Understand exactly which WordPress content Publisher uses, how it detects overlap and how to resolve a conflict without weakening the site.

Eligible inventory

Publisher includes published content from post types that are public, publicly queryable and not excluded from search. Attachments are excluded. The normal priority is posts, pages, products and then other eligible custom post types.

For each item Publisher can read title, main content, excerpt, H2/H3 headings, public taxonomy terms, SEO keywords and outbound links. Product details are included when WooCommerce supplies them. It also computes inbound-link relationships and orphan indicators.

What custom post types can and cannot do

Eligible custom post types contribute strategic evidence, cannibalisation comparisons and internal-link destinations. Publisher 3.7.6 does not generate a new item into an arbitrary custom post type: the generated article is always a native WordPress post.

Language handling

When WPML or Polylang is active, inventory and link selection respect language assignment. Without a multilingual plugin, Publisher uses WordPress/site-language detection. Incorrect source language metadata can therefore create incorrect topic or link evidence.

Cache and invalidation

The inventory is cached for up to 24 hours. Post saves, taxonomy changes, trash/untrash operations and relevant WooCommerce updates invalidate it. Rebuild after imports or migrations; routine editing should normally invalidate the cache automatically.

Overlap detection

Before generation, Publisher compares the proposed title and keyword with existing inventory and other topic records. High overlap is detected at approximately 0.72 title similarity or 0.86 keyword similarity. The purpose is to stop two URLs from competing for essentially the same need, not to prohibit related cluster coverage.

Resolve a conflict

1. Open the conflicting topic and the closest existing URL.
2. Compare audience, intent, angle and promised outcome.
3. If the existing page already satisfies the need, improve it instead of creating a new post.
4. If a distinct article is justified, narrow the keyword, change intent or define a non-overlapping angle.
5. Regenerate/review the topic and confirm that the evidence is now distinct.

Good cluster design

A cluster can share a broad subject while each topic answers a separate question or stage. A pillar page, implementation guide, troubleshooting guide and comparison can coexist if their titles, keywords and outcomes are genuinely different.

Internal-link evidence

The same inventory supplies real internal URLs. Publisher restricts insertion to allowed existing destinations, uses each URL once and prefers relevant same-language pages. It records a shortage when the requested count cannot be met rather than linking unrelated content.

Common problems

• Important content missing: verify publication status, post-type visibility and search exclusion.
• False conflict: inspect the actual page and redefine intent rather than immediately bypassing the warning.
• Conflict not detected: rebuild inventory after a migration and verify the source content is indexable.
• Wrong-language links: repair language assignments and rebuild.
• Many orphans: treat the number as a site-architecture signal; add meaningful links from existing content instead of forcing every new article to solve it.

Verification checklist

• All intended public post types appear in Dashboard inventory counts.
• Topic reviews open and examine overlap evidence.
• Approved topics have distinct intent and outcome.
• Internal links use real, relevant, same-language URLs.
• Generated output remains a native post with correct taxonomy.

Related guides

Dashboard and inventory · Topic strategy · Links and sitemap