The keyword queue is your content to-do list – every topic you want a blog post about. This chapter covers everything on the Keywords screen: adding topics, organizing by category, and choosing how the plugin picks what to write next.
Overview
A “keyword” here simply means a topic or search phrase you’d like a blog post written about – for example, “how to choose a warehouse shelving system” or “best gifts for coffee lovers.” You build a list of these under AI Blog Generator → Keywords, and the plugin works through that list over time, turning each one into a full article.
How It Works
Every keyword has a status: Pending (waiting to be written), Used (already published), Failed (an error occurred), or Skipped. Each time the plugin generates a post – whether automatically or via Generate Now – it selects one or more pending keywords, either in strict priority order (Queue mode) or by letting the AI review a pool of pending keywords and choose the most relevant ones for today (Smart mode). Once used successfully, a keyword is marked Used and linked to the resulting post.
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Open the Keywords screen
Go to AI Blog Generator → Keywords. At the top, you’ll see a Website Categories panel listing your existing WordPress post categories.
2. Add suggested keywords from a category
The fastest way to start: find a category card (like “Home Décor” or “Office Supplies”) and click Add suggested keywords. The plugin will generate a handful of relevant topic ideas for that category automatically.
3. Add a single keyword by hand
In the Add Keyword box, type your topic into the Keyword field, optionally choose a Category and a Priority number (higher numbers are used first), add any Notes for your own reference, and click Add Keyword.
4. Import a whole list at once
In the Bulk Import box, choose a category, then paste one keyword per line into the text box. You can optionally set a priority per line using the format keyword,priority (for example, best CRM software,10). Click Import Keywords when ready.
5. Review your full list
Scroll down to the Keywords table to see every keyword with its category, priority, status, how many times it’s been used, and a link to its published post (if any). Use the filter bar above the table to narrow by category, status, or search text.
6. Reset or delete keywords
Click Reset next to any used or failed keyword to send it back to Pending so it can be written about again. Click Delete to remove it permanently. Tick the checkboxes on multiple rows and use the Bulk actions dropdown to reset or delete several at once.
7. Choose Queue mode or Smart mode
Go to AI Blog Generator → Settings and find Keyword selection. Choose Queue mode to always use the highest-priority pending keyword next, or Smart mode to let the AI review a pool of pending keywords (set the pool size in Smart topic pool size) and pick the best ones for today, considering season, category balance, and recent posts.
8. Turn on auto-refill (optional)
Still in Settings, enable Auto-create keywords for queue and set Minimum pending keywords. When your pending count drops below that number, the plugin automatically suggests and adds fresh keywords from your categories before the next run – so your queue never runs dry.
Fields Table
| Field Name | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
Keyword |
The topic or phrase the article will be written about. |
best warehouse management software |
Category |
The WordPress post category the finished article should relate to. |
Warehousing |
Priority |
A number used to decide order in Queue mode – higher numbers go first. |
10 |
Notes |
Optional private reminder text about the keyword, visible only to your team. |
“Requested by marketing for Q3” |
Status |
Where the keyword is in its lifecycle. |
Pending / Used / Failed / Skipped |
Keyword selection |
Whether topics are chosen strictly by priority (Queue) or picked by AI from a pool (Smart). |
Queue mode |
Smart topic pool size |
How many pending keywords the AI reviews at once when choosing topics in Smart mode. |
20 |
Minimum pending keywords |
The low-water mark that triggers automatic keyword refill. |
10 |
Field Explanations
Priority only matters in Queue mode – in Smart mode, the AI weighs many factors beyond priority, so don’t rely on priority numbers alone if Smart mode is turned on.
A keyword marked Failed is not lost – it simply means the last attempt ran into an error (often a temporary AI provider issue). Check the reason in the Generation Log, then click Reset to try it again.
Notes: are for your team only – they are never sent to the AI and never appear in the published article.
Tips
- Create your WordPress Post Categories first (under Posts → Categories) – the plugin’s category-based suggestions depend on them existing.
- Use specific, real-world phrases as keywords (what a customer would actually type into Google) rather than single generic words.
- Turn on auto-refill early so you never have to remember to top up the queue manually.
- Use Bulk Import when you already have a spreadsheet or list of topic ideas – it’s much faster than adding them one at a time.
Common Mistakes
- Leaving the queue empty. With zero pending keywords, both the daily schedule and Generate Now have nothing to write about.
- Adding vague, one-word keywords. A keyword like “shoes” gives the AI far less direction than “how to choose running shoes for flat feet.”
- Forgetting to Reset a failed keyword. Failed keywords stay failed forever until you reset them – they won’t automatically retry.
- Setting Smart topic pool size too small. A pool of only 5 gives the AI very little to choose from – 15–30 typically gives better topic variety.