> 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/reference/publishing-mechanics.md).

# How Sage Publishes Articles

When you click Publish (or autopilot fires), Sage doesn't just hand off a blob of HTML to WordPress and call it done. It assembles a polished, structured post — featured image, on-brand layout, properly categorized, optimized for search snippets — and pushes the whole thing in one motion.

## What gets assembled

Sage's article writer produces the raw body. Before that body goes to WordPress, Sage layers in:

| Element               | What it adds                                                                         | Why it matters                                                                                                |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Key Takeaways box** | A scannable 3–5 bullet summary at the top of the article                             | The single highest-value snippet target — Google's AI Overviews + featured snippets pull from this constantly |
| **Internal links**    | Suggested links to your existing sitemap pages, placed at natural points in the body | Topical clustering — Google reads internal links as "these pages are related" and rewards depth               |
| **FAQ section**       | 4–5 Q\&A pairs at the bottom, with structured schema                                 | Matches Google's "People Also Ask" SERP feature, eligible for FAQ rich results                                |
| **Charts + diagrams** | When the article cites stats or compares concepts, Sage inserts a visualization      | Dwell time, social shareability, "real" feel vs generic AI content                                            |
| **Featured image**    | Editorial illustration generated by AI in your brand colors                          | Required by WordPress for any post that should look professional                                              |
| **Smart category**    | Sage picks the best-matching category from your WP site — never "Uncategorized"      | Affects internal navigation, archive pages, and how Google reads your site structure                          |

## Why this matters

Most AI writing tools ship the body and stop. The output reads like AI — wall of text, no scannable structure, no images, lands in "Uncategorized," missing meta data. That's why so many AI-generated articles never rank.

Sage's published article is structured to **earn** ranking signals:

* Skim-readable (skim lines, H2s, lists, tables, FAQ)
* Snippet-eligible (Key Takeaways at top, one-sentence direct answers under question headings)
* Topically connected (internal links to related content)
* Visually complete (featured image, optional charts)
* Properly categorized (real WP category, not the fallback)

## What you control

* **Featured image style** — pick from editorial illustration, infographic, photoreal, hand-drawn, etc. on a per-domain basis (coming soon)
* **Default category** — if Sage's auto-pick doesn't match how you organize your site, set a domain-level default
* **Auto-publish vs review-first** — autopilot mode pushes articles to WP the moment they finish generating. Review mode holds them in `ready_for_review` so you can preview before publishing.
* **Manual override of everything** — every article has a Preview + Edit affordance before publish. Sage's auto-picks are starting points, not lockouts.

## What happens after Publish

1. The article appears on your WordPress site at the new URL
2. Sage [tells Google about it](/reference/indexing-submission.md) so the URL gets crawled fast
3. Sage [watches for the indexing verdict](/reference/url-inspection.md) so you know within hours/days whether Google accepted it
4. The article-stats dashboard begins tracking impressions + clicks once the URL starts showing in search

## How this fits into Sage's bigger picture

Publishing is the moment "potential value" turns into "actual published asset on the open internet." Sage's job is to make sure that moment ships a polished post, not a draft — and then to track what happens after so you can learn which articles work and which need a second pass.

## Related

* [URL Inspection](/reference/url-inspection.md) — how Sage tracks the post-publish indexing verdict
* [Telling Google](/reference/indexing-submission.md) — the automatic GSC submission that fires after every publish
* [Autopilot](/reference/autopilot.md) — when publishing happens automatically vs manually