Automation Setup

Automate your content marketing with Forest SEO schedules. Set up recurring content generation that runs on autopilot, freeing you from manual work while consistently building your SEO presence.

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📋 Overview

What You'll Learn

• ✅ Content schedule fundamentals
• ✅ Setting up your first automation
• ✅ Advanced scheduling strategies
• ✅ Auto-publishing configuration
• ✅ Monitoring automated workflows
• ✅ Scaling to 100+ articles/month

Automation Benefits

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🎯 Understanding Schedules

What is a Schedule?

A content schedule is an automated workflow that:

Key Components:

1. Trigger: When to run (e.g., "Every Monday at 9 AM")
2. Source: Which keywords to use (clusters or individual terms)
3. Volume: How many articles to generate
4. Settings: Generation parameters (tone, length, images)
5. Publishing: Auto-publish or manual review

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When to Use Automation

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🏗️ Phase 1: Preparation (Before Automation)

Prerequisites Checklist

Before setting up automation, ensure you have:

Detailed Prerequisites:

1. Keywords Imported

• ✅ At least 20-30 keywords
• ✅ Organized into 2-3 clusters
• ✅ Mix of difficulty levels
• ✅ Relevant to your niche

Why: Schedule needs keywords to select from

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2. Test Generation Completed

• ✅ Generated 10-20 articles manually
• ✅ Reviewed quality
• ✅ Validated content meets standards
• ✅ Identified optimal settings

Why: Don't automate bad quality

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3. Integration Connected

• ✅ WordPress/Ghost/etc. connected
• ✅ Test publish completed successfully
• ✅ Categories/tags configured
• ✅ Auto-publish tested (if using)

Why: Automation needs working publishing pipeline

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4. Strategy Defined

• ✅ Publishing frequency decided (daily, 3x/week, etc.)
• ✅ Volume target set (5-15 articles/execution)
• ✅ Review process established
• ✅ Budget allocated

Why: Automation without strategy = wasted resources

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🚀 Phase 2: First Schedule Setup

Step 1: Create Your First Schedule

1. Navigate to Keywords → Schedules
2. Click Create Schedule
3. Enter schedule details

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Step 2: Configure Basic Settings

Name Your Schedule

Good Names:

• ✅ "Daily Marketing Blog - 5 articles"
• ✅ "MWF Product Content - 10 posts"
• ✅ "Weekly SEO Cluster - 15 articles"

Bad Names:

• ❌ "Schedule 1"
• ❌ "Test"
• ❌ "Automation"

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Set Cron Expression

Cron format: minute hour day month weekday

Common Patterns:

Visual Cron Builder:

Recommendations:

• ⏰ 6-8 AM: Content ready for morning review
• ⏰ 2-4 AM: Off-peak, faster generation
• ⏰ 9-11 AM: Real-time monitoring possible

For First Schedule: Use 0 9 * * 1,3,5 (Mon/Wed/Fri at 9 AM)

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Step 3: Select Keyword Sources

Three Options:

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Option A: Select Clusters (Recommended)

1. Check Use Clusters
2. Select 1-3 clusters
3. Schedule randomly picks keywords from these clusters

Example:

• Cluster 1: "Email Marketing" (30 keywords)
• Cluster 2: "Social Media" (25 keywords)
• Cluster 3: "Content Strategy" (20 keywords)

Schedule will:

• Each execution: Pick 5 random keywords
• Ensures variety across topics
• Depletes clusters evenly

Best For: Most use cases, balanced topic coverage

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Option B: Select Specific Terms

1. Check Use Terms
2. Select individual keywords
3. Schedule uses only these terms

Example:

• "email marketing tips"
• "social media strategy"
• "content calendar template"
• (5-10 specific keywords)

Schedule will:

• Each execution: Pick from these exact terms
• More control over topics
• Exhausts list over time

Best For: Highly targeted campaigns, specific keyword lists

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Option C: Mixed Approach

1. Select some clusters AND some individual terms
2. Schedule picks from combined pool

Best For: Advanced users, complex strategies

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Step 4: Set Generation Volume

How many articles per execution?

Volume Guidelines:

For First Schedule: Start with 5 articles per execution

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Step 5: Configure Content Settings

Standard settings from manual generation:

Auto Mode:

• ✅ AI decides optimal settings per keyword
• ✅ Adapts to topic complexity
• ✅ Less configuration needed

Manual Mode:

• ✅ Consistent output across all articles
• ✅ More predictable quality
• ✅ Better brand control

For First Schedule: Use manual settings (same as your test batch)

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Step 6: Configure Publishing

Two Paths:

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Path A: Manual Review (Recommended for First Schedule)

Configuration:

1. Leave Auto-Publish OFF
2. Content generates → appears in review queue
3. You review → manually publish

Workflow:

Schedule runs → 5 articles generated → Review queue
↓
You review sample (2-3 articles) → Looks good
↓
Publish all 5 to WordPress

Benefits:

• ✅ Quality control maintained
• ✅ Can edit before publishing
• ✅ Catch any issues early

Best For: First 2-3 schedule executions

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Path B: Auto-Publish (After Validation)

Configuration:

1. Enable Auto-Publish
2. Select integration (e.g., "WordPress - Main Site")
3. Set post status (Draft or Published)
4. Content generates → publishes automatically

Workflow:

Schedule runs → 5 articles generated → Auto-publish to WordPress
↓
You spot-check 1-2 articles on live site

Benefits:

• ✅ Fully automated
• ✅ Zero manual work
• ✅ Consistent publishing cadence

Best For: After validating quality (10-20 articles reviewed)

For First Schedule: Start with manual review

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Step 7: Save and Activate

1. Review all settings
2. Click Create Schedule
3. Ensure status is Active
4. Schedule will run at next cron time

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📊 Phase 3: Monitor First Executions

After First Run

What to Check:

Checklist:

1. Jobs Page

   • ✅ 5 generation jobs show as "Completed"
   • ✅ No errors or failures
   • ✅ Generation time reasonable (2-5 min each)

2. Content Page

   • ✅ 5 new articles appear
   • ✅ Correct language
   • ✅ Proper titles and metadata

3. Quality Review

   • ✅ Read 2-3 articles fully
   • ✅ Check SEO optimization
   • ✅ Verify formatting
   • ✅ Ensure brand voice match

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Publish First Batch

If quality is good:

1. Select all 5 articles
2. Click Bulk Actions → Publish
3. Select integration
4. Confirm publish
5. Verify on live site

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Second & Third Executions

After 2-3 successful runs:

• ✅ Quality consistent? → Enable auto-publish
• ✅ Volume right? → Keep same or increase
• ✅ Topics balanced? → Adjust cluster selection
• ⚠️ Issues found? → Pause, fix settings, resume

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🎯 Phase 4: Scale Automation

Scaling Strategy

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Schedule Templates

Template 1: Steady Growth

Best For: Most businesses, sustainable growth

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Template 2: Aggressive Scale

Best For: Agencies, high-volume publishers

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Template 3: Quality-First

Best For: Established brands, high stakes content

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Multiple Schedules Strategy

Why use multiple schedules?

Benefits:

• ✅ Different content types (blog vs. guides vs. product)
• ✅ Different clusters per schedule
• ✅ Different publishing destinations
• ✅ Flexible volume control

Example Multi-Schedule Setup:

Total: 75-90 articles/month automated

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🔧 Advanced Configuration

Conditional Publishing

Control what auto-publishes:

Coming Soon: Quality score thresholds, automatic routing

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Budget Controls

Prevent overspending:

Coming Soon: Budget management features

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Keyword Depletion Handling

What happens when cluster runs out of keywords?

Current Behavior:

• Schedule selects from available keywords
• When depleted, generation stops
• Manual intervention required

Best Practice:

• Add 50-100 keywords per cluster minimum
• Monitor keyword consumption
• Replenish clusters monthly

Coming Soon: Auto-refill from keyword suggestions

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📈 Performance Monitoring

Key Metrics to Track

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Schedule Health Dashboard

Weekly Review Checklist:

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⚠️ Troubleshooting

Issue 1: Schedule Didn't Run

Symptoms:

• Expected execution at 9 AM
• Nothing happened
• No jobs created

Possible Causes:

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Issue 2: Low Quality Output

Symptoms:

• Generated articles below expectations
• Inconsistent with manual generation
• Poor SEO optimization

Diagnosis Checklist:

Solutions:

1. Review Generation Settings

   • Match successful manual generation settings
   • Lock in tone, length, images
   • Use manual mode instead of auto

2. Audit Keyword Quality

   • Remove low-quality keywords
   • Focus on specific, valuable terms
   • Ensure proper clustering

3. Adjust Brief Templates

   • Add cluster-level briefs
   • Provide more context
   • Include brand guidelines

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Issue 3: Publishing Failures

Symptoms:

• Content generates successfully
• Publishing to integration fails
• Articles stuck in queue

Diagnostic Steps:

1. Test Integration

   • Go to Integrations page
   • Click "Test Connection"
   • Verify credentials valid

2. Check Integration Logs

   • View recent publish attempts
   • Read error messages
   • Look for authentication errors

3. Manual Publish Test

   • Try publishing one article manually
   • If successful → schedule configuration issue
   • If fails → integration issue

Common Fixes:

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💰 Cost Management

Budget Planning

Monthly Cost Calculation:

Cost = (Articles per Execution × Executions per Month) × Cost per Article

Example:
- 5 articles × 12 executions (3x/week × 4 weeks) × $8 avg
- = 60 articles × $8
- = $480/month

Cost Optimization Tips:

1. Optimize Length Settings

   • Shorter articles (1,000-1,500 words) cost less
   • Use "Auto" to let AI decide optimal length
   • Review cost per article in Jobs page

2. Reduce Image Quantity

   • 1-2 images instead of 3-5
   • Set to "Auto" for variable images
   • Zero images for text-only content

3. Batch Efficiency

   • Larger batches can be more efficient
   • 10 articles at once vs. 10 separate generations

4. Monitor and Adjust

   • Track actual cost per article
   • Adjust settings if costs creep up
   • Pause schedules during off-seasons

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✅ Best Practices

Start Small, Scale Up

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Maintain Quality Checkpoints

Even with automation, review periodically:

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Document Your Process

Create a playbook:

1. Settings Documentation

   • Optimal generation settings
   • Which clusters work best
   • Publishing preferences

2. Issue Resolution

   • Common problems encountered
   • Solutions that worked
   • Contact information

3. Performance Baselines

   • Average cost per article
   • Expected quality score
   • Typical rankings timeline

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🔗 Related Tutorials

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💡 Pro Tips

Tip #1: Run your first schedule at a time when you'll be available to monitor it. Don't launch Friday evening before a weekend.

Tip #2: Create separate schedules for different content types (blog posts, guides, product pages) rather than mixing in one schedule.

Tip #3: Start with conservative volume (3-5 articles). It's easier to increase than deal with 50 low-quality articles.

Tip #4: Use descriptive schedule names like "MWF Marketing Blog - 5 posts" so you know what each does at a glance.

Tip #5: Keep 2-3x more keywords in clusters than you'll generate in a month to avoid depletion.

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Ready to Automate? Follow this guide to set up content schedules that run on autopilot, freeing you to focus on strategy while consistently building your SEO presence.

Questions? Contact support at [email protected] or visit our Help Center.