Ghost SEO: a publishing platform that does most of it for you

Ghost is built for publishing. Out of the box it takes care of the basics so you can write and ship.

• Meta title and description fields on every post and page
• Automatic canonical URL on each post and page
• An automatic XML sitemap for posts, pages, tags and authors
• Clean URLs without date folders by default
• Article structured data on posts
• Tag pages and author pages that render as archives
• A members and newsletter system that works with your published posts

There is no plugin ecosystem. You extend SEO through your theme and the routes and redirects files. If you are not sure, check the platform's current settings.

Set the SEO title and description on every important post and page. Ghost uses those in the head. Keep titles about 60 characters. Write a clear description in 120 to 155 characters.

1. 1

   Open the post or page editor

   Click the settings panel. Find the Meta data fields.

2. 2

   Write a unique SEO title

   Example: On /guides/getting-started, use “Getting started with YourProduct” rather than “Blog”.

3. 3

   Write a specific meta description

   Explain the value. Example: “Set up YourProduct with links, screenshots and a checklist.”

4. 4

   Leave the canonical unless you know you need a custom one

   Ghost sets a self-referencing canonical on posts and pages. Set a custom canonical only when you publish a copy of content that lives elsewhere.

Check collection templates in your theme. Index pages like /blog have one title and no meta description field in the admin. You set those in the theme template head.

Ghost builds your XML sitemap automatically. You do not submit it by hand on the site. You reference it in Search Console and leave it to update as you publish.

1. 1

   Find your sitemap

   Visit yourproduct.com/sitemap.xml. You should see a sitemap index for posts, pages, tags and authors.

2. 2

   Submit it to Search Console

   Add /sitemap.xml in the Sitemaps report. Watch for errors and coverage over time.

Robots.txt is not an admin setting in Ghost. You add or change it through your theme or routes files. The same goes for redirects. Keep both in your repo so you can version and deploy with the theme.

• robots.txt: add a robots.txt file to your theme assets and map it in routes if needed
• Redirects: upload redirects.json or define in your routes file for 301s and 302s
• Do not block the sitemap or content paths in robots.txt
• If you gate content for members, manage indexing with templates, not robots.txt blocks

If you target AI crawlers, manage that in robots.txt. Update when new bots appear. Test before you deploy a change to avoid blocking Googlebot by mistake.

Tags help readers and search engines understand your topics. In Ghost, each tag has its own page. Left to grow without care, tag archives go thin and overlap.

• Create a short list of tags you plan to publish on often
• Give each key tag a description and a social image in Ghost admin
• Avoid one-off tags that get one post and never again
• Link to tag pages from posts to build internal links
• Merge or repoint retired tags with redirects

Decide if core tag pages should be indexable. If a tag is a topic hub, keep it indexed and make its template rich. If a tag is housekeeping, noindex it in the template and remove it from the sitemap via routes.

1. 1

   Pick a small set of core tags

   Example: “guides”, “changelog”, “integrations”, “pricing-updates”.

2. 2

   Enrich the tag template

   In your theme, add an intro, links to cornerstone posts, and a clear H1. Example: /tag/guides shows your how-to index.

3. 3

   Noindex thin tag pages

   Add a meta robots noindex in the tag.hbs template when post count is low, or route them out of the sitemap.

Ghost sends posts as emails. The web version and the email version are the same post URL. That is simple for SEO: the page is the source, the inbox is distribution.

• Decide which posts are public, members-only or paid. Members-only posts should render a teaser to non-members.
• Make sure teasers have value. A blank wall stops discovery and links.
• Avoid duplicating member content on public pages under another URL. If you must, set a canonical to the primary URL.
• Keep signup walls light. Heavy scripts from email and analytics can hurt Interaction to Next Paint above 200 ms.

Set clear index rules for account pages. Login, signup and billing pages should be noindexed in the theme. Link to them with rel nofollow from public posts when they add no value in search.

Build an archive page for your newsletter. Use a tag like “newsletter” and a custom index that explains the series. Link it from the header and from posts that convert well.

Ghost outputs Article structured data on posts and clean HTML. Beyond that, your theme decides the rest of your SEO features. Treat your theme as your SEO extension layer.

• Sitewide metadata: default title patterns, Open Graph and Twitter tags, social image fallbacks
• Meta robots on archives you do not want indexed
• Breadcrumbs markup and links if your site is multi-level
• Organization and WebSite JSON-LD on the homepage
• FAQ, HowTo or Product JSON-LD on relevant pages
• Pagination markup on archives
• A compact, readable post template with clear H1, intro and subheadings

Build social images per post. If you cannot automate them, at least allow an image upload field and set it in the head. That lifts click-through rate when your posts are shared and can help in Discover-like feeds.

Keep assets lean. Large images, custom fonts and third-party scripts slow Largest Contentful Paint above 2.5 seconds and hurt your scores. Optimise images and preload your main font if you use one. Test with Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights.

Ghost lets you define routes, collections and taxonomies in routes.yaml. Use this to shape your URL structure, landing pages and which lists appear where. Use redirects.json or the routes file for your 301s.

1. 1

   Define a primary collection

   Put your blog under /blog/ so pages like /pricing and /about stay clean. Example: /blog/how-we-built-our-api.

2. 2

   Create custom collections

   Group “guides” at /guides/ based on a tag. Control the template and pagination. Example: /guides/getting-started.

3. 3

   Set static routes for product pages

   Map /pricing, /features, /security and /status to page templates. Keep these out of blog pagination.

4. 4

   Control tag and author URLs

   Set how tag and author archives appear. If you want only core tags indexed, route the rest to a noindex template.

5. 5

   Add redirects for old URLs

   If you migrated from another platform, keep a redirect map. Example: /2019/feature-x to /blog/feature-x.

You can run a product site on Ghost. Keep the product pages as pages, the blog as a collection and use tags to build helpful hubs. Tie it together with internal links that lead to signup or demo.

• Homepage: a page template with a clear H1, what it does, proof and links to /pricing and /guides
• Pricing: /pricing, a page with a stable URL. Link from the header and from high-traffic posts.
• Features: /features, split into subpages if you need search reach, example: /features/automation
• Guides: a routes collection at /guides/, with a tag like “guides”. Each guide answers one task.
• Changelog: /changelog with short entries. Tag them and link from docs and posts.
• Blog: /blog for news and opinions. Avoid mixing release notes into it if you have a changelog.
• Docs: if you host docs elsewhere, link them. If you keep docs in Ghost, use a routes collection with a docs template.
• Newsletter: /newsletter with an archive and a clear form, powered by members.

Mark up what matters. Add Organization JSON-LD on the homepage, Product or SoftwareApplication on feature pages, and Article on blog posts is already covered. Add FAQ markup where you answer common objections on /pricing or /features.

Link from content to product pages with clear anchors. Example: from /guides/getting-started link “See pricing” to /pricing. Keep internal links shallow so click depth stays low.

Ghost renders pages on the server. Your performance depends on your theme and your host. Aim for Core Web Vitals in the good range: LCP up to 2.5 s, CLS up to 0.1, INP up to 200 ms.

• Use modern image formats and sensible sizes. Compress hero images.
• Limit custom fonts. Self-host and subset if you can. Preload the main weight.
• Delay or remove third-party scripts. Audit what your theme loads.
• Keep templates simple. Overuse of effects adds layout shift.
• Test key pages: homepage, a guide page, a blog post and /pricing. Use PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse and compare over 28 days in the field reports when they appear.

If a page feels slow to use, check Interaction to Next Paint. Heavy client-side widgets and trackers hurt INP first. Move non-essential scripts off critical pages like /signup and /pricing.

• Your sitemap is reachable at /sitemap.xml and lists the right sections
• Your titles and meta descriptions show up as expected for key pages
• Tag pages that should not rank are noindexed and out of the sitemap
• Your routes put posts at /blog/ and leave core pages at the root
• Your redirects cover old URLs from any migration
• Your homepage has Organization and WebSite JSON-LD
• Your /pricing and /features pages have the right structured data
• Core Web Vitals stay in the good range for all page types
• Members-only pages render useful teasers and do not leak duplicate content

A fixed site feels simple. /pricing loads fast, has a clear title and shows in search with the right snippet. /blog/ shows useful posts, and /guides/ reads like an index for a topic you own.