Skip to main content

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.siftly.ai/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Supported CMS platforms including Ghost

​
Overview

This guide is for Ghost users who want to publish Siftly-generated GEO content and apply Siftly’s SEO/GEO field recommendations. After following it, you’ll be able to push optimized content to Ghost and understand where each meta field lives in the platform. Difficulty: ✅ Non-tech friendly — Ghost has built-in SEO fields, no plugins needed. Ghost is an open-source publishing platform built for professional blogs and newsletters. The Siftly–Ghost integration connects to your Ghost site via the Ghost Admin API and publishes content directly — either as a live post or a draft — using the unified 3-tier field mapping system. This integration is ideal for teams running Ghost-powered blogs who want to close the loop between SEO/GEO analysis and content execution inside a single workflow.

​
Prerequisites

Before connecting, you’ll need:
  • A Ghost site (Ghost Pro or self-hosted Ghost 5.x+)
  • Admin access to your Ghost dashboard
  • A Custom Integration created in Ghost (see Step 1)
The Ghost Admin API is available on all Ghost plans, including Ghost Pro and self-hosted installations. There is no plan restriction.

​
Step 1: Create a Custom Integration in Ghost

Ghost uses Custom Integrations to generate API credentials for third-party tools like Siftly.
  1. Log in to your Ghost Admin dashboard (e.g., https://yoursite.ghost.io/ghost)
  2. Go to Settings (bottom-left gear icon)
  3. Click Integrations
  4. Scroll to the bottom and click Add custom integration
  5. Give it a name — e.g., Siftly
  6. Click Create
After creation, Ghost displays four pieces of information. You need two of them:
FieldWhere to find itExample
Admin API keyShown under the integration name69d9c7eeb369ab00013a5f2b:dde97d...
API URLShown below the Admin API keyhttps://yoursite.ghost.io
The Admin API key grants full read/write access to your Ghost site — treat it like a password. Never share it publicly or commit it to source control. Siftly encrypts and stores it securely at rest.
The Admin API key is in the format id:hex_secret separated by a colon. Copy the entire string including both parts.

​
Step 2: Connect Ghost in Siftly

  1. In Siftly, go to Settings → Integrations
  2. Under CMS Integrations, click Ghost
  3. Enter your:
    • API URL — the base URL of your Ghost site (e.g., https://yoursite.ghost.io)
    • Admin API key — the full id:hex_secret string copied from Ghost
    • Blog Base URL (optional) — the public-facing URL of your blog (e.g., https://mycompany.com/blog)
  4. Click Connect Ghost
Siftly validates your credentials by making a test call to the Ghost Admin API. If validation succeeds, you’ll see the Connected screen with your site URL confirmed.
If your Ghost site is on a custom domain (e.g., https://blog.mycompany.com), use that as the API URL — not the .ghost.io subdomain, unless that’s your primary domain.

​
Blog Base URL (optional)

The Blog Base URL field lets you set the public-facing domain for your blog, separate from the Ghost Admin API URL. This is useful when:
  • Your Ghost instance is hosted at yoursite.ghost.io but your public blog lives at mycompany.com/blog
  • You want Siftly to track and display the correct canonical post URL after publishing
When set, Siftly builds the published post URL as: 
{Blog Base URL}/{slug}/
For example, if your Blog Base URL is https://mycompany.com/blog and your post slug is intro-to-geo, the tracked URL will be https://mycompany.com/blog/intro-to-geo/. If left blank, Siftly uses the post URL returned directly by the Ghost API.

​
How Ghost authentication works

Ghost’s Admin API does not accept plain API keys in HTTP headers. Instead, it requires a short-lived JWT token signed from your Admin API key on every request. Siftly handles this automatically:
  1. When you publish, Siftly splits your Admin API key into its id and hex_secret parts
  2. It generates a JWT token signed with HS256 using bytes.fromhex(hex_secret) as the signing key
  3. The JWT carries a 5-minute expiry (exp = iat + 300) and the audience claim "/admin/"
  4. Each request uses a freshly generated token — no token caching or refresh needed
This is handled entirely server-side. Your Admin API key never leaves Siftly’s backend after being saved.

​
Field Mapping

Ghost uses the unified 3-tier field mapping system. Ghost’s built-in fields have fixed API names, so the required fields are pre-configured.

​
Required Fields

Siftly FieldGhost Post FieldNotes
TitletitlePre-configured — Ghost’s built-in title field
SlugslugPre-configured — Ghost’s built-in slug field
BodyhtmlPre-configured — sent via ?source=html

​
Optional Fields

When mapped, these are auto-populated from your content data.
Siftly FieldGhost Post FieldNotes
Meta Titlemeta_titleSEO page title
Meta Descriptioncustom_excerptTruncated to 300 characters
KeywordstagsUp to 10 tags, created if they don’t exist
Categories—Not natively supported by Ghost
JSON-LD—Not natively supported by Ghost
Word Count—Not natively supported by Ghost
Ghost has a fixed post schema — you map optional fields to the available Ghost post fields. Fields marked with ”—” are not supported by Ghost’s API and will be skipped.

​
HTML content handling

Siftly wraps the post body in Ghost’s HTML card comments before sending: 
<!--kg-card-begin: html-->
<your content here>
<!--kg-card-end: html-->
This preserves your HTML exactly as Siftly generated it, preventing Ghost’s Lexical editor from modifying headings, lists, links, or custom formatting during the conversion process.

​
Custom Fields

Add extra fields your Ghost posts require that aren’t part of Siftly’s standard content schema. Custom fields are sent as additional properties in the Ghost API payload.

​
Field Types

TypeDescriptionExample
StringPlain textAuthor name, subtitle
NumberNumeric valuePriority, reading time
BooleanTrue/falseFeatured post, comments enabled
JSONStructured objectSEO config, social media metadata
SelectPick from predefined optionsCategory, status, content type

​
Default Values

Set a default value when adding a custom field. This value pre-fills at publish time — you can override it for each post.

​
Use Existing Field

Instead of setting a manual default, you can link a custom field to an existing content field. For example, map Ghost’s og_description field to use the same value as Meta Description. This is useful when your Ghost setup has multiple fields that should contain the same data (e.g., custom_excerpt and og_description both using your meta description).

​
Publishing

​
Draft vs Published

When publishing, choose between:
  • Draft — content is pushed to Ghost as a draft post for review in Ghost Admin
  • Published — the post is created and immediately published to your live site

​
Custom Fields at Publish Time

If you’ve defined custom fields, they appear in the publish dialog pre-filled with their default values (or auto-filled from linked fields). You can edit them before publishing. Standard fields (title, slug, body, meta data, keywords) are auto-populated from your content — no manual input needed.

​
After publishing

Once published, the post appears on your Ghost site (immediately if you chose Published, or in Ghost Admin drafts if you chose Draft). From Siftly you can:
  • View the post — click the published URL link in the content editor
  • Track performance — the post URL is saved to Siftly for citation and visibility analysis
To make further edits, go to your Ghost Admin dashboard → Posts → find the post and edit it in Ghost’s editor.
Siftly does not support updating an existing Ghost post. Each publish creates a new post. To revise published content, edit it directly in Ghost Admin.

​
Where to apply Siftly’s recommendations on Ghost

Ghost has built-in SEO fields on every post — no plugins required. Here’s where each field lives and how Siftly’s recommendations map to them.

​
Meta Title

Location: Post editor → click the gear icon (⚙️) → Meta data → Meta title Ghost renders this as the <title> tag and OG title. If left empty, Ghost uses the post title. Siftly auto-pushes the meta title to Ghost’s meta_title field when you map it in your integration settings.

​
Meta Description

Location: Post editor → gear icon (⚙️) → Meta data → Meta description Ghost renders this as <meta name="description"> and og:description. If left empty, Ghost auto-generates an excerpt from the first 500 characters of your post. Siftly maps this to custom_excerpt by default, which Ghost uses as both the visible excerpt and the meta description.

​
Open Graph Image / Social Share Image

Location: Post editor → gear icon (⚙️) → Twitter card and Facebook card sections Ghost supports separate OG images for Twitter and Facebook. Upload or paste an image URL in each section.
Ghost also uses the Feature image (the hero image at the top of the post) as the default OG image if no specific social images are set. Set a Feature Image and you get social sharing coverage automatically.

​
Canonical URL

Location: Post editor → gear icon (⚙️) → Meta data → Canonical URL Ghost auto-generates a canonical URL pointing to the post’s own URL. Override this field only for syndicated or cross-posted content.
Siftly does not push canonical URL overrides. Ghost’s default canonical (the post permalink) is correct for original content.

​
Tags & Categories

Location: Post editor → gear icon (⚙️) → Tags Ghost uses Tags for both categories and tags (there is no separate category system). The first tag is treated as the “primary tag” and often used by themes for navigation. Siftly pushes keywords as Ghost tags automatically. Tags that don’t exist are created. Up to 10 tags per post.

​
JSON-LD Structured Data

Ghost auto-generates Article JSON-LD for every post. This includes:
  • @type: Article
  • headline, datePublished, dateModified
  • author with name and URL
  • publisher with logo
  • image from the feature image
You do NOT need to add Article schema manually. Ghost handles it. Supplemental schema (FAQ, HowTo, Product) — pushed automatically by Siftly: When you map Siftly’s JSON-LD field in your integration settings, Siftly wraps your JSON-LD in a <script type="application/ld+json"> tag and pushes it directly to Ghost’s codeinjection_head field on publish. This renders in the <head> of the post page automatically. No manual Code Injection editing is needed when the JSON-LD field mapping is configured.
Do NOT add an Article schema via Siftly’s JSON-LD field — Ghost already generates one. Siftly’s JSON-LD recommendations are designed to supplement with FAQ, HowTo, or Product schema, not duplicate the base Article schema.
If you prefer to add JSON-LD manually (or need to edit what Siftly pushed), go to: Post editor → gear icon (⚙️) → Code injection → Post Header. The <script> tag will already be there from Siftly’s push.

​
Keywords

Ghost does not render a <meta name="keywords"> tag. Keywords are handled through the Tags system, which Ghost exposes in its structured data and RSS feed. Siftly maps content keywords to Ghost tags automatically.

​
Pushing Siftly recommendations automatically

Siftly pushes all SEO fields to Ghost in a single publish action when mapped:
1

Generate content in Siftly

Use Siftly’s content editor to generate or optimize your article. Siftly produces meta title, meta description, keywords, and JSON-LD recommendations.
2

Click Publish → Ghost

In the content editor, click Publish and select Ghost. Choose Draft or Published status.
3

All mapped fields pushed automatically

Title, slug, body (HTML), meta title (meta_title), meta description (meta_description), excerpt (custom_excerpt), tags, and JSON-LD (codeinjection_head) are all sent in one API call. No manual copy-paste needed.
When JSON-LD is mapped, Siftly automatically wraps it in a <script type="application/ld+json"> tag and pushes it to Ghost’s codeinjection_head field. This renders in the <head> of your post page without any manual Code Injection editing.

​
Platform-specific quirks & limitations

Article JSON-LD is auto-generated. Ghost produces its own Article structured data. Do NOT add competing Article schema via Code Injection or you’ll get duplicate schema warnings.
No categories system. Ghost uses Tags only. The first tag assigned to a post becomes the “primary tag,” which many Ghost themes use for navigation sections. Order your Siftly keywords with the most important one first.
  • Code Injection scope: Siftly pushes JSON-LD to per-post codeinjection_head. Ghost also offers site-wide Code Injection (Settings → Code Injection) — use that for Organization schema that applies to all pages.
  • No native Open Graph override via API: Ghost’s Admin API does not accept og_image directly on post creation. Feature images serve as OG images. Set your feature image after publishing from Siftly.
  • Excerpt length: Ghost truncates custom_excerpt at 300 characters. Siftly’s meta description is auto-trimmed to fit.
  • Members-only content: If you use Ghost’s membership features, posts published via Siftly default to “Public” visibility. Change visibility to “Members” or “Paid” in Ghost Admin after publishing if needed.

​
Validating the setup

After publishing your first post with Siftly’s recommendations:
1

View the live page source

Open your published Ghost post in a browser. Right-click → View Page Source. Search for:
  • <title> — should contain your Siftly meta title (or post title if no meta title was set)
  • <meta name="description" — should contain your meta description
  • <script type="application/ld+json"> — should show Ghost’s auto-generated Article schema plus any supplemental schema you added
2

Run Google Rich Results Test

Go to Google Rich Results Test and paste your post URL. Confirm Article schema is valid and any FAQ/HowTo schema is detected.
3

Run Schema.org Validator

Go to Schema.org Validator and paste your post URL. Check for errors or warnings.
4

Check social sharing

Use Facebook Sharing Debugger to confirm OG image, title, and description. Ghost generates these from your post’s feature image and meta data.

​
Difficulty & setup recap

Ghost Setup Summary

AspectRating
Initial setup✅ Easy — Admin API key, no OAuth flow
Applying SEO fields✅ Easy — Ghost has built-in meta title/description fields
JSON-LD✅ Auto-generated Article schema; ✅ Siftly pushes supplemental schema to codeinjection_head
Ongoing editing✅ Easy — publish from Siftly, edit in Ghost Admin
Developer needed?No

CMS Integrations Overview

Compare all supported platforms and the unified field mapping system.

Quickstart Guide

Set up your brand and run your first GEO analysis.

Content Generation

How Siftly generates GEO-optimized content and recommendations.

Choosing a CMS for AI Visibility

Our guide to picking the right CMS for GEO optimization.

​
Disconnect Ghost

To remove the Ghost integration:
  1. Go to Settings → Integrations → Ghost
  2. Click Disconnect
This removes your stored credentials from Siftly. The posts already published to Ghost remain untouched — disconnecting does not delete any content.

​
Troubleshooting

Your Admin API key is invalid or has been revoked. Go to Ghost Admin → Settings → Integrations → Siftly and verify the Admin API key matches what’s entered in Siftly. If in doubt, delete the integration and create a new one to get a fresh key.
The API URL must use HTTPS and must be publicly reachable. Common mistakes:
  • Using http:// instead of https://
  • Including a trailing slash (Siftly strips it, but double-check)
  • Using an internal or localhost address (blocked for security)
The Admin API key must contain exactly one colon separating the key ID and the hex secret. Example format: 69d9c7eeb369ab00013a5f2b:dde97da248911d15686a4d10...Do not use the Content API key — that key is read-only and cannot create posts. Use the Admin API key only.
If a post with the same slug already exists in Ghost, the publish will fail with a 422 error. Either delete the existing post in Ghost or adjust the slug in your Siftly content draft before republishing.
Siftly wraps content in Ghost HTML card comments (<!--kg-card-begin: html-->) to preserve formatting. If you see raw HTML comments in the editor, Ghost may not have processed the source correctly — ensure your Ghost version is 5.x or later, which has full HTML card support.
Ghost creates tags automatically from the names Siftly sends. If tags aren’t showing, check your Ghost Admin → Tags to confirm they were created. Ensure the keywords in your Siftly content are not empty.

​
Security

Siftly takes the following measures to protect your Ghost credentials:
  • Encryption at rest — the Admin API key is encrypted using Fernet symmetric encryption before being stored in the database. The plaintext key is never persisted.
  • SSRF protection — the Ghost API URL is validated on both connect and publish. Private IP ranges, localhost, and non-HTTPS URLs are blocked.
  • Short-lived tokens — JWT tokens are generated fresh on every API call with a 5-minute expiry. No tokens are stored.
  • Never returned to the client — the Admin API key is never included in any response sent to the browser.