Optimize Ghost for SEO

The usage of meta keywords is today maybe not too useful: Google says that robots does not take care to this meta anymore. But, in the SEO rules, and in the SEO Wordpress plugin too, this meta information is always set.

I decided to add it on my blog. This update requires a Ghost core change.

Edit the core/server/helpers/index.js file and add the following functions (it does not exist), after the meta_description one:

coreHelpers.meta_keywords = function (options) {
    /*jslint unparam:true*/
    var keywords,
        blog;

    if (_.isString(this.relativeUrl)) {
        if (!this.relativeUrl || this.relativeUrl === '/' || this.relativeUrl === '' || this.relativeUrl.match(/\/page/)) {
            blog = config.theme();
            keywords = '';
        } else {
            keywords="";
            if (this.post && this.post.tags) {
                this.post.tags.forEach(function(value) {
                    if (!keywords=="") {
                        keywords+=",";
                    }
                    keywords+=value.name;
                });
            }
        }
    }
    return filters.doFilter('meta_keywords', keywords).then(function (keywords) {
        keywords = keywords || "";
        return new hbs.handlebars.SafeString(keywords.trim());
    });
};

This function, when you are on a post page, will check for post tags and create the meta keywords with them.

In the same file, at the end into the registerHelpers function, add the following line where you want (for example after the meta_title line):

registerAsyncThemeHelper('meta_keywords', coreHelpers.meta_keywords);

Save the file.

You just need to use now your keywords meta into your theme. TO do this, open the default.hbs file, and, after the meta_description line, add:

<meta name="keywords" content="{{meta_keywords}}" />

Save, restart the NodeJS server and enjoy your new SEO functionality.

SEO Keywords

Optimize Ghost for SEO - Keywords