Where do you store your post’s keywords?
I know most people use RankMath or Yoast SEO for this, but I have a problem with their interfaces.
They’re not easy to scan and they don’t let you display your keyword’s search volume.
That’s why I created my own keyword table where I can display each post’s keywords sorted by search volume:
And here’s the good news…
You can build a table just like this for your site, and it doesn’t require any coding.
When you’re finished, you’ll have a simple table in the post editor where you can display all of your keywords including their search volume.
Even better, you can customize this table however you want. For instance, you can add a third column for a Keyword Difficulty score or a checkbox to track if you’ve included it in your post already.
This table will make it much easier to optimize your posts, whether you’re looking to promote a WordPress plugin, eCommerce store, or any other product with your content.
I’m sure you’re excited to start, so let’s jump in with the first step.
Tip: My favorite tool for finding new keywords and their search volume is SEMRush.
Install Advanced Custom Fields
The plugin we’ll be using to create the keyword table is called Advanced Custom Fields.
This plugin gives you the power to design completely custom interfaces in the WordPress editor.
It also gives developers ways to output this data on the front-end, but we’ll just be using it for data storage and the interface, so no coding is required.
You can upload the zip file or visit the Plugins > Add New page and search for it to install it.
The installation should take a few seconds, and then you’re ready to build your keyword table.
How to create the keyword table
Once activated on your site, you’ll see a new Custom Fields menu item added to your sidebar. Hover over it and click the Add New menu item.
On the next screen, you’ll see the field group editor. Start by naming it something like “Post Keywords.”
Then click the Add Field button to create a new field.
For the Field Label name it “Keyword 1” and the Field Name will auto-populate for you.
Then scroll to the bottom and give the field a width of 50%.
Click the Close Field button to collapse the field.
You now have a keyword field that will show up in the post editor. The next step is to create a volume field that will go with it.
Create a second field and name it “Keyword 1 Volume.” Then change the Field Type to Number.
Scroll to the bottom of the field and make it 50% wide like the first field.
Lastly, click the Publish button at the top-right of the page to create your new field group.
If you visit the post editor now, you’ll see your keyword and volume pair are already displayed below the editor.
This is great if you want to add one keyword per post, but most likely, you’ll want to add a few.
There are two approaches for adding multiple keywords to each post.
How to add more keywords (free)
Using the free version of Advanced Custom Fields, you can create as many input fields as you want.
In the field group editor, use the Duplicate link to quickly recreate your keyword and volume fields.
You could create 10+ keyword and volume fields and they’ll show up for every post on your site. The only downside is that the fields aren’t sortable and you may have extra empty fields you don’t need.
It’s not the most elegant solution, but it is completely free.
If you don’t mind paying a few bucks, this next method is more practical.
Find out how I just created my own post keyword table in WordPress.Click to TweetHow to add more keywords (paid)
If you purchase Advanced Custom Fields Pro, you’ll get access to the Repeater field.
The Repeater field allows you to store fields inside it, which you can then replicate while in the post editor.
For the keyword table, you would create a Repeater field and then add a keyword and volume field into it, like this:
You don’t need to create any more fields to allow unlimited keyword tracking for your posts.
Inside the post editor, there will be a button for adding new keyword/volume pairs and you’ll also have the option to reorder them via drag and drop.
Obviously, this is a lot nicer, but as I mentioned, the Repeater field is only available in the Pro version, which costs $49.
I’m not an affiliate of ACF and I wasn’t paid to make this recommendation. I just think it’s an awesome tool.
Regardless of whether you use the free or paid version, there are a few important ways to customize your keyword table.
Note: Advanced Custom Fields has 29 field types including Google Maps embeds, Galleries, and Date Pickers.
Customizing your keyword table
The keyword table already works great as-is, but there are a few customizations you might want to make.
Below the fields, you’ll find the Location section. Here you can decide exactly where to display the keyword table you’ve created.
It defaults to posts, but you can easily add a “rule group” to display it for pages too.
Additionally, there are tons of other rules available besides the post type:
Given all these options, you’ll never have trouble displaying your fields exactly where you want them to show up.
Lastly, check out the Settings section at the bottom.
You can make all sorts of adjustments to the field group, but the most important option is the Position. Using this setting, you can choose to display the keyword table higher/lower under the post content or place it into the sidebar.
You might also enjoy the options at the bottom that let you hide other elements on the screen like the Excerpt and Discussion boxes.
Now get to work optimizing for keywords
Following these steps only takes a few minutes and will equip all your posts with an interactive keyword table.
Like I said earlier, plugins like RankMath are great for keyword optimization, but the table layout created with ACF is much nicer for displaying your keywords and their search volume.
If you’re interested in blogging for SEO, check out this tutorial on republishing posts next:
How to Rewrite a Blog Post to Boost Your SEO (7 Step Process)
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