How to Automatically Set the Current Year to Article Title in RankMath

In the constantly shifting world of SEO, staying ahead is key to maintaining top search engine rankings and drawing more visitors to your site. A clever strategy to keep your content fresh and attractive to both users and search engines is to update the year in your article titles and descriptions automatically. This piece will walk you through how to do just that using RankMath, a robust SEO tool for WordPress, and will discuss the SEO benefits of keeping your content current.

Meet Our Class

The nt_seo class is a custom PHP class built to work seamlessly with RankMath, enabling automatic updates of the year in your article titles and descriptions. This approach keeps your content looking fresh and relevant, greatly benefiting your SEO efforts. Here’s a quick rundown on the nt_seo class functionality:

class nt_seo
{

    function __construct()
    {
        add_filter('rank_math/frontend/title', array($this, 'figure_out_title'));
        add_filter('the_title', array($this, 'figure_out_title'));

        add_filter('rank_math/frontend/description', array($this, 'figure_out_description'), 10, 1);

    }

    function figure_out_title($title)
    {
        $s = [
            '[y]'
        ];
        $r = [
            date('Y')
        ];
        $title = str_replace($s, $r, $title);

        return $title;
    }

    function figure_out_description($description)
    {
        $s = [
            '[y]'
        ];
        $r = [
            date('Y')
        ];
        $description = str_replace($s, $r, $description);

        return $description;
    }

}

new nt_seo();

By using this class, you can easily insert the current year into your article titles and descriptions with the [y] placeholder. This simple tweak can significantly impact your SEO strategy.

SEO Perks of Up-to-Date Content

1. Boosted Click-Through Rate (CTR): Seeing the current year in article titles makes your content appear more relevant and up-to-date to users, likely increasing the chances they’ll click on your link. A higher CTR is a crucial search engine ranking factor.
2. Enhanced User Experience: Marking your content as current improves user experience. Users tend to trust and value information that’s presented as recent and relevant.
3. Better Rankings for Time-Sensitive Queries: For queries where the freshness of information is key, having the current year in your title and description can edge out the competition in rankings. Search engines strive to provide users with the most relevant and timely information.
4. Effortless Content Updates: Updating the year across your articles and descriptions manually can be a hassle. The nt_seo class automates this, letting you focus on crafting quality content rather than routine updates.

How to Implement the Class

Adding the nt_seo class to your WordPress site is a breeze. Just place the class code into your theme’s functions.php file or a custom plugin. Always test on a staging site before going live to catch any issues.

For optimal results, mesh this strategy with other SEO best practices like keyword optimization, site speed enhancements, and mobile-friendliness. This not only keeps your content fresh but also strengthens your SEO foundation.

For implementation, simply include that class into your theme and use a shortcode [y] in your article title like so:

Closing Thoughts

Using RankMath and the nt_seo class to incorporate the current year into your article titles and descriptions is a savvy move to boost your SEO efforts. It signals to users and search engines alike that your content is timely, relevant, and engaging. In today’s competitive digital arena, such innovative SEO strategies can significantly enhance your site’s performance and visibility.