Updating focus keywords in WordPress with WP Assist
Focus keywords tell Yoast SEO or Rank Math what search term your WordPress page is trying to rank for. WP Assist can check, update, and recommend focus keywords for any page on your WordPress site — directly through the AI chat, without logging into WordPress admin.
How to update a focus keyword
Open the WP Assist chat and ask:
- "What is the focus keyword on my services page?"
- "Update the focus keyword on my homepage to 'web design Manchester'."
- "Check all my pages — which ones don't have a focus keyword set?"
- "What focus keyword should I use for my blog post about choosing an accountant?"
How WP Assist updates the keyword
- WP Assist identifies which SEO plugin is active on your WordPress site (Yoast SEO or Rank Math — it auto-detects).
- It reads the current focus keyword setting for the page you specified.
- It updates the focus keyword field directly in your SEO plugin with the new keyword you provided.
- After updating, WP Assist can also check whether the new keyword appears properly in your page title, headings, and body content.
Keyword recommendations: Not sure what keyword to target? Ask WP Assist: "What focus keyword should I use for my [page topic] page?". The AI will suggest a keyword based on your page content and common search intent.
Why focus keywords matter
Yoast SEO and Rank Math use your focus keyword to evaluate how well-optimised your WordPress page is for that search term. A correctly set focus keyword means those plugins can give you accurate SEO scores and actionable recommendations. Without one, the SEO analysis is incomplete.