GP-SOP-005 | Publishing Quality
Run a WordPress Pre-Publish Quality Check
A publish-ready page with working links, readable media, complete metadata, and a clear next step.
When to use this SOP
Use this after editorial review and before publishing or substantially updating a WordPress article.
What you need
- The final draft in WordPress
- Feature image and supporting media
- Target topic and search intent
- Relevant internal resources
The procedure
Follow these steps
- 01
Preview the page on desktop and mobile before changing SEO fields.
- 02
Confirm one descriptive H1, a logical heading order, and a useful answer near the beginning.
- 03
Open every internal and external link. Remove links that do not help the reader.
- 04
Check the feature image, image dimensions, compression, file name, title, and descriptive alt text.
- 05
Write a clear title tag and meta description that accurately describe the page.
- 06
Confirm the slug, category, tags, canonical URL, social preview, and index settings.
- 07
Add a relevant next guide or library path and verify the newsletter form or primary conversion action.
- 08
Proofread the live preview once more, then publish and test the public URL.
Human checkpoint
Stop and review before continuing
Do not trade clarity for an SEO plugin score. Treat the score as a diagnostic checklist, then make the decision for the reader.
Definition of done
- The article reads cleanly on mobile and desktop
- Links and interactive blocks work
- Images are optimized and described
- Metadata and social previews are complete
- The page has a natural next step
- Comments and indexing settings match site policy
When the process gets stuck
If layout, forms, or links fail in preview, stop the publish. Fix the user-facing issue before requesting indexing.
Where automation fits
A preflight tool can detect missing fields, broken links, oversized images, or heading problems. Editorial judgment remains manual.