Overview
Auto Focus Keyword for SEO is a keyword population utility. It detects which SEO plugin is active on your WordPress site, scans for content that has no focus keyword value, and writes the page title into the corresponding meta field.
SEO plugin detection
The plugin checks which SEO plugin is installed and activated, then writes to the correct meta key:
| SEO Plugin | Meta key used |
|---|---|
| Yoast SEO | _yoast_wpseo_focuskw |
| Rank Math | rank_math_focus_keyword |
| All in One SEO | aioseo_posts table (keyphrases JSON) |
If none of these plugins is active, the plugin cannot operate and will display a notice.
WARNING
The plugin recommends not using Yoast SEO and Rank Math simultaneously. Choose one for compatibility.
What happens during the scan
When you click FETCH ITEMS, the plugin runs a database query that selects all published posts matching your chosen post types, left-joins on the postmeta table looking for the focus keyword meta key, returns only rows where the meta key is missing or empty, excludes blacklisted pages, and processes results in batches to avoid server timeout.
What the plugin does NOT do
- It does not perform keyword research or analyze search volume.
- It does not overwrite existing focus keywords — only empty fields are populated.
- It does not modify frontend content. The focus keyword is a backend-only SEO signal.
Related pages
- Fetch & Sync — The core workflow
- Post Types — Choosing which content to include
- Limitations — When page title ≠ ideal keyword