> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.sageseo.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.sageseo.ai/guides/sage-writer-guide.md).
# Sage Writer Guide
This guide is **task-oriented**: follow it end-to-end the first time you use Sage to publish an article, and you'll have a working production cycle by the time you're done. For the methodology behind each step, see the related pages linked at the bottom.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Key Takeaways**
* From a one-line idea to a live published article in about 10 minutes (4 of which are AI working)
* You stay in control: review the output before publishing, or run autopilot
* Each step has a fallback — manual override, regenerate, edit-then-publish
* Skip the connectivity steps after your first article — they're one-time setup
{% endhint %}
## The 5-step path
```mermaid
flowchart LR
A[Step 1
Connect domain] --> B[Step 2
Get article ideas]
B --> C[Step 3
Generate the article]
C --> D[Step 4
Review + edit]
D --> E[Step 5
Publish to WordPress]
classDef step fill:#F0F6FF,stroke:#0052CC,color:#091E42
class A,B,C,D,E step
```
## Step 1 — Connect your first client domain
If you've already added a domain, **skip to Step 2**.
1. Go to **Domains Overview** in Sage
2. Click **Add Project**
3. Approve the Google OAuth flow (this connects Google Search Console)
4. Pick the client's domain from your GSC property list
5. Confirm the auto-detected company name + industry tags
Sage now has the client's homepage analysis + their historical GSC data. Takes about 30–60 seconds.
> **If your client's domain isn't in GSC yet**, that's prerequisite step 0 — verify the domain in GSC first, then come back. Sage doesn't add domains to GSC for you.
See [Domains Overview](/getting-started/domains.md) for more on what happens during setup.
## Step 2 — Get your first article ideas
Now you have a domain. Time to figure out what to write about.
1. Click into the domain → **Content Calendar**
2. Click **Get Article Ideas**
3. Sage analyzes the client's site + GSC data + competitive demand
4. \~15 article suggestions appear within 10–20 seconds
Each suggestion has:
* **Title** — the proposed headline
* **Target keyword** — what query this is meant to rank for
* **Reasoning** — *why* Sage picked it (usually ties to a specific GSC opportunity)
**Read the reasoning before accepting.** Useful suggestions tie to a real opportunity in the client's existing ranking sweet spot. Ones that don't fit your client's strategy: click ✕ to reject — Sage replaces each rejection with a fresh idea.
When you find an idea you like: click **+ Accept** (or drag it into the **Unscheduled** queue).
For this walkthrough, accept just **one** idea. We'll come back for the rest later.
## Step 3 — Generate the article
Two paths:
### Path A: Schedule it (autopilot)
1. With your accepted idea in **Unscheduled**, click **Create Article Schedule**
2. Pick a cadence (e.g., "1 article per week, Mondays")
3. Drag the article into the next available slot
4. On the scheduled date, Sage generates + publishes it automatically
### Path B: Generate now (manual control)
1. Click into the article from the Unscheduled queue
2. Click **Generate now**
3. Wait \~4–5 minutes while Sage runs the 7-stage pipeline:
```mermaid
flowchart LR
A[Brief] --> B[Keywords]
B --> C[Research]
C --> D[Writing]
D --> E[Image]
E --> F[Enriching]
F --> G[Ready for Review]
classDef step fill:#F0F6FF,stroke:#0052CC,color:#091E42
class A,B,C,D,E,F,G step
```
You can watch the progress chips in the Activity panel — each stage lights up as it completes.
See [How Sage Writes an Article](/reference/article-pipeline.md) for the methodology behind each stage.
## Step 4 — Review the article
Once generation finishes, the article moves to **Ready for review** in your Kanban board.
1. Open the article — click **Preview**
2. Scroll through the assembled article: title, featured image, Key Takeaways box, body content, FAQ section
3. Check for:
* Does the framing match the client's brand voice?
* Are the facts cited accurate?
* Do the internal links (if any) point to relevant existing pages?
* Does the featured image fit?
If anything's off, you have three options:
| Option | When to use |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Edit** | Small tweaks — fix a sentence, swap a fact, adjust the title |
| **Regenerate** | Big restructure — Sage writes a fresh version from the same brief |
| **Delete + start over** | Topic doesn't fit after all — go back to Content Calendar |
Most agencies' first few articles need light edits; by article 5–10 you'll know the patterns to trust.
## Step 5 — Publish to WordPress
Assuming the article looks good:
### One-time: connect WordPress
If you haven't connected WordPress for this domain yet:
1. Go to **Settings → WordPress** on the domain
2. Click **Connect WordPress**
3. Approve the WordPress Application Password flow (one click on the WP authorize page)
4. Connection live — Sage can now publish to this site
This is a one-time-per-domain step. After this, every article on this domain publishes through the same connection.
See [Publishing Articles to WordPress](/getting-started/publishing.md) for the full publish mechanics + troubleshooting.
### Publish the article
1. From the article preview, click the green **Publish** button
2. Sage pushes the article to WordPress with the saved credentials
3. You see "Published to WordPress" confirmation
4. The article appears live on the client's site immediately
What happens next, automatically:
* Sage submits the URL to Google for fresh crawl (within seconds)
* The Google Index dashboard starts tracking the URL's indexing status
* Within 24–72 hours, you'll see whether Google accepted it into the index
## What to do after your first article
```mermaid
flowchart LR
A[First article live] --> B[Wait 1-2 weeks]
B --> C[Check Performance Dashboard for impressions]
C --> D[Check Google Index for indexing status]
D --> E{Indexed?}
E -->|Yes, growing impressions| F[Queue 3-5 more similar articles]
E -->|Indexed, no impressions yet| G[Patient — wait 2-4 more weeks]
E -->|Not indexed| H[Strengthen the article via re-enrichment]
F --> I[Compound your wins]
G --> I
H --> I
classDef phase fill:#F0F6FF,stroke:#0052CC,color:#091E42
classDef branch fill:#E3FCEF,stroke:#006644,color:#091E42
class A,B,C,D phase
class E,F,G,H,I branch
```
The first article is the slowest one — every subsequent article skips Steps 1 + 5 setup work. Most agencies are at 4-5 articles per client per week within a month of starting.
## Common first-article issues
| Issue | Fix |
| ------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **"My WP connection won't work"** | Make sure you're on WordPress 5.6+ (December 2020+) — Application Passwords need this version. Older WP sites need an upgrade first. |
| **"The article reads too 'AI'"** | Use Edit + tweak the opener and a few middle sentences. Or update the domain's tone settings and regenerate. |
| **"Sage suggested a topic that doesn't fit my client"** | Click ✕ to reject, then describe the client's focus in the Company Overview (Domain settings) — future suggestions will reflect it. |
| **"Image doesn't fit the brand"** | Per-domain image style settings are coming soon. For now, you can replace the image manually before publishing. |
| **"Article failed to generate"** | Click Retry. If it fails twice, the topic might need a tweak — edit the title to be more concrete and try again. |
## Frequently asked questions
### How much does each article cost in AI tokens?
Roughly $1.50–2.00 per article in underlying AI services. Sage rolls this up against your monthly tier cap. If you're running high volume, BYOK (bring your own API key) bypasses the cap.
### Can I run multiple articles in parallel?
Yes — Sage generates multiple articles in parallel. If you queue 10, they don't run serially; they spread out based on your tier's daily allocation.
### Will the article rank?
Sage gives you the best structural shot — Key Takeaways, FAQ schema, internal links, fresh research. But ranking still depends on your domain authority, topic competition, and time. New domains typically see indexing within 1-4 weeks and meaningful traffic within 2-6 months.
### What if I want to write the article myself but use Sage for the rest?
You can! Click **Edit** at any stage to swap in your own content. Sage will still handle enrichment + publishing + GSC submission with whatever body you provide.
### Can I publish articles to non-WordPress sites?
Currently Sage publishes to WordPress only. Other CMS integrations (Shopify, Webflow) are on the roadmap. For other platforms today, copy the finished article body from Sage and paste it into your CMS manually.
## Related
* [AI Content Suggestions Engine](/getting-started/content-calendar.md) — where topics enter Sage
* [Sage AI Writer](/getting-started/ai-writer.md) — what happens during generation
* [Publishing Articles to WordPress](/getting-started/publishing.md) — the WP push mechanics
* [Google Index Status](/getting-started/google-index.md) — track what Google does after publishing
* [How Sage Writes an Article](/reference/article-pipeline.md) — methodology behind the 7-stage pipeline