information easier to absorb.

Today, summarization relies on large language models (LLMs), which not only extract sentences but also interpret nuance and generate concise, natural-sounding summaries.

How does AI text summarization work?

AI text summarization relies on a combination of sophisticated systems that help a large-language model deeply understand the content, decipher patterns, and generate content summaries without losing any important facts.

Here’s a brief overview of the process of AI-powered content summarization:

  • Understanding context: AI models analyze entire documents, identifying relationships, sentiment, and flow rather than just looking at keywords, allowing the AI models to understand at a deeper level
  • Generating abstractive summaries: Unlike extractive methods, which simply copy existing sentences, abstractive summarization paraphrases or rephrases content to convey the essence in fresh, coherent language
  • Fine-tuning for accuracy: LLMs can be trained on specific domains such as news, legal, or scientific content, so the summaries reflect the right tone, terminology, and level of detail

Benefits of AI text summarization

The true power of AI summarization lies in the value it creates. By blending scale with accuracy, it turns information overload into actionable knowledge.

  • Scales content summarization: Handles hundreds of pages or documents in minutes, which would otherwise require hours of manual effort
  • Ensures consistency: Produces summaries in a uniform style and structure, making information easier to compare and use
  • Saves time and costs: Frees up teams, researchers, and analysts to focus on insights instead of spending time reading
  • Improves accessibility: Makes complex content digestible for wider audiences, including those unfamiliar with technical details
  • Supports accuracy with human oversight: Editors can refine summaries quickly while still benefiting from automation

Practical use cases of AI summarization

AI summarization is not just theoretical. It has already become part of how businesses, teams, and individuals manage daily information flow. Here are some of the common applications of AI summarization which have become a part of our live:

  • Meetings: Automatically captures key points, decisions, and action items in real time
  • Onboarding: Condenses company or project documentation so new team members can understand essentials quickly
  • Daily recaps: Summarizes Slack, Teams, or email threads into clear, concise updates
  • Surfacing information: Extracts relevant context from long reports, technical documents, or customer feedback, ensuring that critical insights are never overlooked

In fact, AI agents are already being used in professional settings to summarize key provisions in documents, with 38% of professionals relying on these tools to expedite the review process. This demonstrates that AI summarization is not just a future possibility, but an integral part of how modern teams manage complex information.

In summary, don’t skip the summary!

Summarization is no longer a sidekick in your content strategy; it is the main character. It fuels faster human learning, strengthens SEO by making your pages clearer to search engines, and ensures AI systems don’t misrepresent your brand. When your content is easy to scan, you reduce bounce rates, improve trust, and increase visibility across platforms where attention spans are short.

This is exactly where a tool like Yoast SEO Premium becomes invaluable. With features like AI Summarize, you can instantly generate key takeaways that work for readers, search engines, and AI overviews alike. Instead of manually condensing every piece of content, you achieve clarity at scale while maintaining editorial control. Summarization is not just about making content shorter; it is about making it smarter, and Yoast helps you do it with ease.

So, to summarize the summary: invest in doing this right, because the future of content depends on it.

How to write an effective summary for your content 

We know that most readers skim. We also know that search engines prefer clear and easy-to-understand content. Luckily, a good summary can help with both. A summary gives your reader the core ideas quickly, while also helping your chances of ranking your content. Learning how to write a summary helps you give your content the love it needs.

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Key takeaways

  • A summary provides a concise overview of your content, helping readers and boosting SEO.
  • Effective summaries improve readability and help readers quickly determine content value.
  • To write a strong summary, identify key points, use clear language, and integrate keywords naturally.
  • Summaries differ from titles, introductions, and conclusions as they target readers already engaged with the content.
  • AI can assist in generating summaries, but always review and refine to ensure clarity and accuracy.

What is a summary?

If we are looking for the definition, we can say a summary is a short and focused overview of your content’s main points. A good summary answers three questions:

  • What is this text about?
  • Why should I care about it?
  • What will I learn from reading it?

Keep in mind, a summary is not a sales pitch or something in-depth. You need to strip it down and offer just the essentials for readers to understand in seconds.

Expert insights

Agnieszka Szuba: Yoast developer and researcher on summaries

“Summaries can provide a lot of value to both human readers and bots. And with the help of AI features like Yoast AI Summarize, they can be created very easily. So adding a summary can be a quick way to boost the readability and engagement of your content.”

Why are summaries important?

Now that we know what summaries are, let’s answer the question of why they are so important. There are many answers to that question, but we’ll answer that here.

Improves readability

One of the main aspects of a good text is its readability, but it’s hard to judge a book by its cover. Before readers decide to invest their precious time in reading your content, they need to know if it is worth it. A well-written summary helps them understand the value of your content in seconds. They’ll also get an idea of how your writing is.

Helps readers decide fast

As we mentioned, the time aspect is very important today. Everyone is busy, and people need to know whether your content is worth their time. So busy visitors want to know: “Is this worth my time?” A clear summary can help speed up that decision process.

Enhances SEO

Not only readers but also search engines are looking to understand your content. Search engines see if content matches user intent, and a good summary can help them figure that out.

A well-written summary mentions your target keywords naturally. Good ones increase the chance of your content appearing in highlighted search results like featured snippets. In addition, summaries may help reduce bounce rate because they can manage and set expectations for readers.

How to write an effective summary

Now that you know why summaries can be so helpful, let’s find out how to write effective ones.

Identify the main points

The most important thing is to identify the main points of the content that need to feature in the summary. To help you do this, ask yourself the following questions:

  • What’s the primary message of the content?
  • What are the two or three key takeaways?
  • What does the reader need to know?

Remember, keep it clean and simple. Avoid using examples, anecdotes, or secondary details that muddy the point you are trying to make.

Be concise and clear

Your summary needs to be as easy to understand as possible. Try to aim for three to five sentences (or 50 to 100 words). Cut filler words. Here’s an example:

Wrong: “In this article, we’re going to be talking about some of the most important aspects of writing summaries, which can really make a big difference.”

Right: “This guide covers three key rules for writing summaries: clarity, brevity, and keyword placement.”

Use simple, direct language

We’ve always been big fans of writing as clearly and simply as possible. One of those things to consider is jargon. Whenever you can, try to avoid using jargon. Write like you’re explaining it to a colleague over coffee.

Integrate keywords naturally

Your summary should include the main keywords of your article. For a summary of the article you’re reading now, the focus keyphrase would be “how to write a summary”. Also, try to fit in one or two related terms, but don’t force them. Always prioritize readability.

Match your content’s tone

The next thing to think about is making sure that the summary’s tone matches the content’s tone. For instance, a summary for a technical guide should be precise, while one for a lifestyle blog can be more conversational. Keep it consistent.

Dos and don’ts of writing summaries

For this article, we’ve created a helpful table that quickly outlines the main rules of writing summaries. Remember these!

Do Don’t
Focus on key takeaways only Add extra details or tangents
Keep it short and scannable Write dense paragraphs
Use keywords naturally Stuff keywords awkwardly
Match the tone of your content Switch to a different style
Test if it stands alone Assume readers know the context

Examples of weak vs. strong summaries

We’ve shown you the theory of good and bad summaries, but now let’s review a couple of examples to see it in practice.

A blog post (how-to guide)

Topic: “How to Start a Podcast in 2025”

Weak: “Starting a podcast can be hard, but this post gives you some tips on equipment, topics, and editing to help you get going.”

Strong: “Launch your podcast in 5 steps: Choose a niche, pick budget-friendly gear (under $200), record like a pro, edit with free tools, and grow your audience. Avoid rookie mistakes with our checklist.”

Why it works:

  • Numbers (“5 steps”) set clear expectations
  • Specifics (“budget-friendly gear,” “free tools”) add value
  • Actionable (“avoid rookie mistakes”) hints at practical advice

A product page (e-commerce)

Product: “Ergonomic Office Chair – Model X200”

Weak: “The Model X200 is a great chair for people who sit a lot. It has features that make it comfortable and good for your back.”

Strong: “Reduce back pain with the Model X200: Adjustable lumbar support, breathable mesh, and 360° armrests. Rated #1 for home offices under $300. Free shipping + 30-day trial.”

Why it works:

  • Highlights benefits (not just features)
  • Includes social proof (“Rated #1”)
  • Adds urgency (“30-day trial”)

A research report (B2B)

Topic: “2025 Digital Marketing Trends: AI and Automation”

Weak: “This report looks at how AI is changing marketing. It covers trends and stats that businesses should know about.”

Strong: “78% of marketers now use AI for content creation (up from 42% in 2023). This report breaks down:

  • Top AI tools for ROI in 2025
  • How automation cuts campaign costs by 30%
  • Case studies from brands like Nike and HubSpot.”

Why it works:

  • Leads with a stat to grab attention
  • Bullet points improve scannability
  • Names brands for credibility

News article

Topic: “New Study Links Screen Time to Sleep Disorders in Teens”

Weak: “A new study shows that teens who use screens before bed might have trouble sleeping. Researchers say this is a growing problem.”

Strong: “Teens with 3+ hours of nightly screen time are 5x more likely to develop insomnia, per a Harvard Medical School study. Key findings:

  • Blue light delays melatonin by 90 minutes.
  • Social media (not gaming) is the worst offender.
  • Solutions: ‘Screen curfews’ and orange-light filters.”

Why it works:

  • Quantifies risk (“5x more likely”)
  • Debunks myths (“social media vs. gaming”)
  • Offers solutions (not just problems)

Case study

Topic: “How Company Z Increased Sales by 200% with Email Marketing”

Weak: “Company Z used email marketing to grow their sales. This case study explains what they did and the results they got.”

Strong: “Company Z turned $5K/month into $15K/month in 6 months using:

  1. Segmented lists (3x higher open rates)
  2. Abandoned-cart emails (recovered 12% of lost sales)
  3. A/B-tested subject lines (‘Your cart misses you’ won)

Steps and templates included.”

Why it works:

  • Leads with results (“$5K to $15K”).
  • Uses numbers to prove impact.
  • Teases actionable content (“templates included”).

What did we learn from these examples?

  1. Start with the most valuable info (stats, results, or a bold claim).
  2. Use numbers (steps, percentages, time) to add credibility.
  3. Match the format to the content type (bullets for reports, emojis for social media).
  4. Avoid vague language (“some tips” → “3 proven strategies”).

Here’s a pro tip for you: Test your summary by asking yourself if it would make you click/read more. Does it work even if you skip the full content?

There are other options to help readers and search engines quickly understand your content. What’s the difference between these? Titles and meta descriptions are for getting people to click from the SERP, while summaries are for readers already on your content.

Element Purpose Length Audience Example
Title Grabs attention; tells readers (and search engines) what the content is about. 50-60 chars (SEO ideal) Searchers + readers “How to Write a Summary in 5 Steps (With Examples)”
Introduction Hooks the reader; sets up the topic and why it matters. 1-3 paragraphs Readers (and search engines) “Struggling to keep readers engaged? A strong summary can double your content’s impact—here’s how to write one.”
Summary Condenses main points for quick understanding. 3-5 sentences Readers who skim “Learn the 5 rules for summaries: cut fluff, lead with key points, use keywords, and match your content’s tone.”
Conclusion Wraps up; often includes a CTA or final thought. 1 paragraph Readers who finish the piece “Now that you know how to summarize effectively, try rewriting an old post’s summary and track the difference in engagement.”
Meta desc. Encourages clicks from search results. ~150-160 chars Search engines + potential visitors “Master the art of writing summaries with this step-by-step guide. Improve readability, SEO, and reader retention in minutes.”

Benefits and pitfalls of using AI for summaries

One of the best ways of using AI in your work is to use it to summarize content. It’s almost what it was designed to do. AI tools like Yoast AI Summarize can draft summaries in seconds. Of course, you need to keep an eye on the outcome and adjust where needed.

Benefits

There are many benefits to using AI to generate summaries.

  • The AI is fast: AI can generate a summary almost instantly
  • It’s consistent: The AI works very consistently based on your rules
  • It’s an additional content check: If it stumbles, your content’s points are not clear

Pitfalls

Using AI has a lot of benefits, but also risks.

  • Results might lack nuance or miss a certain emphasis or humor
  • It can also come out sounding very robotic or boring
  • It might focus on the wrong things, so it could highlight minor points instead of critical ones

Best practices for using AI to generate summaries

Always use AI as a starting point, then compare the AI summary to your key messages. If it needs adjusting, edit the summary for accuracy, tone, and flow. Then test it to learn if it makes sense alone.

In the real world, this would mean installing an AI plugin on your WordPress site or using Yoast SEO’s AI Summarize feature. Open an article on your site and add the Yoast AI Summary block. Have it generate a summary based on your article. Check the outcome and refine it to sound human and align with your goals.

Key takeaways generated by Yoast AI Summarize

Conclusion

A strong summary aims to please two different consumers: first, the readers who want quick answers and search engines that reward clarity and readability. Writing a good summary is all about keeping it short, direct, and keyword aware. Avoid fluff and focus on the key takeaways.

Today, it’s fine to use AI to help you with summaries, but always check them. If you are not happy, edit them.

Here’s a nice exercise: Find an old post, write a new summary based on these learnings, and see if engagement picks up. Often, it’s the small tweaks that have the biggest impact.

seo enhancements
Yoast SEO vs. Rank Math: Let’s compare features   

Table of contents

So, you want to get going with SEO and have heard about Yoast SEO and Rank Math. But not sure which one is the best choice for you? In this blog post, we’ll look at the most important features in both plugins and the differences between them. That way, you can figure out which one fits your needs best.  

Let’s start with a short introduction to these plugins and what they can do for you. Both Yoast SEO and Rank Math are SEO plugins, tools that help you with the visibility of your website. They are both popular among beginners and people who already have some experience with SEO. Their focus lies on analyzing your website and providing you with feedback that’s specifically tailored to your needs.  

As there is quite some overlap in the audience and features, it’s not surprising that many people ask themselves: Should I use Rank Math or Yoast SEO?  

Time to compare the key features

Both plugins are popular because they offer a wide variety of features that cater to beginners and SEO veterans. Below, we’ve listed the key features of Yoast SEO and/or Rank Math. 

Rank Math

Focus keyword support

Up to 5 keywords (free)

AI features

Content AI uses a credit/token system (Pro only)

AI fees

Relies on Content AI credits purchased separatel

Readability analysis

Readability included in single SEO score

Schema markup

Full control per page + templates for custom schema, more technical.

Internal linking suggestions

Based on keywords (Pro)

Redirect manager

Included in free version

User interface

Sidebar-based UI

Google Docs add-on

Not available

Crawl settings for AI & LLMs

Only llms.txt available (free)

Analytics

Google Analytics 4 integration (Pro)

Support

Free forum + ticket support (Pro)

Training & resources

Knowledge base + tutorials (no formal academy)

Yoast SEO vs Rank Math

Focus keyword support

1 keyword (free), up to 5 keywords (Premium)

Focus keyword support

Up to 5 keywords (free)

AI features

Unlimited AI-generated meta descriptions + content optimization (Premium)

AI features

Content AI uses a credit/token system (Pro only)

AI fees

Native AI (no tokens or extra costs with Premium)

AI fees

Relies on Content AI credits purchased separatel

Readability analysis

Granular breakdown of issues, includes inclusive language check

Readability analysis

Readability included in single SEO score

Schema markup

Automatic & comprehensive (Article, WebPage, Product, etc.)

Schema markup

Full control per page + templates for custom schema, more technical.

Internal linking suggestions

Based on context and content + site structure (Premium)

Internal linking suggestions

Based on keywords (Pro)

Redirect manager

Premium feature

Redirect manager

Included in free version

User interface

Classic traffic light system + onboarding

User interface

Sidebar-based UI

Google Docs add-on

Available in Premium

Google Docs add-on

Not available

Crawl settings for AI & LLMs

llms.txt (free) + advanced crawl settings (Premium)

Crawl settings for AI & LLMs

Only llms.txt available (free)

Analytics

Google Site Kit integration in dashboard (free)

Analytics

Google Analytics 4 integration (Pro)

Support

Free forum + 24/7 Premium support

Support

Free forum + ticket support (Pro)

Training & resources

Yoast SEO Academy – Free & Premium SEO courses

Training & resources

Knowledge base + tutorials (no formal academy)

As you can see from the table above, both plugins come with a lot of features that help you work on content optimization and technical SEO. Rank Math and Yoast SEO both offer a free version of their plugin, allowing you to get your SEO on track. But they also have a paid version. Yoast SEO offers Premium, and Rank Math has three different paid versions (Pro, Business, Agency). For the sake of this comparison, we focused on Pro, but the other paid plans mainly offer the same features as Pro (just with other limits).  

AI features comparison

Both plugins have started integrating AI tools to keep up with modern SEO demands. Yoast SEO Premium now includes unlimited AI-generated meta descriptions, AI-powered content optimization and AI summaries without extra charges. Rank Math Pro also supports AI descriptions and keyword recommendations, but access is limited and tied to their Content AI credit system.

So, if AI support is something you want to use regularly, Yoast gives you more freedom out of the box, while Rank Math provides a limited credit-based approach.

Yoast’s historic preference and authority

Yoast SEO has been a cornerstone of WordPress SEO for over 15 years. With over 13 million active installs, it’s widely recognized by content creators, SEO professionals, and web developers alike. It has a proven track record of reliability, frequent updates, and a transparent approach to best practices.

This longevity means Yoast is also the default recommendation in many online guides, training programs, and WordPress tutorials. If you’re looking for something that’s widely supported and time-tested, Yoast’s authority gives it a major edge.

Plugin integrations

Both plugins offer useful integrations, but Yoast’s ecosystem is more tightly woven with established platforms:

  • Yoast SEO Premium offers a free seat for the Yoast SEO Google Docs Add-on, so you can get real-time SEO and readability suggestions when you draft your content. Site Kit by Google, including Search Console, Analytics and more, is directly embedded in the Yoast Dashboard, making it easy to track SEO performance
  • Yoast SEO also supports Video SEO, Local SEO and News SEO, and has a dedicated WooCommerce SEO plugin.
  • Yoast SEO integrates with rank trackers and keyword research tools, Wincher and Semrush
  • Rank Math, on the other hand, integrates with Google Analytics 4 and Search Console and supports modular plugin extensions with some Local, News, and Video features.

If you’re looking for a plugin that plays well with your existing content creation or ecommerce stack, Yoast SEO’s compatibility and modular tools might make the difference.

Advanced crawl settings

When it comes to controlling how search engines and AI models crawl and understand your site, Yoast SEO Premium includes advanced settings tailored for modern search behavior. This includes:

  • llms.txt signals large language models like ChatGPT and Gemini into your content so it can present your content better. Yoast SEO Bot Blocker offers crawl optimization settings, so you stay in control of which ethical bots crawl your website
  • Advanced control over canonical URLs, breadcrumbs, noindex tags, and more
  • Auto-generated XML sitemaps and structured data to guide crawlers through your website
  • Rank Math offers similar controls, but no bot blocking option for specific AI crawlers

Schema framework comparison

Both plugins support schema markup, which helps search engines better understand the context of your content. However, their approach differs:

  • Yoast SEO automatically includes essential schema types like Article, WebPage, and Product, ensuring a clean, accurate output. Yoast SEO also provides a great structured data framework to build and expand your schema integration on
  • Rank Math gives you more granular control, letting you customize schema on a per-post basis, including templates for custom post types and JSON-LD editing

If you want a fire-and-forget solution, Yoast SEO handles schema with minimal input.

Yoast SEO Academy

A significant advantage of Yoast is its educational platform, Yoast SEO Academy. It offers courses covering SEO fundamentals, technical SEO, content writing, and ecommerce SEO, making it ideal for newcomers and those looking to train their teams. The platform provides both free and premium learning tracks, along with certificates of completion for team members. This added feature supports long-term SEO knowledge growth while you use the plugin. Yoast SEO Academy is included in the price of Yoast SEO Premium.

A bit more about pricing

To help you choose based on cost:

  • Yoast SEO Premium: $118.80/year — all features included, no hidden tiers or content limits
  • Rank Math Pro: $7.99/month → $95.88/year
  • Rank Math Business: $24.99/month → $299.88/year
  • Rank Math Agency: $59.99/month → $719.88/year
  • Rank Math has additional costs for its Content AI feature, plus you need to buy AI credits

Rank Math’s free version is generous in features, but Yoast SEO’s Premium plan offers everything in one tier, without usage caps, hidden fees, or complicated licensing.

The most important pros & cons

We can imagine that you might need some more information to decide which plugin is best. So, let’s make it easy by listing the pros and cons for both.

Rank Math

Pros:

  • There are a few more features available in the free version: for example, the multiple keyword analysis and redirects
  • Advanced schema support, with control per page
  • Modularity
  • Strong analytics and keyword tracking in Pro with the Google Analytics 4 integration

Cons:

  • Rank Math is relatively newer: first launched in 2018, it has around 3 million active installs at the moment. Meaning that the long-term track record is a lot shorter than that of Yoast SEO
  • Some advanced features are locked behind the Pro tier
  • AI features have a usage limit, with extra fees for more usage

Yoast SEO

Pros

  • Highly reputable and battle-tested with a huge install base of more than 13 million users
  • The plugin has been around for over 15 years and is the most popular WordPress SEO plugin out there
  • It’s a user-friendly plugin with guidance for beginners and customization for more advanced users
  • A strong readability tool with detailed tips, the separate checks help you understand what can be improved right away
  • UI design is intuitive and beginner-friendly
  • Multiple AI features in Premium without any limit on usage
  • The Google Docs add-on gives you the possibility to get feedback on your content while working in Google Docs
  • In addition to a free and Premium version with video, news, and local SEO plugins included, Yoast SEO also offers an additional extension for WooCommerce SEO
  • Yoast SEO is also available for Shopify, providing SEO guidance for online merchants
  • Yoast SEO Premium comes with a broad range of learning materials in the Yoast SEO Academy

Cons

  • Some features are only available in Premium
  • Less control over Schema markup on an individual page level

Built for marketers, content creators, and ecommerce teams

So, you’re interested in SEO and need a tool to help streamline your work? Yoast SEO is built with marketers, content creators, and ecommerce teams in mind. But how exactly does it help different users? Let’s show what Yoast SEO can do, so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.

For marketers and in-house teams, SEO Workouts make tasks easy to handle without needing an expert. The built-in documentation and support promise consistency, while smart AI tools help speed up content creation.

If you’re a content creator or blogger, Yoast SEO lets you concentrate on writing. It takes care of optimization in the background. Built-in link suggestions and readability feedback in your editor help improve your content. Plus, share-ready social previews cut down extra steps and save you time. The Google Docs add-on also helps you deliver client-ready content without access to their CMS!

For ecommerce stores, Yoast SEO offers complete product and category optimization. Structured data and metadata make managing your store easier. AI-generated product descriptions help speed up publishing. The platform includes advanced tools for WooCommerce, offering improved sitemap options, image data, and canonical controls.

So, which plugin is the one for you?

Both plugins are powerful tools to start or level up your SEO journey. If you’re new to SEO and want a guided, easy setup, Yoast SEO (free or Premium) offers a friendly interface and strong readability tools to help you optimize your content. So, if you prioritize ease of use, reliability, and clear, actionable readability insights, Yoast SEO is the way to go. Rank Math, on the other hand, can be a good choice if you’re looking to get insights into sitewide SEO analytics. As it also offers more modular features, this can also be your preferred plugin if you want to handle more of the technical side yourself.

The free version allows you to try them out and use the features that are available without having to pay. If you’re more serious about your SEO and are looking into the paid options, it’s good to know what the investment is.

Yoast SEO Premium will cost you $118.80 per year, which gives you access to all the features (without any limits or extra purchases needed). Rank Math Pro will cost you $7.99 per month, which comes down to $95,88 per year. Rank Math Business is $24.99 per month ($299.88 per year) and Rank Math Agency costs $59.99 per month ($719.88 per year).

Final take: Yoast vs Rank Math

To summarize what’s been discussed above, both Yoast SEO and Rank Math have their pros and cons. Even though it seems that there’s a lot of overlap, there are differences that you should consider when making your choice. It really depends on your needs.

While Rank Math offers many features, Yoast stands out with its proven reliability, intuitive interface, and seamless WordPress integration. These make it the smarter choice for users who value stability, ease of use, and trusted SEO performance.

Just remember, no matter which plugin you pick, you will still need to put in work yourself. The best SEO results come from quality content, technical SEO that’s been set up properly, maintenance, and a proper site structure. It’s not just about activating plugin features and waiting for your page to climb to the top of the search results. Good luck!

seo enhancements
How much does it cost to build a website?

Table of contents

Thinking about building a website? Whether you are a small business owner, a freelancer, or launching a side project, one of the first questions you will want answered is: how much does it cost to build a website? This is not just about curiosity, understanding your website costs early on can help you budget effectively and avoid any unpleasant surprises.

The truth is that the answer is rarely simple. Ask ten business owners about their website building costs and you will probably get ten completely different answers. That is because website costs can range from almost nothing to tens of thousands of euros. The variation comes down to what you need your website to do. A small brochure site with a few pages can be built on a modest budget, whereas an ecommerce store with thousands of products and secure payment facilities will always cost more. The good news is that once you understand where the costs lie, you can make better decisions. And while Yoast SEO will not directly reduce your build costs, it will help you avoid expensive SEO mistakes, improve site performance, and keep your long-term marketing budget under control.

What are you actually paying for when building a website?

Design and user experience: This sets the tone for how visitors feel about your site. Good design is more than colors and fonts, it is about navigation, site structure, and encouraging visitors to stay and explore. Read more about user experience

Development: Turns your designs into a working website. A simple build will cost less, but advanced features or integrations push the price up. 

Domain and hosting: These two are essential and unavoidable. Your domain name generally costs between €10 and €50 per year and hosting keeps your site live. Shared hosting is cheapest, but dedicated hosting provides better performance and enhanced security. As a recommendation, Bluehost is a great choice for both domain registration and hosting. On top of that, it also works extremely well with WordPress. 

Read more: Yoast SEO

Content: A blank page isn’t going to keep visitors on your site for very long, so you’re going to need to have something to show them. You can of course do your own content, but professional content creators can be useful in getting more conversions. 

Read more: writing great website copy.

SEO: This ensures your site gets found. You can do it yourself, but Yoast SEO helps simplify the process and can reduce costs by guiding you on how to optimize pages as you write. 

Read more: how to use the Yoast SEO plugin.

Here’s a chart to explain the above in a quick-check guide: 

Area  Description 
Design  Custom visuals, layout, user interface (UI), mobile responsiveness 
User experience (UX)   Navigation logic, site structure, call-to-action placement 
Development   Code, content management system (CMS), plug-ins or features 
Domain and hosting   Your website’s address and where it lives online 
Content and SEO   Written pages, blog posts, metadata, and optimizations 
Ongoing maintenance  Plugin updates, security, backups, fixes 

Upfront costs:

Of course, none of this comes for free, unless there are some things you can do yourself like copywriting or photography. This will still cost you in terms of time though, so it may be worth considering hiring a professional if there are other areas of your business that you would rather focus on. With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at some upfront costs that you will only have to pay for once at the very start.

Type of cost Low estimate High estimate
Domain name €10/year €50/year
Design & UX €0 (DIY template) €10,000+
Development (CMS setup, features, integrations) €0 (DIY) €40,000+
Initial content (copywriting, images, product setup) €200 €5,000+

Ongoing and variable costs:

Obviously, once your website is up and running, that’s not the end of the story. You are presumably here for the long-term and that means there are going to be recurring costs. These cover things like hosting, so your site can stay live, maintenance, to keep everything secure and updated, and you’ll need to continually post new content to engage with your site’s visitors.

Ongoing costs (billed monthly or yearly):

Type of cost Low estimate High estimate
Hosting €50/year €300+/year
Maintenance & security (updates, backups, SSL, fixes) €100/month €500+/month
Ongoing content & SEO €200/year €5,000+/year

Variable costs:

Most people spend their time focusing on the look and feel of their site and while that is important, it’s not the only thing to consider. It’s understandable that things like legal technicalities and CDNs are not front-of-mind when you’re excited about growing your business but it is necessary. That means you’ll need to complete these, often overlooked, tasks to make sure that you remain on track for growth and stay compliant.

Type of cost Low estimate High estimate
Marketing & ads €100/month €10,000+/month
Accessibility & legal compliance €200 €5,000+
Scaling & performance upgrades (plugins, CDN, extra development work) €100 €10,000+

Website building options 

There are three main ways to build a site, and your choice here will have an impact on the final cost.  

1. DIY builders (like Wix or Squarespace)  

These platforms, as well as some others, will let you build a site from scratch without the need for any technical skills. They’re affordable, quick to set up and ideal for portfolio sites, hobby sites, or small businesses. If you are using these site builders for business, you might find them limiting when you need to scale or want more advanced SEO.   

2. WordPress + Yoast  

For most successful small and medium sized businesses, WordPress is an excellent solution as it’s flexible, scalable, and widely supported. What’s more, when you pair it with Yoast SEO for WooCommerce you can start publishing optimized content from day one, making your online store more visible instantly. This makes it more affordable in the long run as there’s no need for an agency, and you can add features as you grow rather than having to rebuild every time.  

3. Custom-built website via an agency 

For complex businesses like advanced ecommerce or security services, a custom-built site is their best option. It’s the most expensive option but gives you complete control, giving you everything you want without having to compromise on anything. However, you may find that tailored code and features will cost a lot more.     

Watch out for these hidden costs 

One common misconception is that the costs end when your site goes live. That’s just not true, in fact, some of the most expensive problems show up after launch. These can include:  

Non-converting content: You can have the most beautiful website in the world but if it’s not pulling in paying customers, there’s a problem. Try investing in professional copywriting and SEO-friendly content that will ensure visitors take action.   

Dropped traffic: Starting off with bad SEO can really hamper your traffic. Without help, it’s easy to make errors that could take months to fix. This is very much a case of prevention is better than cure.  

Technical debt: Sites built on outdated technology or poorly coded templates may work at first but become costly to maintain or upgrade after a while.   

Accessibility cost: It’s important that you make sure your site caters to all, especially those who may have visual or audio impairments. 

Legal costs: There are certain legal requirements to take care of. These aren’t just there to protect the customer; they protect you too. So, don’t forget that you’ll need things like a cookie consent tool and a term of service policy. 

How Yoast saves you money (over time) 

Yoast isn’t about saving you money on upfront costs; what it does is prevent expensive mistakes. It will save you money over time though as you’ll benefit from reduced costs of ongoing SEO and content marketing. 

To get more specific though, Yoast’s real-time SEO guidance helps you write better, optimized content without needing to hire a writer. In addition, the Readability analysis and Internal linking suggestions are two features that help to reduce bounce rates by making your content perform better, which literally translates into more conversions. On top of this, adding structured data manually is time consuming and costly. Yoast automates much of this, giving you rich search results without developer costs. And if that’s not enough to whet your appetite, there are free and premium options.  

Feature  How it saves you money  
Real-time SEO guidance   Write better content, faster, without hiring an SEO expert  
Readability analysis  Engaged readers means more conversions 
Schema & structured data   Get results without coding knowledge 
Internal linking suggestions   Boost traffic to key pages without external help 

Budgeting tips for small business owners 

By spending smart, you can get big results for less. Here are a few things to keep in mind: 

  1. Start with clarity, not complexity
    Fancy animations might look nice, but if they confuse your visitors, they’re not worth the price. 
  1. Spend more on content than code
    Great content = better SEO = better ROI.   
  1. Invest in tools that scale with you
    WordPress and Yoast both grow with your business. 
  1. Plan for the long game
    Don’t treat launch as the finish line. Content updates and SEO tweaks are ongoing.

Read more: How to optimize your crawl budget

Ecommerce vs. general website: does it change the cost? 

Yes, dramatically. Ecommerce sites need: 

  • Payment gateways. 
  • Product listings. 
  • Inventory management. 
  • Legal disclaimers. 
  • Stronger performance and security. 

Expect to pay more, sometimes a lot more, for development, plugins, and maintenance. But again, tools like Yoast SEO help make your product pages more visible and your content more persuasive.   

Platforms like WooCommerce give you a practical and flexible way to run your online store without having to reinvent the wheel. But the real key to success is visibility, after all, if people can’t find you, they can’t buy from you. And this is what Yoast SEO for WooCommerce does best.  

Read more: See how Yoast helps ecommerce sites

Final thoughts 

Ultimately, what matters about your site most is what it does for your business. With WordPress and Yoast, you can create a professional site that looks great, enhances your online visibility, and grows with your business, without breaking the bank. One of the best things you can do to really set the wheels in motion now though is to go to this guide WordPress for beginners training course and learn how to put yourself and your company first.

Good SEO isn’t a luxury; it’s a smart investment, so start today. Good luck!

LLM SEO Optimization Techniques: (including llms.txt)

Table of Contents

  1. How to Make Your Content Visible in the Age of AI Search
  2. What Are LLMs and Why Should You Care?
  3. The New Way of Searching
  4. SEO vs. GEO vs. AEO vs. LLMO: Are We Just Rebranding SEO?
  5. Key LLM SEO Optimization Techniques
  6. Bonus Strategies for LLM Optimization
  7. The Role of llms.txt: Giving AI Search All the Right Signals
  8. LLM Optimization vs. Traditional SEO
  9. Common Mistakes to Avoid
  10. Tools and Resources to Get Started
  11. Conclusion

How to make your content visible in the age of AI search 

So, what exactly is LLM Optimization? Well, the answer to that question depends on who you ask. For example, if you ask a machine learning engineer, they’ll tell you it’s all about tweaking prompts and token limits to get better performance from a large language model. In fact, Iguazio actually defines LLM optimization as improving the way models respond, which means smarter, faster, and with more contextual recognition.    

If, on the other hand, you are a content strategist or SEO enthusiast, LLM optimization will mean something completely different to you and that is making sure that your content shows up in AI-generated search results. And, that needs to be true no matter whether you’re talking to ChatGPT, searching with Perplexity, or scanning Google’s new AI Mode for answers. Some call this ChatGPT SEO or Generative Engine Optimization. 

So, if you fall into the latter of those two groups, ie: the people who want their content and product pages to be seen and clicked, then this article is for you. And, if you’d like to read on, we’ll show you why LLM optimization in an AI-search landscape isn’t some sort of luxury option; it’s an absolute necessity. 

What are LLMs and why should you care? 

AI engineers train Large Language models on huge amounts of text and data to generate answers, summaries, code, and human-like language. They’ve read everything (not just the Classics) and that includes blogs, news articles and your website.   

The reason that’s important is that LLMs don’t crawl your website in real time like Search Engines do. What they do is read it, learn from it and when someone asks them a question, they try to recall what they saw and rephrase it into an answer. If your site shows up as the answer, “Great” but if not, you’ve got a visibility problem. 

The new way of searching 

Search is not just about Google anymore. Also, it’s not as if just one other thing has come to dominate which means we’re left with a rather messy mix of Perplexity answers, Chat GPT chats, Gemini summaries and voice assistants reading out answers while we try to do two tasks at once. 

In short, people aren’t just searching, they’re conversing and if your content can’t hold its own in this environment then you’re missing out on visibility, traffic, and the ability to build trust.  We’ll walk you through exactly how to fix that.   

Read more: How to optimize content for AI LLM comprehension using Yoast’s tools 

SEO vs. GEO vs. AEO vs. LLMO: Are we just rebranding SEO? 

If you’ve been wondering whether you now need four different strategies for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), and LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization), relax, it’s not as big a deal as you might think. You see, despite all the buzzwords, the core of optimization hasn’t changed much. 

All four terms point to the same central goal: making your content more findable, quotable, and credible in machine-generated output regardless of whether that comes from Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, or an answer box on Bing. 

So, should you overhaul your entire content strategy to ‘do LLMO’? 

Not really. At least, not yet. 

Most of what boosts your presence in LLMs is already what SEO professionals have been doing for years. Structured content, semantic clarity, topical authority, entity association, clean internal linking, it’s all classic SEO.  

Where they slightly diverge: 

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)  Relies on backlinks and site architecture to establish authority 
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization  Puts extra emphasis on unlinked brand mentions and semantic association 
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)  Focuses on being the single best, most concise, and sourceable response to a specific query 
LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization)  Leans into optimizing content not just for people or search crawlers but for LLMs reading in chunks, skipping JavaScript, and relying on embeddings and grounding datasets  

But the thing is: you don’t need four different playbooks. All you need is one solid SEO foundation. In fact, this point is backed up by Google’s Gary Illyes who confirmed that AI Search does not require specialized optimization, saying that “AI SEO” is not necessary and that standard SEO is all that is needed for both AI Overviews and AI Mode. 

  • Focus more on entity mentions, not just links 
  • Treat your core site pages (home, pricing, about) and PDFs as important LLM fuel.
  • Remember that AI crawlers don’t render JavaScript, so client-side content might be invisible   
  • Think about how LLMs process structure (chunking, context, citations), not just how humans skim it 

So, if you’ve already been investing in foundational SEO, you’re already doing most of what GEO, AEO, and LLMO ae all about. That’s why not every new acronym needs you to have a whole rethink on your efforts. Sometimes, it’s just like SEO. 

Key LLM SEO optimization techniques 

Now that we know LLMs aren’t crawling our site but are understanding it, we need to think a little differently about how we create and construct content and for more on this, you may find this article extremely insightful. This is not about cramming in keywords or trying to play the algorithm, it’s about clarity, structure and credibility because these are the things LLMs care about when deciding what to quote, summarize or ignore. Below are some techniques that will help your content stay visible now that people are using generative search.   

The bar has been raised on the quality of content  

LLMs love clarity. The more natural and specific your language is, the easier it is for them to understand and reuse your content. That means not using jargon, avoiding ambiguity and instead, focusing on writing like you’re explaining something to a colleague. 

To give an exact example: 

Don’t Say: 

“Our innovative tool revolutionizes the digital landscape for modern businesses.” 

Instead Say: 

“The Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress helps businesses to improve their website’s visibility and appear inn search results 

Use Structure, Chunked Formatting

Chunked formatting means breaking your content into small pieces (chunks) of informatin that are easy to understand and remember. LLMs tend to prioritize the most easily digestible content construction – which means your headings, bullet points, and clearly defined sections must do a lot of heavy lifting. Not only does organizing your content like this help people to skim read, but it also helps machines understand what each section is about.  

Structuring your content like this will help: 

  • Write clear, descriptive H2s and 3s 
  • Use bullet points that can provide standalone value 
  • Include summaries and tables to give quick overviews 

Be Factual, Transparent, and Authoritative 

Just like Google, LLMs need to trust that your content is reliable before they start taking you seriously. This means you need to show your working out, quote sources, reveal authors, and follow the principles of E-E-A-T. Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust. 

Follow these E-E-A-T principles 

To do this: 

  • Include an author bio and credentials if possible (include a link to actual author bios and social profiles) 
  • Name your sources when you use claims or statistics 
  • Share real experiences if possible “As a small business owner…” 

The more real, relatable and trustworthy your content looks, the more AI will like it.  

Optimize for Summarization 

LLMs won’t quote your entire blog post; they’ll only use snippets. Your job is to make those snippets irresistible. Start with strong lead sentences so that each paragraph begins with a clear point followed by context. Also, it’s a good idea to front-load your content. Don’t save your best bits for the end.  

As a reminder: 

  • Start each section with what you want the key takeaway to be 
  • Keep paragraphs short and self-contained 
  • Create standalone summary paragraphs as these often get quoted in AI generated answers 

Use Schema 

Behind every great summary is a structured content model. That’s where Schema markup comes in and to help the AI understand your content, you need to speak in a certain way.   

Read more about schema markup 

To make things clear, use: 

  • Article for blog content 
  • FAQPage for questions and answers 
  • HowTo for instructions 
  • Author and Person for writer’s bio
  • WebPage for generic content 

Bonus strategies for LLM optimization

Once you’ve got the basics completed, like clear writing, structure and trust signals, there’s still more you can do to give your content the best shot at visibility. These bonus strategies focus on how to make your site even more AI-friendly by anticipating how LLMs interpret and reuse information. 

Use Explicit Context and Clear language 

Humans have an incredible ability to be able to ‘fill in the blanks’ and still ‘get the message’ even if the information they got was vague or unclear. One of the biggest differences between humans and LLMs? Humans can infer meaning from vague references. LLMs on the other hand… well, let’s just say that it doesn’t come naturally to them. 

In any case, the point is that if your article mentions “this tool” or “our product” without any context, an LLM might miss the connection entirely. The result? You’re left out of the answer, even if you’re the best source. 

So, to give your content the clarity it deserves: 

  • Use the full product or brand name, like “Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress,” not just “Yoast” 
  • Define technical or niche terms before using them 
  • Avoid vague language (“this page,” “the above section,” “click here”) 

You don’t need to be repetitive, but you do need to be explicit rather than implicit.  

Leverage FAQs and Conversational Formats 

LLMs love FAQs because they’re direct, predictable, and easy to quote. They closely match real user intent and provide high-value snippets that tools like Perplexity and Gemini can pull from without much guesswork. 

How to use the FAQ block in WordPress 

That said, there’s an important limitation to keep in mind if you’re using the Yoast SEO FAQ block in Gutenberg

You cannot use H2 or H3 heading tags inside the FAQ block. 
The block creates its own question-answer formatting using custom HTML, which is great for structured data (FAQ Page schema), but it doesn’t support native heading tags which limits your ability to optimize AI readability and skimmability. 

So, if your goal is to appear in AI-generated summaries or answer boxes, where headings like “What is LLM SEO?” make it easy for AI to quote your content, you might be better off using manual formatting

Here’s how to get the best of both worlds: 

  • STEP 1: Use H2 or H3 tags for each question (e.g., “What is llms.txt?”) and write a clear, short answer beneath it. This improves LLM visibility but doesn’t generate structured FAQ schema. 
  • Step 2: Use the Yoast FAQ block for schema support but know that it won’t give you a proper heading structure. 

 Ultimately, the more your FAQs resemble natural, searchable questions — and are structured in a way that both humans and AI can easily parse — the more likely they are to be featured in answers. 

Enhance Trust with Freshness Signals  

Just like search engines, some LLMs give preference to newer content, but remember that we need to talk to them in a certain way to get the best out of them. 

Older content can be overlooked. Worse, it can be quoted incorrectly if something has changed since you last hit publish. 

Make sure your pages include: 

  • A clear “last updated” timestamp (can we get a picture of what one would look like for clarification?) 
  • Regular reviews for accuracy 
  • Changelogs or update notes if applicable (especially for software or plugin content) 

It doesn’t have to be complicated, even a simple “Last updated: June 2025” can help both readers and AI systems trust that your content is current.  

How to keep content fresh 

Prioritize Author Visibility and Credibility 

Today, we’re entering a phase where who wrote your content is just as important as what it says. That means you need to highlight author visibility and put effort into signaling real-world experience. 

Here’s how: 

  • Include author bios in WordPress with credentials and links to their professional profiles 
  • Use Person schema to formally associate the content with a specific individual 
  • Weave in relevant experience (“As an SEO consultant who works with SaaS brands…”) 

Remember, LLMs are more likely to trust, quote, and amplify expert-authored content. 

Use Internal Linking Strategically 

Think of internal linking as your site’s nervous system. It helps both humans and LLMs understand what’s important, how topics relate, and where to go next. 

But internal linking isn’t just about SEO hygiene anymore — it’s also a way to establish topic authority and help LLMs build a map of your expertise. 

Do: 

  • Cluster related articles together (e.g., link from “LLM Optimization” to “Schema Markup for SEO”) 
  • Use descriptive anchor text like “read our full guide to Schema markup,” not just “click here” 
  • Ensure every piece of content supports a broader narrative 

Our internal linking feature is available for free with a Yoast SEO Premium plugin. 

The role of llms.txt. Giving AI search all the right signals 

Now let’s talk about one of the most recent developments in LLM visibility; a little file called llms.txt

Think of it as a sibling to robots.txt, but instead of guiding search engines, it tells AI tools how they’re allowed to interact with your content. Note: llms.txt is still an evolving standard, and support across AI tools may vary, but it’s a smart step toward asserting control 

With llms.txt, you can: 

  • Define how your content may be reused or summarized 
  • Set clear expectations around attribution, licensing 

It’s not just about protection, it’s about being proactive as AI usage accelerates. 

Even better: Yoast now offers llms.txt integration right inside the plugin, so you don’t need to mess around with code or server settings. If you want to future-proof your site’s visibility (and your IP), this is where you start. 

The llms.txt feature is available for both free and premium customers.   

LLM Optimization vs Traditional SEO: 

LLM Optimization and SEO are part of the same family, but they serve different functions and require slightly different thinking. 

Let’s compare: 

Traditional SEO  LLM Optimization 
Crawled and ranked by bots  Read, remembered, and reused by AIs 
Emphasizes keywords  Emphasizes context and clarity 
   
Optimizes for SERPs  Optimizes for AI-generated summaries and answers 

The takeaway? You can’t ignore either. One brings traffic; the other boosts brand visibility within AI responses. 

And considering that 42% of users now start their research with an LLM (not Google), you’ll want to be found in both places. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid 

Even well-meaning content creators fall into holes. So, take a look at the tips below to avoid any mishaps that could damage your LLM visibility: 

  • Writing like a robot or allowing a robot to write for you (ironically, not appreciated by robots) 
  • Leaving your content undated and unchanged for years 
  • Publishing posts without any author information or editorial standards 
  • Ignoring internal links or leaving orphaned pages 
  • Using vague headings or anchor text like “read more” or “this article” 

If your content looks generic, outdated, or anonymous, it won’t earn any trust. And, without trust, it won’t get quoted. 

 Tools and Resources to Get Started 

Search used to be about visibility within SERPs. But now, it’s also about being seen in summaries, answers, snippets, and chats. LLMs aren’t just shaping the future of search; they’re shaping how your brand is perceived to both humans and robots alike. 

To stand out: 

  • Write with clarity and context 
  • Structure for humans and machines 
  • Cite your expertise and show your authors 
  • Use tools like Yoast and llms.txt to signal your intent 

Future-proof your visibility with Yoast SEO. From llms.txt integration to schema support, Yoast gives you all the tools you need to speak AI’s language and dominate both generative answers and search engines. Get started with Yoast SEO Premium now and make it easy for AI to say something accurate, useful, and… ideally, about you. 

10 tips to streamline your blog content workflow

Content production seems quite simple, in principle. You develop an idea, write about it, do SEO checks, and click publish. Simple, right? It never turns out that way, especially when working with a team. Miscommunications, last-minute changes, and confusion about what needs to happen when. We’ve all been there! Try these ten tips to streamline your digital content workflow and eliminate much stress.

Table of contents

Before we start

Before we start, remember that the ‘perfect’ content workflow probably doesn’t exist. After all, every piece of content is unique, so a one-size-fits-all process is unlikely to produce the highest quality results. If your high-quality, unique content is taking forever to finish, you might struggle to meet deadlines or keep to a schedule. If that sounds like you or your organization, take a look at our tips and see how you can improve.

1. Start the process with clear goals

Whether you’re working alone or as part of a bigger team, it’s important to have a clear idea of all the steps involved and how long each step might take. Not every digital content process is the same. For instance, social media posts don’t need to be optimized for search engines, while blog posts targeting organic traffic do. Regardless of your end goal, the first step is always to start with clear goals.

Want to cover all your bases? Try to answer as many of these questions as you can, as clearly as you can:

  • What topic are you focusing on? How in-depth will you go?
  • Who are you writing for? Who is your audience?
  • What are you trying to achieve? More website visits, increased sales, and more social shares?
  • How will people be able to find your content? Where will you share it, and when?

If you specify your ideas and plans clearly at the beginning, it can help you and your team align your plans. It also helps you to stay on track, which can save you a lot of back-and-forth later on!

Read more: Audience research: how to analyze your audience »

2. Identify contributors and stakeholders

If you’re working in a team, our next tip is as important as the first. Why? Even if you’re clear about your goals, does everyone involved agree with your action plan? That’s why you need to identify your essential contributors and key stakeholders.

Depending on how big your organization is and how well-developed your process is already, making a list of contributors and stakeholders could be a lot of hard work, or a total no-brainer. If you sometimes find that your digital content workflow reaches a bottleneck (or descends to total chaos) because blockers arise from unexpected sources, it could be a sign that you need to do more work in this area.

Once you’ve come up with your plan, it’s a good idea to share it with any essential colleagues who need to give approval in the end before you start doing the real work. If you can get these people to agree with your initial plan, you can refer back to this later to explain creative choices and decisions you might need to make. When you let key parties know what to expect, you can avoid a lot of “What is this? What were you thinking?” kind of conversations.

3. Visualize your content workflow

It can be beneficial to visualize your content workflow, even if it seems daunting. At a minimum, you should write out the basic steps. If you add boxes and arrows to link the steps together, this can help to make the journey through the steps clearer (especially if there are moments when you need to loop back and repeat an earlier step). You can create this however feels comfortable to you — you could choose basic office software like Microsoft Word or Google Docs (Yoast SEO has a handy Google Docs add-on), you could try more advanced software like Visio or Lucidchart, or you could sketch it out on paper. It’s up to you!

For instance, your workflow could look like the first example written out in steps, or like the image below if you use a visualization tool. If, like us, you’re working in WordPress or Google Docs with the Yoast SEO plugin enabled, you can incorporate the features that you use into your workflow too.

Use Yoast SEO in Google Docs

Optimize as you draft for SEO, inclusivity, and readability. The Yoast SEO Google Docs add-on lets you export content ready for WordPress, no reformatting required.

Content workflow example 1

  1. Create a content brief with the agreement of any necessary colleagues
  2. Carry out keyword research using Google Trends and the Semrush keyword data tool in Yoast SEO Premium
  3. Create an article outline using a title and headings that relate to your keywords and the expected search intent
  4. Check if your stakeholders agree with the article outline: If yes, then continue; If no, go back to steps 1-3
  5. Write your draft in WordPress or Google Docs, taking the readability and SEO optimization suggestions from the Yoast SEO plugin into account
  6. Add a featured image in the Post Settings tab and a social image in the Social media appearance tab
  7. Make sure the SEO title, meta description and slug are all a suitable length and describe the content well
  8. Use the Public Preview option in WordPress to share a preview of the post with everyone who needs to give feedback or approval
  9. If feedback needs to be implemented, then implement it! If you’ve made any important changes, go back to get feedback and approval again!
  10. Once everyone who needs to has approved it, your post is ready to publish.

Content workflow example 2

An example of a Jira workflow for tracking blog projects

Read more: How to optimize a blog post for search engines: a checklist! »

4. Assign activities and responsibilities to team members

Even if you have a solid content workflow on paper, it’s important to ensure that each time you go through it, everyone is clear about who is doing what. Not only that, but how and when will different team members communicate with each other to hand over tasks or ask questions? Clearing these kinds of things up in advance can save a lot of hassle for everyone involved.

If these tasks aren’t a regular part of your team’s working day, they’ll also need to manage their own schedule to accommodate the tasks. If so, make sure that they have time to work on your planned content. It’s also worth checking what other priorities your contributors are juggling, as these could prevent progress if they become too demanding. Maybe you have the authority to make your planned content a top priority. If that’s your intention, make sure everyone involved knows that this should be #1 on their to-do list!

Naturally, you’ll want to set a deadline for when your content is going to be published. But if you think you can just send out an initial set of instructions, with one final deadline for all the tasks, and nothing concrete in between… Then things are quite likely to go wrong.

To achieve a much more reliable plan of action, you should include sub-deadlines and contact moments at key points in the content process. These help to keep everyone’s work aligned as the piece of content is developed, and can help you to avoid process bottlenecks by identifying issues early on. It’s also wise to schedule your own internal deadlines to have your content ready at least a week before you intend to publish it. That way, you can avoid last-minute changes (and all the mistakes that are likely to come with them). We’ll come back to this point later.

6. Agree on standards and priorities

So at this point, if you’ve followed all of our tips, you might be planning in sub-deadlines like ‘rough draft is ready’ or ‘final draft for approval’. Before you build all your hopes and dreams around these mini-deliverables, you’ll need to clarify how rough this rough draft can be! After all, you don’t want to end up disappointed because you only received a basic article outline and a few bullet point lists when you were expecting something almost finished.

If you’re using tools like Yoast SEO, you’ll also want to make it clear what results are acceptable to you: for instance, do you expect the readability analysis to always be green, but the SEO analysis doesn’t have to be when it’s not written for ranking purposes? Do you expect the internal linking suggestions to be added as a requirement, or are these just to be used as suggestions? Make sure everyone agrees about how you use your tools and what the end goal is.

7. Allow time for final checks and changes

If you have a regular content publishing schedule that you want to keep to, it’s a good idea to prepare your drafts with a decent amount of time to spare. That way, you can avoid stressing about deadlines and last-minute changes. Here are a few things that really ought to be on your pre-publication checklist, especially if they’re not already incorporated in your content development process:

  • Check the SEO of your post using the Yoast SEO analysis. Is it good enough?
  • Check the readability of your post using the readability analysis. Is it good enough?
  • Have you added a featured image?
  • Have you added an OG image and title for optimized social sharing?
  • Is the slug short and descriptive?
  • Have you added internal links to and from other relevant pages on your site?
  • If you use tags/categories, have you selected all the right options?
  • Are comments enabled/disabled according to your preferences for this post?
  • Is the correct date/time set for your post?
Yoast SEO for Google Docs add-on
Using Yoast SEO in Google Docs makes it much easier to work across teams

As you can see, there’s quite a lot to do even after a post is written, so don’t underestimate how long these checks will take.

Got a good basic content process, but still having issues? This is what to check:

8. Do you create unnecessary work?

Sometimes tasks become more complicated than they really need to be. Are there times when one small change causes a cascade of new issues to deal with? This can be a sign that you need to rethink the order of your steps and who is involved. Small changes should be easy, right?

Often, it’s obvious who should be doing what and how the process should continue. But it’s not always. For instance, if you have a graphic design team, do they need to make every change themselves? Can you make things easier by enabling your writing team to change text and background colors themselves, for instance?

Another type of problem can arise if you don’t have a clear decision-maker in place. Sure, there might be lots of people who should have a say about the content in the end. But who makes the final decisions? If it’s not clear who is responsible for which decisions, you might end up with all your best experts trying to reach an agreement about every little thing. That can be tricky, and it can waste loads of time! Make it easier by giving specific individuals ownership of specific aspects of the process.

9. Are things not going according to plan?

Sometimes things go wrong, in spite of your best efforts. But if things are often going wrong in your content production process, you should investigate the cause of your problems. It’s always a good idea to reach out to the people involved in the steps that are going wrong. What challenges are they facing? Does the existing process make things easier for them or more difficult? And very importantly, ask if they have any ideas to improve the process!

Don’t be afraid to try something new if what you’re doing isn’t working. Even if your new idea doesn’t work out any better, you can always learn from it and try something different next time! Or put it this way: trying anything is better than burying your head in the sand and continuing with a broken content development process.

Last but not least: are you making life harder by adding in ‘nice-to-have’ extras that weren’t part of the plan? It’s an easy mistake to make! After all, when you really care about the content you’re creating, your natural instinct is to keep improving and make it the best that it can be. Even though that means making a whole new infographic. Even though that infographic wasn’t a part of the original plan. Your team can make it happen, right? Or else you can just push the deadline back…

It’s great to aim high when it comes to making quality content. But if you’re ambitious, late-arriving ideas become a burden to the process, you might want to start categorizing them into “must-have” and “nice-to-have” content elements. That way, everyone knows which parts to prioritize and which parts can be left out if they’re too difficult to achieve within the original plan. And don’t forget that one of the biggest advantages of publishing digital content is that you can continue to improve it and share it again whenever you want!

Streamline your content workflow, but don’t let it rule you!

Those are our ten tips! It can be really worthwhile to streamline your content workflow, especially if you’re experiencing issues and bottlenecks in the process. Naturally, every situation is different, and each piece of content comes with its own opportunities and challenges, too. So you need to think about what works for you and what doesn’t in order to adapt your content process.

Try to keep a balance and avoid making a content process that’s too strict or inflexible. You don’t want to set up a rigid process that dictates your editorial decisions and rules your creative output. It’s a creative process, after all! So it’s always good to keep some room for flexibility, but just how much is up to you.

Remember: whatever your content workflow looks like, WordPress, Google Docs, and the Yoast SEO plugin can help you! From your main topic and focus keyphrase, through to the final touches you add just before publishing, the tools can form checkpoints to easily align your team and your goals.

Read more: Adapting your content SEO strategy »

How to create a good meta description

The meta description summarizes a page’s content and presents it to users in the search results. It’s one of the first things people will likely see when searching for something, so optimizing it is crucial for SEO. It’s your chance to persuade users to click on your result! This post will show you the characteristics of a good meta description and how Yoast SEO can help you get it right.

Table of contents

Did you get a red traffic light for the keyphrase in the meta description check in Yoast SEO? Read what this check does, and how to turn this traffic light green. Yoast SEO also checks the length of your meta description. Read about how that check works and how to write a concise meta description.

The meta description is an HTML tag you can set for a post or page of your website. In it, you can use roughly 155 characters to describe what your page is about. If you’re lucky, Google will show it beneath your page’s title in the search results. It allows you to convince search engine users that your page will offer what they are looking for.

In Google’s search results, this is where it can be displayed:

A meta description from yoast.com as seen in the search results

And this is what it looks like in the HTML code of the page:

The purpose of a meta description is simple: it needs to get someone searching with a search term on Google to click your link. In other words, meta descriptions are there to generate click-throughs from search engines.

Search engines say there is no direct SEO benefit from the meta description – they don’t use it in their ranking algorithm. But there is an indirect benefit: Google uses click-through rate (CTR) to determine whether you’re a good result. If more people click on your result, Google considers you to be a good result and will, based on your position, move you up the rankings. This is why optimizing your meta description is important, as is optimizing your titles.

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that Google will display the description that you’ve written. But, as there is a chance it will, adding it to your post or page is always worth the effort.

What does a good meta description contain?

Here’s a list of elements you need to write a good meta description:

  1. Keep it up to 155 characters
  2. Use an active voice and make it actionable
  3. Include a call to action
  4. Use your focus keyphrase
  5. Show specifications when needed
  6. Make sure it matches the content of the page
  7. Make it unique

Let’s go over them in detail!

1. Keep it up to 155 characters 

The right length doesn’t exist; it depends on the message you want to convey. You should take enough space to convey the message, but keep it short and snappy. However, if you check the search results in Google, you’ll mostly see snippets of 120 to 156 characters, like in the example below. Google says you can make your meta descriptions as long as you want, but there is a limit to what we can see in the SERPs — and that’s around 155 characters; anything longer will get truncated.

an example of a meta description showing one on puppy training, including review ratings
This search result from a Yoast SEO user shows a succinct meta description in Google

Unfortunately, you can’t fully control what Google displays in the search results. Sometimes, it shows the meta description, and sometimes, it just grabs some sentences of your copy or generates something itself. Either way, your best bet is to keep it short. That way, if Google does decide to show the description you’ve written, it won’t be cut short. 

2. Use active voice and make it actionable 

If you see the meta description as an invitation to visit your page, you have to think about your user and their (possible) motivation to visit your page. Ensure your description isn’t dull, difficult, or too cryptic. People need to know what they can expect to find on your page.

The example in the image below is the description you should strive to write. It’s active, speaks to you, and addresses you directly. You know what you’ll get if you click on the link!

an example of a meta description with an attractive writing style
Make people want to click your search result

3. Include a call-to-action

“Hello, we have a new product, and you want it. Find out more!” This overlaps with what we said about the active voice, but we wanted to emphasize it again. The meta description is your sales text. In this case, the “product” you are trying to sell is the linked page. Invitations like Learn more, Get it now, Try for free come in handy, and we use them too.

an example of a meta description with a call to action
Get people to click on your link

4. Use your focus keyword

If the search keyword matches a part of the text in the meta description, Google will be more inclined to use it and highlight it in the search results. This will make the link to your site even more inviting. Google sometimes even highlights synonyms. In the example below, both the Academy Awards and Oscars are highlighted. Getting your results emphasized like that makes them stand out even more.

The image shows a meta description for the Wikipedia page about the Academy Awards. The words 'Academy Awards' and 'Oscars' are shown in bold text.
A listing for the Academy Awards on Google

5. Show specifications, where possible 

If you have a product in your Shopify or WooCommerce store aimed at the tech-savvy, it can be a good idea to focus on the technical specs. For example, you can include the manufacturer, SKU, price, etc. If the visitor specifically seeks that product, you won’t have to convince them. Can the watch help us stay fit? Sign us up; that’s all we need to know. Note that to optimize your result in this manner, you should work on getting rich snippets.

Google search result describe the Apple Watch SE
Make it spark

6. Make sure it matches the content of the page

This is an important one. Google will find out if you use meta descriptions to trick visitors into clicking on your results. They might even penalize you if you do it. But besides that, misleading descriptions will also increase your bounce rate. Which will also lower people’s trust in your company. It’s a bad idea for that reason alone. That is why you want the meta description to match the content on the page.

7. Make it unique 

Adding the date to the snippet preview

People often ask questions about the date shown in the Google preview of our Yoast SEO plugin. We’ve added this because search engines may display a date with your snippet. So it’s important to factor it in when you decide on the right length of your meta description. Unfortunately, there’s no way to directly control whether this date is shown or not, but you can try to manage the dates they use in the search results.

If your meta description is the same as those for other pages, the user experience in Google will be hampered. Although your page titles might vary, all pages will appear the same because all the descriptions are identical. Instead of creating duplicate meta descriptions, you’d better leave them blank. Google will pick a snippet from the page containing the keyword used in the query. That being said, writing a unique meta description for every page you want to rank is always the best practice.

Adding a meta description is easy if you’re on WordPress or Shopify and using Yoast SEO. Firstly, you can write it in the Search appearance preview section of Yoast SEO. But Yoast SEO also gives you feedback on it in the SEO analysis. The plugin checks the meta description length and whether you’ve used your focus keyphrase. So, let’s see how the plugin helps you and what you can do with it. 

Using AI to generate meta descriptions in Yoast SEO Premium

Yoast SEO Premium has our Yoast AI Generate features, which include AI-powered meta description generation. This meta description generator brings the power of generative AI to your fingertips, producing engaging and SEO-optimized meta descriptions with just one click. Using advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, it generates creative and appealing meta descriptions, captivating your audience while meeting search engine standards.

yoast seo's ai tool can generate relevant titles and meta descriptions for you
Creating meta descriptions with a little help from generative AI in Yoast SEO Premium

This feature simplifies your meta description optimization process and fully complies with best SEO practices. It enhances user experience, amplifies your website’s visibility, and effortlessly directs high-quality, organic traffic to your site. With this outstanding AI generator, effortlessly elevate your SEO performance and generate outstanding meta descriptions that set you apart.

You can edit your meta description in Yoast SEO
You can edit your meta description in Yoast SEO for Shopify

What does the keyphrase in meta description assessment in Yoast SEO do?

This check is all about using the keyphrase in the meta description. A focus keyphrase is the search term you want a page to rank for. When people use that term, you want them to find your page. You base your keyphrase on keyword research. After your research, you should end up with a combination of words that most of your audience will likely search for. We’ve already discussed that when you use your keyphrase in the meta description, Google will likely highlight it. That makes it easier for people to see they’ve found what they are looking for. 

Yoast SEO checks if and how often you use the words from your focus keyphrase in the meta description text. In addition, if you use Yoast SEO Premium, it also considers the synonyms you enter. If you overdo it, the plugin advises you to limit the use of your focus keyphrase.

What a green bullet looks like in Yoast SEO
What a green bullet looks like in Yoast SEO for Shopify

How to get a green traffic light for the keyphrase in meta description

You’ll get a red traffic light if you don’t mention the keyphrase in the meta description. So, make sure to write one. But don’t stuff your meta description with your keyphrase because that will also get you a red traffic light. And make sure to mention all the words from your keyphrase near each other. Search engines are pretty smart nowadays, but you must clarify what your page is about. 

Yoast SEO Premium plugin considers the synonyms you’ve added when it performs its analysis. This allows you to write more naturally, resulting in a more pleasant text. Moreover, it’s easier to score a green traffic light this way. Use it to your advantage!

Unlock all features in Yoast SEO Premium

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What does the meta description length assessment do?

This meta description length assessment measures whether your description is too short (less than 120 characters) or too long (more than 156 characters).  You’ll get a green traffic light when your meta description has the right length. If it’s too long or too short, you’ll get an orange traffic light in the SEO analysis of Yoast SEO (or red if you’ve marked your article as cornerstone content).

What the check looks like in the Yoast SEO sidebar
A green bullet in the Yoast SEO for Shopify app

How to write a concise meta description

A good meta description convinces people that your page offers the best result for their query. But, to be the best result, you must know what people seek. What is their search intent? Are they looking for an answer to a question? If they are, try to give them the most complete answer. Are they looking for a product? Write down what makes your product stand out and why they would best buy it in your store. Be concise and convincing!

You get real-time feedback on the meta description length in the Search appearance section in the Yoast SEO sidebar or meta box. Click “Search appearance” in the Yoast SEO sidebar to write a meta description. This will open the snippet editor, and you’ll see input fields for editing the SEO title, the slug, and the meta description. When you start typing in the meta description input field, the snippet preview at the top of the Search appearance editor will immediately show your new text. Underneath the input field, there is a bar. It’s orange when you start typing and will become green when you’ve added enough information. When you add too much text, it will turn orange again.

The bar will change color when your go over the limit
Checking the Google preview in Yoast SEO for Shopify

Writing or editing your meta description in the Yoast SEO meta box underneath your post editor is also possible. Go to the SEO tab in the meta box (if it’s not on this tab by default), and you can start typing in the field under Meta description immediately.

What to do if you need meta descriptions for a lot of pages?

After reading this, do you need to change all your meta descriptions? But are you not sure how to fit that into your schedule? Google has the answer:

If you don’t have time to create a description for every single page, try to prioritize your content; at the very least, create a description for the critical URLs like your home page and popular pages.

Advice from Google Search Central documentation

You can check which of your pages ranks highest with Google Search Console. Take it from there. It’s also possible to optimize your meta descriptions with variables in Yoast SEO. This allows you to speed up this process without worrying about duplicate descriptions.

If you prefer to write a unique description for each page and have much to get through, you can use the Bulk editor tool in Yoast SEO for WordPress. Head to the Tools page, click ‘Bulk editor’, then select the ‘Description’ tab. You’ll be able to see any meta descriptions already set for your pages, and you can quickly add new ones without opening each page individually. However, with this tool, you won’t get warnings if your description is too short/long, or if the focus keyword is missing.

Preventing snippets with Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO provides an easy way to control search result snippets using the nosnippet meta tag feature. This setting lets you prevent Google from displaying any snippet for particular pages, giving you control over what appears in search results. It’s especially useful when you want to prioritize privacy or ensure that content is not shown without its full context. With the nosnippet tag, you have another way to manage snippet creation and to align everything with your content strategy.

in the advanced section of yoast seo, you can prevent snippets from appearing by activating no snippet
Yoast SEO lets you easily add the nosnippets robots tag in the Advanced settings

Do you have Yoast SEO? Check the Social media appearance in the Yoast SEO sidebar or social tab in the Yoast SEO meta box below your post or page. You can add a separate description for your social media channels there. In Yoast SEO Premium, you even have social previews that show you what your post or page will look like when shared on social media.

Conclusion to meta descriptions

Meta descriptions are a crucial yet often underestimated component of SEO — even if these are not fully in your control. It serves as a brief advertisement for your content in search results, influencing click-through rates and user engagement. Crafting clear, compelling, and keyword-rich meta descriptions can significantly enhance your online visibility. In return, it could attract more targeted traffic to your website. While they may not directly impact rankings, their role in driving clicks and conversions is undeniable.

A well-crafted meta description is not just about SEO; it’s about creating a better user experience by providing searchers with a clear, concise preview of what to expect on your page. Of course, Google might think it knows better than you, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put your best foot forward!

Read more: How to use the Google preview in Yoast SEO »

Yoast AI Optimize is now available for Classic Editor

We’re excited to announce that Yoast AI Optimize is now also available when using the Classic Editor in WordPress!

You’ve finished your copy, great! But those pesky Yoast SEO Analysis lights aren’t all green and you have to make manual changes. That’s where Yoast AI Optimize comes in. With Yoast SEO Premium, you can now get AI-powered suggestions right inside your Classic Editor to help fine-tune your content.

What is Yoast AI Optimize?

Yoast AI Optimize brings smart, targeted SEO support into your writing flow. It gives AI-powered suggestions for specific assessments in the Yoast SEO analysis, such as length, structure, and keyphrase distribution.  You’ll see exactly where improvements can be made and get quick, editable suggestions to help you fix them. You can quickly apply or dismiss them; the final decision always remains yours.

Benefits:

  • Get real-time AI suggestions that help improve SEO and readability
  • Edit suggestions to match your style and tone of voice
  • Apply or dismiss suggestions easily without breaking your writing flow
  • Use it in both the Classic and Block editors with Yoast SEO Premium
  • Supports optimization for:
    • Keyphrase in introduction
    • Keyphrase distribution
    • Keyphrase density
    • Sentence length
    • Paragraph length

Whether you’re using the Classic Editor or sticking with the Block Editor, Yoast AI Optimize helps you improve your SEO score faster, without losing the personal touch.

If you’re curious to know how we built this feature, check out our developer blog post with all the behind the scenes.

Ready to optimize smarter?
Update to Yoast SEO Premium to try AI Optimize in the Classic Editor today!

How to optimize content for AI LLM comprehension using Yoast’s tools

As AI-driven search engines rewrite the rules of content visibility, one thing is clear: optimization isn’t dead — it’s evolving. Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Perplexity AI don’t just retrieve web pages; they synthesize answers. And your content? It only gets included if it’s clear, relevant, and easy to extract. The good news? If you’re already using the Yoast SEO plugin, you have some of the most critical tools for this new era baked right into your workflow.

Table of contents

Learn how to structure content for AI

In this post, I’ll walk through how LLMs evaluate and extract content — and how Yoast SEO’s content analysis features, particularly the Flesch Reading Ease score and green light checks, can help you structure your writing for AI retrieval, not just human readers.

And more importantly, I want to clarify a common misconception: Yoast SEO isn’t about “chasing green lights.” It’s about helping you become a better, clearer communicator. Green lights aren’t the end goal—they’re indicators that you’re aligning your content with the kinds of clarity and structure that serve both readers and AI systems. In a world where LLMs decide what gets surfaced and summarized, being a better writer is your best competitive advantage.

Even if AI search doesn’t dominate your vertical today, it will. The best time to prepare was years ago. The second-best time is right now. Consider this your SEO shade tree: start planting.

What AI search wants from your content

Forget rankings — AI search is about retrievability and clarity. LLMs ingest and parse content based on:

  • Literal surface-level term matching (yes, keywords still matter)
  • Structural formatting cues like headings, lists, and bullet points
  • Clarity of ideas — one idea per paragraph, one purpose per section
  • Prompt alignment — using the same terminology your audience would use

Even the smartest LLM will skip your content if it’s overly complex, meandering, or fails to mention the query terms directly. That means no more hiding your key points in paragraph five. No more cute, clever intros that never get to the point. The models are pulling excerpts, not reading for nuance.

This is where Yoast SEO shines. Its features, often seen as basic hygiene, are perfectly aligned with what makes content usable by AI.

The Flesch Reading Ease score is more important than ever

In a world of AI Overviews and synthesized summaries, readability is a superpower.

The Flesch Reading Ease score — included in the Yoast SEO content analysis — doesn’t just help human readers skim your content. It helps machines parse and interpret it.

LLMs prefer:

  • Shorter sentences
  • Simple phrasing
  • One idea per paragraph

These are the exact factors the Flesch score evaluates. So when Yoast flags your content as difficult to read, it’s not nitpicking — it’s showing you what might keep your article out of an AI Overview.

Pro tip: When possible, aim for a Flesch score above 60, especially for top-of-funnel or FAQ-style content you want to be quoted or summarized.

And let’s be clear: this doesn’t mean your content has to be simplistic or dumbed down. It just needs to be accessible. Plainspoken, not generic. Direct, not dull. Think of it as writing for a global audience — or a machine that doesn’t have time for interpretive poetry.

You can find the Flesch reading score in Yoast SEO Insights in your sidebar — this is the score for the post you are reading now

Don’t ignore those green lights (Even when you think you know better)

I’ll be honest: I’ve been one of the worst offenders when it comes to ignoring those green lights. I like long sentences. I enjoy prose that meanders a little if it means delivering a point with style. And I’ve spent enough of my career writing professionally that being told how to write by a plugin occasionally rubbed me the wrong way.

But here’s the thing I’ve come to accept: it’s not that the plugin is trying to replace your voice or artistry. It’s that it’s trying to ensure your work can be understood, parsed, and surfaced—especially by machines.

It is absolutely still possible to create highly visible content that doesn’t earn a green light for sentence structure or reading ease. I’ve done it. But those pieces need to be intentional. They need to be structured so that the core ideas—the “meat” of the argument—aren’t buried in the longest paragraph of the article or expressed only in dense, lyrical blocks of text.

If you want to break the rules, fine. But make sure you know where the lines are before you step over them. The art is still welcome—it just has to be thoughtfully placed.

Yoast’s content checks aren’t arbitrary — they’re aligned with how both humans and machines understand text. In fact, many of the green-light criteria align shockingly well with what LLMs are known to favor:

  • Subheadings every 300 words = easier segmentation and extraction
  • Introductory paragraph present = good for AI frontloading
  • Paragraph length = one idea per chunk, which is LLM-friendly
  • Sentence length limits = fewer chances for parsing failure

In other words: the green light checklist is not just “SEO best practice.” It’s an LLM comprehension checklist in disguise.

And while experienced writers might feel tempted to override these warnings with “but this sounds better to me,” it’s worth considering how much clearer your writing becomes when you follow them. Especially when writing for an audience that might include an algorithm.

an example of the Yoast SEO sidebar showing three overall green traffic lights for a post
Not every traffic light for individual checks has to be green — just make sure the overall lights are

Structuring for LLMs: A Yoast-assisted framework

If you want your content to get pulled into AI-generated answers, try this simple structure — and let Yoast SEO help enforce it:

  1. Start with a TL;DR or definition: Use short, declarative sentences. Bonus if you can bold the key phrase or structure it as a definition. LLMs love to latch onto clear, answer-style content.
  2. Use subheadings to divide your points: Make sure each section answers one specific question or explains one concept. Headings serve as cues for both readers and models.
  3. Use bulleted or numbered lists: Yoast SEO will warn you if a list is too long without proper formatting. LLMs love well-structured lists because they can be directly extracted.
  4. Echo the query language: Use the exact phrases people search for. This helps the AI match your content to user prompts. Literal matching still matters.
  5. End with a clear summary or CTA: AI often pulls from intros or conclusions. Don’t waste them. Reinforce your main point and point readers toward next steps.

Even if you’re writing complex thought leadership content, this structure ensures your brilliance is actually understood and surfaced.

You don’t need Schema if your structure is clear — but it helps

Structured data is still valuable, especially for establishing context and disambiguating entities. But Yoast SEO users should remember: if your page is poorly written or confusing, schema won’t save it.

LLMs cite content that is:

  • Logically segmented
  • Written in plain, direct language
  • Free of interruptions, overlays, or unrelated diversions

Yoast SEO helps you get there — not just with schema tools, but with live readability feedback during writing.

It’s also worth noting that while structured data might support AI understanding, it’s the structure of the writing that matters most for inclusion in AI responses. LLMs pull paragraphs and list items, not rich snippets. If you want to be quoted, you have to be quotable.

TL;DR: Use Yoast SEO to make your content AI-ready

In the age of AI search, optimization means:

  • Writing like a human, formatting like a machine
  • Saying things plainly
  • Echoing how people phrase questions
  • Structuring content so it can be lifted and used

Yoast SEO’s content analysis isn’t just a checklist — it’s an AI visibility strategy. That little green light might be your ticket to being the source LLMs choose to summarize.

Don’t fall into the trap of writing for the plugin. Use the plugin to write better for people and machines. That shift in mindset makes all the difference.

And as LLMs continue to power more and more of the search experience, from Google AI Overviews to tools like ChatGPT Browse, that visibility is worth more than position #1 ever was. Start now. You’ll be glad you did.