Blog post SEO: titles, slugs, meta, images, and links

A well-written post still needs correctly filled-in SEO fields to be found. This article walks through every field that affects how a post shows up in search results and how it gets discovered, plus a few habits worth building as you publish more.

#The SEO fields on every post

When you edit a post's details (either while writing it, or later via its three-dot menu and Change Blog Post SEO Details), you'll find:

• SEO title — what search engines display as the clickable headline. Defaults to your post title, but you can override it.
• URL slug — the path segment after your blog's base URL (e.g., /b/5-tips-for-onboarding).
• Meta description — the short summary shown under your title in search results.
• Cover image + alt text — the featured image used in previews and shared links, plus descriptive text for accessibility and image search.
• Keywords — internal organizational tags; helpful for your own reference and on-site search, though their direct ranking impact is limited.
• Canonical URL — tells search engines which version of a page is the "original," when the same content might exist at more than one address.

Screenshot coming soon

The SEO details panel for a blog post with title, slug, meta description, and cover image fields filled in, plus a search-result preview

#SEO title

Aim for roughly 50–60 characters. Longer titles often get cut off in search results. Put the most important keyword or phrase near the front — both because search engines weight it and because readers scanning results notice the first few words most.

#URL slug

Keep it short, lowercase, and hyphenated — a few descriptive words, not a restated full sentence. 5-tips-onboarding beats here-are-5-tips-for-better-customer-onboarding-in-2026. Avoid changing a slug after a post has been live for a while; it breaks any existing links and resets whatever search ranking the URL had built up.

Warning: Changing a post's slug after publishing changes its URL. Anyone who bookmarked or linked to the old address will hit a dead link. Only change a slug on a post that's brand new or hasn't been shared anywhere yet.

#Meta description

Write one to two sentences (roughly 120–160 characters) that accurately describe what the post covers and why someone should read it. Treat it like ad copy, not a keyword dump — a compelling, accurate sentence outperforms a description stuffed with phrases.

#Cover image and alt text

Every post should have a cover image — it's what shows up in blog list elements, social shares, and search result previews. Always fill in the alt text field with a plain description of what's in the image (not just repeated keywords). This helps visually impaired visitors using screen readers and gives search engines useful context.

#Canonical URL

Leave this as the default (the post's own URL) unless the same article is also published somewhere else — for example, a version cross-posted to a partner site or a syndication network. In that case, set the canonical URL on the other copy to point back to the original, so search engines credit the source instead of treating it as duplicate content.

#Internal linking

Search engines and readers both use internal links to understand how your content relates. A few habits worth building:

• When you publish a new post, go back and add a contextual link to it from two to four older, related posts. This is quick, and it consistently helps new content get found faster.
• Use descriptive anchor text — link the phrase that describes the destination ("see our guide to categories and authors") rather than generic text like "click here."
• Link to your own cornerstone or pillar content from related posts, and vice versa, so visitors and search engines can trace a topic across your whole blog.

Tip: Keep a simple list of your 3–5 most important "pillar" posts. Every time you publish something new, ask whether it should link to (or be linked from) one of them.

#RSS feed

Every blog has an RSS feed that only includes published posts (never drafts). To find yours:

1. Go to Sites > Blogs.
2. Open your blog's Settings (gear icon).
3. Select the RSS section and copy the feed URL.

An RSS feed URL, once generated, keeps working even if you later change other RSS settings — so it's safe to plug into email tools or social scheduling tools that support "publish automatically when a new post goes live."

Note: Your blog's domain needs to be properly connected for the RSS feed to function correctly, and there's a cap on how many recent posts a feed includes at once (older posts roll off).

#Sitemap

The platform automatically maintains an XML sitemap for your blog and updates it every time you publish a post — no manual regeneration needed. To make sure search engines use it:

1. Go to your domain's settings.
2. Open the three-dot menu and choose the XML Sitemap option.
3. Select which content to include — typically your blog home and all blog posts.
4. Click Generate Sitemap.
5. Add the resulting sitemap URL to your robots.txt file so search engines can find it automatically.

#What "done" looks like

A post is SEO-ready when:

• The SEO title and meta description are filled in deliberately (not left as generic defaults) and fit within their recommended lengths.
• The slug is short, readable, and finalized before the post goes live.
• The cover image has real, descriptive alt text.
• At least one or two internal links point to and from related posts.
• Your blog's sitemap is generated and referenced in robots.txt, and your RSS feed URL is on hand if you plan to automate distribution.

#Related articles

• Blogs overview: how blogging works on the platform
• Create a blog and publish your first post
• Categories, authors, and organizing your blog
• Writing with the AI content assistant

#Frequently asked questions

#Does keyword stuffing in the keywords field help rankings?

No. Treat the keywords field as internal notes about what the post is about, not a ranking lever. Modern search engines weight natural, well-written content and genuine relevance far more heavily than keyword density.

#Do I need a sitemap if I already have an RSS feed?

Yes, they serve different purposes. RSS is built for distribution — email and social automation pulling in new posts. A sitemap is built for discovery — helping search engines find and crawl every page on your blog, including older posts that aren't in a recent-items feed anymore.

#My post isn't showing up in search results yet. What should I check first?

Confirm the post's status is Published (not Draft or Scheduled), that your domain is properly connected, and that your sitemap has been generated and submitted. After that, indexing simply takes time — new pages can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to appear, especially on newer domains.