Evaluation criteria that actually matter

Before installing anything, decide what “best” means for your team and stack. Use the checklist below to avoid chasing features you won’t use.

1) Editor experience

For writer-heavy teams, native Gutenberg tools keep momentum high. A dedicated AI block that can outline, draft, and transform text inside the editor will reduce context switching and editing friction. See the official Jetpack AI Assistant page for examples of editor-native flows.

2) Automation depth

If you publish at scale, look for templates, bulk generation, and background tasks to offload repetitive work. AIP: Complete AI Toolkit (formerly AI Power) focuses on modular automation so you can schedule tasks and updates without babysitting the editor.

3) BYO API & model choice

Bring-your-own-API avoids vendor lock-in and lets you pick different models for different tasks (e.g., long-form drafting vs. rewriting vs. image generation). This is critical for keeping costs predictable while testing quality.

4) Structured data readiness

Ensure you can add or inject Article and FAQPage JSON-LD. A clean implementation helps search engines interpret your content and improves eligibility for rich results. Reference Google’s Article structured data guidance when validating.

5) Accessibility polish

Descriptive image alt text, proper heading hierarchy, and captions for tables are non-negotiable. If your team needs a quick primer, Section 508’s guide on alt text is excellent: Authoring meaningful alternative text.

6) Performance footprint

Prefer async/background generation, timeouts with retries, and caching of AI responses to prevent admin slowdowns. Over-aggressive generation inside the editor can feel laggy on shared hosting.

7) Governance & analytics

Roles, approval queues, prompt presets, and cost tracking per post/model protect quality and budget as your output scales.

Most “best of” lists stop at features. The table below highlights how these tools actually fit into a publishing workflow. We include the WordPress.org listing for AI Blog Generator as a simple baseline to benchmark against.

Bottom line: If your team lives in the editor, Jetpack AI minimizes friction. If you need templated bulk generation and scheduled tasks, AIP is better. Keep a lightweight generator such as AI Blog Generator for quick prompts when overhead isn’t justified.

Prompt → draft → optimize → schedule

1) Reusable prompt brief

Create a prompt preset that defines audience, product POV, target SERP features (FAQ/HowTo), internal links, and schema notes. Use the same brief for each article to maintain tone and structure.

2) Draft where you publish

For single posts and small teams, drafting directly in Gutenberg keeps focus high. For series content, lists, or glossaries, a bulk generator saves time and improves consistency.

3) On-page SEO & structure

Use the primary keyword in the opening sentences, add a scannable bullet list near the top, and break sections with clear H2/H3s. Build short, answer-first paragraphs that are easy to cite in AI Overviews.

4) Schema & validation

Add Article and FAQPage JSON-LD (see the inline scripts at the bottom of this article). Validate with Google’s tools and re-check after significant edits.

5) Scheduling & refresh

Batch content weekly and publish at consistent times. Review posts with thin engagement after 30–45 days and refresh with data, visuals, or a “Pro Tip” block.

How to win AI Overviews (SGE)

• Answer-first: Put the “short answer” or steps near the top.
• Entity clarity: Name plugin, feature, and version explicitly.
• Evidence: Link official docs or listings when making claims.
• Schema: Provide clean Article and FAQPage JSON-LD.
• Freshness: Update lastmod and re-validate schema after edits.

WordPress walk-through

Editor-first (Jetpack AI)

1. Install/activate Jetpack; enable the AI Assistant.
2. Open a new post, insert the AI block, and generate a draft or outline.
3. Convert long lists to tables where helpful; keep paragraphs short.
4. Add an answer-first summary list near the top.
5. Paste the JSON-LD scripts at the bottom of your article (see below).

Automation-first (AIP: Complete AI Toolkit)

1. Install/activate AIP; add your API key(s).
2. Create templates for titles/meta/slug to standardize output.
3. Use bulk generation for series; schedule background jobs.
4. Review drafts, add images/alt text, then schedule consistently.

Lightweight generator (baseline)

1. Install a simple generator like AI Blog Generator.
2. Use for quick ideation; paste into your standard workflow.

Quality, latency & cost controls

• Editorial review: Fact-check claims and align tone with brand voice. Human edit every AI draft pre-publish.
• Latency: Prefer background jobs and retries with exponential backoff to avoid editor timeouts.
• Caching: Cache AI-generated images via your CDN; purge on update to avoid stale previews.
• Cost visibility: Track requests/tokens per post and review monthly; adjust model choices by task.

DIY performance/quality benchmark

Because most roundups don’t include testing, run this 30-minute benchmark to see what performs in your environment.

1. Cold draft time: Measure prompt → accepted draft for 3 articles per plugin.
2. Editor delay: Open 5 AI-heavy posts; note any lag in the editor/admin.
3. Retry handling: Simulate rate limits and check for graceful recovery.
4. Schema
   integrity: Validate Article and FAQPage JSON-LD.
5. Accessibility: Confirm meaningful images have curated alt text.

Common issues & quick fixes

• Schema not detected: Ensure required Article properties, then allow time for recrawl before re-testing.
• Images missing alt: Write concise, purposeful alt text focused on what the image conveys.
• Timeouts: Lower per-request tokens, enable retries, or switch long jobs to background queues.
• Thin drafts: Add examples, data, or a “Pro Tip” block; interlink related posts.

Conclusion & next steps

For editor-first teams who live in Gutenberg, Jetpack AI keeps your writers in flow. For automation-first teams shipping series content, AIP’s templating and scheduling win. Keep a lightweight generator for quick prompts and baselines. If you’re ready to centralize research, drafting, optimization, and scheduling in one place, streamline your publishing with PostCrane’s AI content engine for WordPress.

SGE Optimization

• Pick editor- or automation-first based on workflow
• Add Article + FAQ JSON-LD; validate after edits
• Open with answer-first summary bullets
• Batch schedule; refresh low-engagement posts
• Track costs and timeouts per model

PAA: best AI blog generator plugin for WordPress depends on your workflow—choose an editor-first tool for in-editor drafting or an automation-first suite for templates and scheduled tasks.