How to Fix: Related posts shown

Related posts shown is an important SEO check in the Internal Site Architecture category. This is a medium-priority issue. It rarely feels urgent, which is exactly why so many otherwise well-built sites leave this easy win on the table for years.

What is This Check About?

This check verifies that your posts link out to other relevant posts — typically through a “related posts” block at the end of an article. This is internal linking, and internal linking is how both readers and search engines move through your site. When this check fails, it usually means your articles are dead ends: a reader finishes and has nowhere obvious to go, and Google’s crawler finds no path from that page deeper into your content.

Why Does This Matter for SEO?

Search engines like Google evaluate hundreds of factors when ranking websites. Related posts shown is one of these important factors because:

• It affects how search engines crawl and understand your content
• It impacts user experience, which is a key ranking factor
• It can influence your site’s visibility in search results
• Ignoring it may cause your competitors to outrank you

Internal links do two jobs at once. They spread ranking authority — a strong page passes some of its weight to the pages it links to — and they keep readers on the site, which sends Google a healthy engagement signal. A well-linked article is worth more than an orphaned one carrying the same words.

Automated Related Posts vs. Deliberate Internal Links

Here is the distinction most guides skip, and it matters. A “related posts” widget and a hand-placed contextual link are not the same tool, and the strongest sites use both.

• Automated related posts — a plugin picks posts by category or tag and drops them below the article. This is your safety net. It guarantees every post has some outbound internal links with zero ongoing effort, and it is the fastest way to clear this check.
• Deliberate in-content links — you, writing, linking a phrase in paragraph three to the article that goes deeper on it. These are worth far more, because the link sits in relevant context with meaningful anchor text, which is exactly what Google reads best.

My recommendation: install the automated block to clear the check and cover your whole archive, then build the habit of adding two or three genuine contextual links every time you publish. The plugin handles breadth; you handle the links that actually move rankings. And keep the automated block relevant — nothing undermines the signal like a “related” section full of posts that have nothing to do with the article.

How to Check This Issue

You can identify this issue by:

1. Running an SEO audit using the SEO Roadmap tool
2. Manually inspecting your website’s source code and settings
3. Using browser developer tools (F12) to analyze page elements
4. Checking Google Search Console for related warnings or errors

How to Fix This in WordPress

Difficulty Level: EASY – This fix is straightforward and can typically be completed by anyone with basic WordPress knowledge.

Estimated Time: 15 min

Follow these steps to fix this issue:

Step 1: Identify Affected Pages

First, run a complete SEO audit to identify all pages affected by this issue. The SEO Roadmap tool will show you exactly which URLs need attention.

Step 2: Access WordPress Settings

Log into your WordPress admin dashboard. Many modern themes have a related-posts option built in; if yours does not, a lightweight plugin adds one. Depending on the specific issue, you may need to navigate to:

• Settings → General for site-wide configurations
• Settings → Reading for indexing and visibility settings
• Settings → Permalinks for URL structure issues
• Appearance → Theme Editor for template-level fixes
• Plugins → Installed Plugins to configure SEO plugins

Step 3: Apply the Fix

Enable a related-posts block that matches by category or tag so its suggestions stay relevant, and confirm it renders as real crawlable links rather than a JavaScript-only widget. If you’re using an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, its internal-linking suggestions can help you add the deliberate contextual links too.

Step 4: Verify the Fix

After making changes:

1. Clear your WordPress cache if you’re using a caching plugin
2. Re-run the SEO Roadmap audit to confirm the issue is resolved
3. Check Google Search Console after a few days to ensure Google has recognized the fix

Recommended Tools & Plugins

These tools can help you fix and prevent this issue:

• Yoast SEO – Comprehensive SEO plugin with built-in checks
• Rank Math – Feature-rich SEO plugin with detailed analysis
• Google Search Console – Free tool to monitor your site’s search presence
• SEO Roadmap – Complete SEO audit and action plan tool

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Making changes without testing in a staging environment first
• Ignoring the issue because it seems minor
• Applying fixes to production without proper backup
• Not verifying the fix was successful after implementation

Watch two things. First, do not let a heavy related-posts plugin thumbnail every post and slow the page to a crawl — speed is a ranking factor too. Second, make sure the block outputs plain links; a widget that only assembles itself in JavaScript gives readers something to click but gives the crawler nothing to follow.

Need More Help?

If you’re still having trouble fixing this issue, consider:

• Consulting with a WordPress developer or SEO specialist
• Checking the WordPress support forums for similar issues
• Reviewing your theme and plugin documentation
• Running a complete site audit with SEO Roadmap for a prioritized action plan

This guide is part of the SEO Roadmap knowledge base – your complete resource for WordPress SEO optimization.