| @@ -1,249 +1,397 @@ | ||
| 1 | -=== ThinkRank - AI SEO Assistant (LLMs, Schema, Metadata, Sitemaps, GA4) === | |
| 2 | -Contributors: wpdevteam, thinkrank, re_enter_rupok | |
| 3 | -Tags: seo, ai, schema, sitemap, llms.txt | |
| 1 | +=== ThinkRank AI SEO – AI SEO Plugin for WordPress: Schema, XML Sitemaps, Meta Tags, Search Console & Local SEO === | |
| 2 | +Contributors: wpdevteam, thinkrank, re_enter_rupok, rafinkhan, rudlinkon, mdnahidhasan | |
| 3 | +Tags: seo, ai seo, schema, xml sitemap, google search console | |
| 4 | 4 | Requires at least: 6.0 |
| 5 | -Tested up to: 6.8 | |
| 6 | -Requires PHP: 8.0 | |
| 7 | -Stable tag: 1.1.0 | |
| 5 | +Tested up to: 7.1 | |
| 6 | +Requires PHP: 7.4 | |
| 7 | +Stable tag: 2.8.0 | |
| 8 | 8 | License: GPLv2 or later |
| 9 | 9 | License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html |
| 10 | 10 | |
| 11 | -AI SEO for WordPress: content briefs, metadata, schema, sitemaps, GA4 & Search Console, PageSpeed, and actionable insights. | |
| 11 | +WordPress SEO plugin with AI SEO: meta descriptions, schema, XML sitemaps, Search Console, llms.txt, AEO & GEO. Your AI SEO assistant runs it via MCP. | |
| 12 | 12 | |
| 13 | 13 | == Description == |
| 14 | 14 | |
| 15 | -**[ThinkRank](https://thinkrank.ai/)** is an AI-native SEO plugin designed for WordPress that helps you create better content and optimize your website for search engines. Unlike other SEO plugins, ThinkRank leverages artificial intelligence to provide intelligent content suggestions, comprehensive SEO analysis, and automated optimization recommendations. | |
| 15 | +**[ThinkRank](https://thinkrank.ai/) is the AI SEO plugin for WordPress that your AI assistant can operate.** Ask Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor to write metadata, audit posts, fix schema, and run bulk SEO work on your site - in plain language, from the chat window you already use. Underneath sits a complete SEO plugin: meta tags (SEO titles and meta descriptions), real-time on-page content analysis, keyword optimization, schema markup and structured data, XML sitemaps, robots meta, canonical URLs, Open Graph and Twitter Cards, Local SEO, llms.txt, and Google Search Console + GA4 insights - built for Google and for AI search (AEO and GEO) alike. | |
| 16 | 16 | |
| 17 | -= Key Features (Always Free) = | |
| 17 | +Two things make ThinkRank different, and both are checkable: | |
| 18 | 18 | |
| 19 | -= AI-Powered Content Tools = | |
| 20 | -* **AI Content Brief Generator** - Create comprehensive content outlines with competitor analysis and gap identification | |
| 21 | -* **AI Metadata Generation** - Auto-generate SEO-optimized titles and meta descriptions with SERP preview | |
| 22 | -* **Real-time SEO Score Calculator** - 13-factor algorithm with actionable improvement suggestions | |
| 23 | -* **Competitor Analysis** - Analyze competitor content structure, keywords, and SEO strategies | |
| 24 | -* **SERP Preview** - Live preview of how your content appears in search results | |
| 19 | +* **Your assistant runs it directly.** A built-in, self-hosted MCP server connects your AI assistant - no companion plugin, no terminal. No other WordPress SEO plugin ships one. | |
| 20 | +* **Every AI feature is included at a flat price, with no credit meter.** Bring your own API key (OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, OpenRouter): no monthly AI credits to buy, meter, or watch expire - in free and in Pro alike. | |
| 25 | 21 | |
| 26 | -= Essential SEO Management = | |
| 27 | -* **Site Identity Management** - Complete site-wide SEO configuration (Basic Info, Title Formats, Breadcrumbs, Hero & Branding, Business Info) | |
| 28 | -* **Schema Manager** - Organization schema, website markup, and structured data management with deployment validation | |
| 29 | -* **Social Media Optimization** - Open Graph, Twitter Cards, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest integration with real-time preview | |
| 30 | -* **Performance Monitoring** - Core Web Vitals tracking, PageSpeed insights, and technical SEO diagnostics | |
| 31 | -* **Analytics Integration** - Google Analytics 4, Search Console, and AI-powered insights with intelligent reporting | |
| 22 | +Switching? The Setup Wizard **imports your data from Yoast SEO, Rank Math, AIOSEO, SEOPress, and Squirrly SEO**. ThinkRank works where you build - **Gutenberg, Elementor, Divi, Oxygen/Breakdance, and the Classic Editor** - and on multilingual sites running **WPML, Polylang or TranslatePress**. | |
| 32 | 23 | |
| 33 | -= Crawling & AI Indexing = | |
| 34 | -* **Robots.txt Management** - AI-optimized robots.txt generation, validation, and automatic sitemap integration | |
| 35 | -* **XML Sitemap Generation** - Multiple sitemap types (Basic, Complete, E-commerce, Segmented) with AI content optimization | |
| 36 | -* **LLMs.txt for AI** - Specialized file for AI search engines and LLM indexing with automated generation | |
| 37 | -* **AI Search Optimization** - Prepare your content for next-generation AI-powered search engines | |
| 24 | += Watch: SEO in the Assistant Era = | |
| 38 | 25 | |
| 39 | -= Analytics & Intelligence = | |
| 40 | -* **SEO Analytics Dashboard** - Traffic analysis, organic search performance, and keyword opportunity identification | |
| 41 | -* **AI-Powered Insights** - Natural language explanations and optimization recommendations | |
| 42 | -* **PageSpeed Insights Integration** - Real-time Core Web Vitals, technical SEO diagnostics, and improvement opportunities | |
| 43 | -* **Intelligent Reporting** - Automated alerts, trend analysis, and actionable recommendations | |
| 26 | +SEO creator WP Simple Hacks on how AI assistants and answer engines are changing day-to-day SEO work: | |
| 44 | 27 | |
| 45 | -= Technical Features = | |
| 46 | -* **Post/Page Integration** - Seamless metabox integration for all content types with real-time optimization | |
| 47 | -* **Multi-AI Provider Support** - Works with OpenAI (GPT-4o), Claude (Claude 3.7 Sonnet), and Google Gemini (Gemini 2.5 Flash) with intelligent model selection | |
| 48 | -* **Local SEO** - Business information, operating hours, location data, and local schema markup | |
| 49 | -* **Your API Key Control** - Complete cost transparency and control with your own AI provider keys | |
| 28 | +https://youtu.be/gdU3TwA1fPM | |
| 50 | 29 | |
| 51 | -= Your API Key, Your Control = | |
| 30 | += Run Your SEO From a Chat Window: MCP for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor = | |
| 52 | 31 | |
| 53 | -ThinkRank uses your own AI API keys, giving you: | |
| 54 | -- Complete cost transparency and control | |
| 55 | -- No monthly subscription fees for the core plugin | |
| 56 | -- Unlimited usage based on your AI provider plan | |
| 57 | -- Enhanced privacy - your data stays between you and your chosen AI provider | |
| 32 | +ThinkRank's self-contained **Model Context Protocol (MCP) server** turns your AI assistant into an **SEO operator, not just an SEO copywriter**. | |
| 58 | 33 | |
| 59 | -= Perfect For = | |
| 34 | +* **Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor** or any MCP-compatible AI assistant: Claude in one click through a guided OAuth 2.1 flow, others with an Application Password and ready-made configuration. | |
| 35 | +* **Ask for SEO in plain language:** "Write an SEO title and meta description for this post", "Which posts are missing SEO metadata?", "Add FAQ schema to this page", "Check Search Console opportunities for pages with high impressions and low CTR." | |
| 36 | +* **35+ SEO tools** exposed over MCP - metadata, schema, site identity, sitemaps, robots.txt and robots meta, image SEO, social meta, instant indexing, llms.txt, SEO scores and opportunities. | |
| 37 | +* **Safe by default** - off until an admin enables it, revocable in one click, with a connection health check and dry-run previews of SEO imports. | |
| 60 | 38 | |
| 61 | -* **Content Creators & Bloggers** - AI-powered content briefs and SEO optimization | |
| 62 | -* **E-commerce Store Owners** - Product SEO optimization and performance monitoring | |
| 63 | -* **SEO Professionals & Agencies** - Comprehensive SEO management with client reporting | |
| 64 | -* **WordPress Developers** - Technical SEO tools and performance diagnostics | |
| 65 | -* **Local Businesses** - Local SEO optimization with business information management | |
| 66 | -* **Enterprise Websites** - Advanced analytics, schema management, and AI indexing | |
| 67 | -* **Anyone wanting to improve their content's search visibility** - User-friendly interface with AI guidance | |
| 39 | += Migrate from Rank Math, Yoast SEO, AIOSEO, SEOPress or Squirrly = | |
| 68 | 40 | |
| 69 | -= Technical Excellence = | |
| 41 | +The Setup Wizard detects your current SEO plugin and imports metadata, schema, sitemap, image SEO and title-format settings from **Rank Math SEO, Yoast SEO, All in One SEO (AIOSEO), SEOPress, and Squirrly SEO** - then deactivates the old plugin once its data is safely migrated. | |
| 70 | 42 | |
| 71 | -Built with modern WordPress development standards: | |
| 72 | -- PHP 8.0+ with strict typing | |
| 73 | -- React 18+ admin interface | |
| 74 | -- WordPress 6.0+ compatibility | |
| 75 | -- Security-first approach with proper sanitization and nonce verification | |
| 76 | -- Performance optimized with intelligent caching | |
| 43 | +Looking for a **Rank Math, Yoast SEO, AIOSEO or SEOPress alternative** because of upsell notices, metered AI credits or per-site pricing? This migration path is built for exactly that switch. | |
| 77 | 44 | |
| 45 | += AI SEO Metadata Generator: Meta Tags, SEO Titles and Meta Descriptions = | |
| 46 | + | |
| 47 | +* AI-generated SEO titles and meta descriptions for posts, pages, products, and custom post types, written for search snippets and click-through rate. | |
| 48 | +* Live SERP preview, one-click apply, and fully editable fields. | |
| 49 | + | |
| 50 | += SEO Content Analysis, Focus Keywords and Keyword Optimization = | |
| 51 | + | |
| 52 | +* Real-time on-page SEO content analysis with a 13-factor SEO score. | |
| 53 | +* Focus keyword tracking (up to 5 focus keywords per post) with cannibalization warnings. | |
| 54 | +* Recommendations for titles, meta descriptions, headings, links, readability, and structure - with one-click "Apply" and **"Explain with AI"**. | |
| 55 | +* **Bulk SEO Optimization** - fix titles, descriptions, and keywords across many posts from one screen. | |
| 56 | + | |
| 57 | += Site SEO Analyzer: Whole-Site Audit With No Google Connection = | |
| 58 | + | |
| 59 | +* The Site SEO Analyzer is a crawl-free, whole-site SEO audit with a **0–100 score and letter grade** across Basic SEO, Advanced SEO, Content, Performance & Technical, and Security. | |
| 60 | +* "How to fix" guidance that deep-links to the relevant setting - works on staging, new sites, and client audits. | |
| 61 | + | |
| 62 | += Schema Markup and Structured Data for Rich Snippets = | |
| 63 | + | |
| 64 | +* Valid JSON-LD for Organization, Website, Article, FAQ, HowTo, VideoObject, Review, Local Business, and Breadcrumb schema, so search engines can show rich results. | |
| 65 | +* Out-of-the-box schema on posts, pages, CPTs, archives, and the homepage, validated before it reaches Search Console. | |
| 66 | +* **Import Schema From Any Website** to start from a competitor's structured data. | |
| 67 | + | |
| 68 | += SEO Blocks: FAQ, HowTo and Table of Contents = | |
| 69 | + | |
| 70 | +* **FAQ, HowTo and Table of Contents blocks** that output FAQPage, HowTo and SiteNavigationElement structured data automatically and work without JavaScript - with **Elementor widgets** for all three. | |
| 71 | + | |
| 72 | += Works With Every Page Builder = | |
| 73 | + | |
| 74 | +Page builders store content outside `post_content`, so many SEO plugins score a 1,500-word page as empty. ThinkRank reads each builder's stored content and adds its SEO panel inside **Gutenberg** (with a live SEO score badge), **Elementor**, the **Divi** Visual Builder, **Oxygen / Breakdance**, and the **Classic Editor**. | |
| 75 | + | |
| 76 | += Multilingual SEO for WPML, Polylang and TranslatePress = | |
| 77 | + | |
| 78 | +SEO fields in the WPML Translation Editor, correct `og:locale` alternates, hreflang only when WPML or Polylang isn't already printing it, and language-aware XML sitemaps - detected automatically, inactive on monolingual sites. | |
| 79 | + | |
| 80 | += XML Sitemap Generator and Instant Indexing = | |
| 81 | + | |
| 82 | +* Basic, Complete, E-commerce, and Segmented sitemap modes with a real sitemap index, paginated child sitemaps and per-post-type controls - fast on large sites. | |
| 83 | +* AI-optimized robots.txt with automatic sitemap discovery. | |
| 84 | +* **Instant Indexing** - submit new and updated URLs to search engines through IndexNow. | |
| 85 | + | |
| 86 | += Built for AI Search: AEO, GEO and llms.txt = | |
| 87 | + | |
| 88 | +**Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)** is being the answer ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Google AI Overviews give; **Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)** is being the source they cite. ThinkRank ships the groundwork both depend on - no unverifiable ranking claims: | |
| 89 | + | |
| 90 | +* **Structured data AI systems can parse**, validated before output. | |
| 91 | +* **Consistent on-page signals** - meta titles and descriptions, canonical URLs, robots directives and Open Graph that agree everywhere. | |
| 92 | +* **llms.txt generator** - a maintained Markdown index of your key content for AI agents and tools. Google has said llms.txt does not affect Google Search, so we ship it as infrastructure, not a ranking lever. | |
| 93 | +* **An AI assistant in the loop** - ask Claude or ChatGPT to review a page the way an answer engine reads it, and apply the fixes from the same chat. | |
| 94 | + | |
| 95 | += Google Search Console, GA4 and SEO Insights = | |
| 96 | + | |
| 97 | +* Google Search Console clicks, impressions, queries, and keyword opportunities inside WordPress, plus a **Website Insights dashboard widget** for your last 30 days. | |
| 98 | +* Google Analytics 4 traffic and organic performance, PageSpeed Insights and Core Web Vitals monitoring, and scheduled email SEO reports. | |
| 99 | + | |
| 100 | += On-Page & Technical SEO: Robots Meta, Canonical URLs, Robots.txt, Breadcrumbs = | |
| 101 | + | |
| 102 | +* Canonical URL controls, robots meta (noindex, nofollow) per post and globally, and robots.txt management kept in sync with the live file. | |
| 103 | +* Schema-enabled breadcrumbs, site identity, and title formats for posts, tags and archives. | |
| 104 | + | |
| 105 | += Open Graph, Twitter Cards and Social Media Previews = | |
| 106 | + | |
| 107 | +* Open Graph metadata and Twitter Cards (X), with Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest social media previews you edit in real time. | |
| 108 | + | |
| 109 | += AI Content Brief Generator = | |
| 110 | + | |
| 111 | +* A full content brief - outline, headings, entities, content gaps and competitor analysis - from a target keyword, plus a **complete article draft**, saved and exportable. | |
| 112 | + | |
| 113 | += Image SEO, Local SEO & WooCommerce = | |
| 114 | + | |
| 115 | +* **Image SEO** - automated alt text written to the Media Library itself: bulk-fill missing alt text and auto-fill new uploads. | |
| 116 | +* **Local SEO** - business information, opening hours, Local Business schema, and a local sitemap. | |
| 117 | +* **WooCommerce SEO** - product metadata and an E-commerce sitemap. | |
| 118 | + | |
| 119 | += Role Manager: Team and Client Access Control = | |
| 120 | + | |
| 121 | +A role × capability matrix controls which roles reach Essential SEO, AI Tools, and Settings - enforced on the REST API, not just hidden in the menu. | |
| 122 | + | |
| 123 | += ThinkRank Pro = | |
| 124 | + | |
| 125 | +Upgrade to **ThinkRank Pro** for advanced SEO automation, also available to your AI assistant over MCP: | |
| 126 | + | |
| 127 | +* **Redirect Manager & 404 Monitor** (301/302/307/308/410/451) and a **Broken Link Checker**. | |
| 128 | +* **AI Internal Linking** - relevance-ranked suggestions with one-click insertion. | |
| 129 | +* **Rank Tracker** - daily keyword positions from Search Console with history charts. | |
| 130 | +* **Custom Schema & Display Conditions**, **Advanced WooCommerce SEO** (GTIN/MPN/ISBN, variation offers) and **Multi-location Local SEO**. | |
| 131 | +* **News and Video sitemaps**, additional focus keywords, and **Advanced Analytics** for GA4 and URL index status. | |
| 132 | + | |
| 133 | += Why Choose ThinkRank? = | |
| 134 | + | |
| 135 | +* The only WordPress SEO plugin your AI assistant can operate directly, through a built-in MCP server | |
| 136 | +* AI SEO titles and meta descriptions, schema markup and structured data, XML sitemaps, robots.txt and llms.txt in one plugin | |
| 137 | +* A Site SEO Analyzer that needs no Google connection, and accurate SEO scores on Elementor, Divi and Oxygen/Breakdance pages | |
| 138 | +* AEO and GEO groundwork for ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews | |
| 139 | +* Multilingual SEO with correct hreflang for WPML and Polylang | |
| 140 | +* One-click migration from Rank Math, Yoast SEO, AIOSEO, SEOPress and Squirrly SEO | |
| 141 | +* Built for bloggers, publishers, agencies, WooCommerce stores and teams that work through an AI assistant | |
| 142 | + | |
| 78 | 143 | == Installation == |
| 79 | 144 | |
| 80 | 145 | **Minimum Requirements** |
| 81 | 146 | * WordPress 6.0 or higher |
| 82 | -* PHP 8.0 or higher | |
| 83 | -* OpenAI API key OR Claude API key (Anthropic) | |
| 147 | +* PHP 7.4 or higher | |
| 148 | +* An OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, or OpenRouter API key (for AI-powered features) | |
| 84 | 149 | |
| 85 | 150 | **Automatic Installation** |
| 86 | -1. Log in to your WordPress admin panel | |
| 87 | -2. Go to Plugins → Add New | |
| 88 | -3. Search for "ThinkRank" | |
| 89 | -4. Click "Install Now" and then "Activate" | |
| 151 | +1. Go to Plugins → Add New in your WordPress admin. | |
| 152 | +2. Search for "ThinkRank". | |
| 153 | +3. Click "Install Now", then "Activate". | |
| 154 | +4. Run the ThinkRank Setup Wizard. | |
| 90 | 155 | |
| 91 | -**Manual Installation** | |
| 92 | -1. Download the plugin zip file | |
| 93 | -2. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin | |
| 94 | -3. Choose the zip file and click "Install Now" | |
| 95 | -4. Activate the plugin | |
| 156 | +**Setup Workflow** | |
| 157 | +1. Open the ThinkRank Setup Wizard. | |
| 158 | +2. Import existing SEO data from Rank Math, Yoast SEO, AIOSEO, SEOPress, or Squirrly SEO if needed. | |
| 159 | +3. Choose your AI provider and enter your API key for AI features. | |
| 160 | +4. Configure metadata, schema, XML sitemaps, robots meta, canonical URLs, social meta, Search Console, GA4, and llms.txt. | |
| 161 | +5. (Optional) Enable the MCP server under ThinkRank → MCP and connect Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor. | |
| 96 | 162 | |
| 97 | -**Setup** | |
| 98 | -1. Go to ThinkRank → Settings in your WordPress admin | |
| 99 | -2. Choose your AI provider (OpenAI or Claude) | |
| 100 | -3. Enter your API key | |
| 101 | -4. Select your preferred AI model | |
| 102 | -5. Save settings and start optimizing! | |
| 163 | +**Connect the MCP Server** | |
| 164 | +* *Claude:* enable the MCP server, copy your site's MCP URL, add it in Claude, and approve the connection through the guided OAuth 2.1 flow - no manual API key required. | |
| 165 | +* *ChatGPT, Cursor & other MCP clients:* use the Application Password fallback and the ready-made configuration details ThinkRank provides. | |
| 103 | 166 | |
| 104 | 167 | **Getting API Keys** |
| 105 | -* **OpenAI**: https://platform.openai.com/api-keys | |
| 106 | -* **Claude (Anthropic)**: https://console.anthropic.com/ | |
| 107 | -* **Gemini (Google AI)**: https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/api-key | |
| 168 | +* OpenAI: https://platform.openai.com/api-keys | |
| 169 | +* Anthropic Claude: https://console.anthropic.com/ | |
| 170 | +* Google Gemini: https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/api-key | |
| 171 | +* OpenRouter: https://openrouter.ai/ | |
| 108 | 172 | |
| 109 | -== Privacy == | |
| 173 | +== Frequently Asked Questions == | |
| 110 | 174 | |
| 111 | -This plugin does not send any data to third parties except to the AI provider you configure (OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google AI) when you explicitly use AI features. API keys are stored in your database and are not transmitted to us. No telemetry is collected by ThinkRank. | |
| 175 | += What is ThinkRank? = | |
| 112 | 176 | |
| 113 | -== Frequently Asked Questions == | |
| 177 | +ThinkRank is an AI SEO plugin for WordPress that helps manage metadata, on-page SEO, technical SEO, schema markup, XML sitemaps, robots meta, canonical URLs, Open Graph social meta, Google Search Console insights, GA4 analytics, llms.txt, and AI-powered SEO recommendations. It also includes a built-in MCP server so AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor can help run SEO tasks in plain language. | |
| 114 | 178 | |
| 115 | -= Do I need an AI API key to use this plugin? = | |
| 179 | += What is the ThinkRank MCP server? = | |
| 116 | 180 | |
| 117 | -Yes, ThinkRank requires an OpenAI, Claude, or Gemini API key to function. This approach gives you complete control over costs and ensures your data privacy. The plugin itself is free — you only pay your AI provider directly for usage. | |
| 181 | +The ThinkRank MCP server is a built-in Model Context Protocol server that lets compatible AI assistants connect to your WordPress site and work with ThinkRank's SEO tools. After authorization, your AI assistant can help generate metadata, review SEO opportunities, work with schema, manage llms.txt, inspect SEO scores, and guide optimization workflows - without constant dashboard switching. | |
| 118 | 182 | |
| 119 | -= Which AI models are supported? = | |
| 183 | += How do I connect ThinkRank to Claude? = | |
| 120 | 184 | |
| 121 | -**OpenAI (examples):** | |
| 122 | -- GPT-5-nano (default), GPT-5-mini, GPT-5, GPT-4o | |
| 185 | +Enable the MCP server in ThinkRank, copy your site's MCP URL, add it to Claude, and approve the connection through the guided authorization flow. ThinkRank uses an OAuth 2.1 flow with PKCE protection, so you don't need to manually copy API keys into Claude for the standard connection. | |
| 123 | 186 | |
| 124 | -**Claude (examples):** | |
| 125 | -- Claude 4 Sonnet, Claude 4 Opus, Claude 3.7 Sonnet (default), Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3.5 Haiku | |
| 187 | += Does ThinkRank work with ChatGPT, Cursor and other MCP clients? = | |
| 126 | 188 | |
| 127 | -**Gemini (examples):** | |
| 128 | -- Gemini 2.5 Flash (default), 2.5 Flash Lite, 2.5 Pro, 2.0 Flash, 1.5 Flash | |
| 189 | +Yes. ThinkRank is designed for MCP-compatible clients. Claude has a guided one-click-style setup, and ChatGPT, Cursor, and other compatible tools can connect using the Application Password fallback and ready-made configuration details provided by ThinkRank. | |
| 129 | 190 | |
| 130 | -Support for the latest stable models of each provider. Defaults can be changed in Settings. | |
| 191 | += Is the MCP connection secure? = | |
| 131 | 192 | |
| 132 | -= How much does AI usage cost? = | |
| 193 | +Yes. The MCP server is off by default, admin-controlled, and designed for authorized users only. Connections are tied to WordPress authorization and Application Passwords. If you delete the connected Application Password, access is revoked immediately. | |
| 133 | 194 | |
| 134 | -Costs depend on your chosen AI provider and usage: | |
| 135 | -- OpenAI GPT-4o: ~$0.01-0.03 per content brief | |
| 136 | -- Claude 3.7 Sonnet: ~$0.01-0.02 per content brief | |
| 137 | -- Actual costs vary based on content length and complexity | |
| 195 | += Does ThinkRank work with Elementor, Divi and Oxygen? = | |
| 138 | 196 | |
| 139 | -= Is my data secure? = | |
| 197 | +Yes. ThinkRank adds a native SEO panel inside the Elementor editor, the Divi Visual Builder, and the Oxygen/Breakdance builder, alongside the Gutenberg launcher and the Classic Editor metabox. Just as importantly, ThinkRank reads the content those builders store outside `post_content`, so SEO scoring, bulk optimization, the post-list SEO column, and AI assistants analyze the real page content instead of reporting a builder page as empty. | |
| 140 | 198 | |
| 141 | -Yes. ThinkRank follows WordPress security best practices: | |
| 142 | -- API keys are encrypted in your database | |
| 143 | -- All data is sanitized and validated | |
| 144 | -- Nonce verification for all requests | |
| 145 | -- Your content is only sent to your chosen AI provider | |
| 199 | += Does ThinkRank support WPML, Polylang and TranslatePress? = | |
| 146 | 200 | |
| 147 | -= Can I use this with WooCommerce? = | |
| 201 | +Yes. ThinkRank detects WPML and Polylang automatically. SEO fields appear in the WPML Translation Editor, each translated page advertises its own `og:locale` and links to its alternates, XML sitemaps cover every language, and hreflang tags are only added when your multilingual plugin isn't already printing them - so you don't end up with two competing sets. On monolingual sites the integration stays completely inactive. | |
| 148 | 202 | |
| 149 | -Yes! ThinkRank includes WooCommerce integration for optimizing product pages, though advanced e-commerce features are available in our premium extensions. | |
| 203 | += What is the Site SEO Analyzer? = | |
| 150 | 204 | |
| 151 | -= Does this conflict with other SEO plugins? = | |
| 205 | +The Site SEO Analyzer is a crawl-free, whole-site audit that gives your site a 0–100 score and a letter grade without requiring a Google connection. It runs checks across Basic SEO, Advanced SEO, Content, Performance & Technical, and Security, and shows per-category results with "how to fix" guidance that deep-links to the relevant setting. | |
| 152 | 206 | |
| 153 | -ThinkRank is designed to work alongside other SEO plugins. However, for best results, we recommend using ThinkRank as your primary SEO solution to avoid conflicting meta tags. | |
| 207 | += Can I control which team members access ThinkRank? = | |
| 154 | 208 | |
| 155 | -= Can I export my content briefs? = | |
| 209 | +Yes. The Role Manager lets you decide which roles can access Essential SEO, AI Tools, and Settings, using a role × capability matrix. The rules are enforced on ThinkRank's REST API as well as in the admin menu, so access is genuinely restricted rather than just hidden. | |
| 156 | 210 | |
| 157 | -Yes, all generated content briefs can be exported in multiple formats for use in external tools or documentation. | |
| 211 | += Do I need an AI API key to use ThinkRank? = | |
| 158 | 212 | |
| 159 | -= What happens to my data if I uninstall the plugin? = | |
| 213 | +You don't need an AI key for every core SEO feature. Metadata fields, schema controls, XML sitemaps, robots meta, canonical URLs, breadcrumbs, Open Graph, the Site SEO Analyzer, multilingual output, page-builder integrations, and Search Console/GA4 connections work without AI generation. AI-powered features - AI metadata generation, content briefs, AI insights, and generative MCP tools - require your own OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, or OpenRouter API key. | |
| 160 | 214 | |
| 161 | -By default, ThinkRank preserves your API keys and generated content when uninstalled. You can change this behavior in Settings → Data Management if you prefer to delete everything. | |
| 215 | += Which AI providers and models does ThinkRank support? = | |
| 162 | 216 | |
| 163 | -= Does ThinkRank work with Google Analytics and Search Console? = | |
| 217 | +ThinkRank supports OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, and OpenRouter. Model availability depends on your provider account and configured API key. | |
| 164 | 218 | |
| 165 | -Yes! ThinkRank includes comprehensive analytics integration with Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, and Google PageSpeed Insights. You can connect your accounts in the Essential SEO → Analytics section for AI-powered insights and performance monitoring. | |
| 219 | += Does ThinkRank generate SEO titles and meta descriptions? = | |
| 166 | 220 | |
| 167 | -= Is there rate limiting to prevent overuse? = | |
| 221 | +Yes. ThinkRank can generate SEO titles and meta descriptions with AI and lets you edit them before publishing, across posts, pages, products, and supported custom post types. | |
| 168 | 222 | |
| 169 | -Yes. You can enable rate limiting in Settings to cap AI requests per minute and prevent accidental overuse. | |
| 223 | += Does ThinkRank include SEO content analysis and focus keywords? = | |
| 170 | 224 | |
| 171 | -= What is LLMs.txt and why do I need it? = | |
| 225 | +Yes. ThinkRank includes real-time SEO content analysis and focus keyword optimization so you can see how well your content targets important search terms and improve title, description, headings, structure, and keyword usage before publishing. | |
| 172 | 226 | |
| 173 | -LLMs.txt is a specialized file that helps AI search engines and language models better understand and index your website content. As AI-powered search becomes more prevalent, this file ensures your content is properly represented in AI search results and recommendations. | |
| 227 | += Does ThinkRank generate schema markup? = | |
| 174 | 228 | |
| 175 | -= Can I generate multiple types of sitemaps? = | |
| 229 | +Yes. ThinkRank generates JSON-LD schema markup and structured data for Organization, Website, Article, FAQ, HowTo, VideoObject, Review, Local Business, and Breadcrumb schema, and includes Gutenberg blocks for FAQ, HowTo, and Table of Contents that output FAQPage, HowTo, and SiteNavigationElement structured data. Schema markup helps search engines understand your content and can support rich snippets. | |
| 176 | 230 | |
| 177 | -Yes! ThinkRank offers multiple sitemap types including Basic, Complete, E-commerce, and Segmented sitemaps. You can customize which content types to include and generate AI-optimized sitemaps that improve your search engine visibility. | |
| 231 | += Does ThinkRank create XML sitemaps? = | |
| 178 | 232 | |
| 179 | -= How does the competitor analysis work? = | |
| 233 | +Yes. ThinkRank includes an XML sitemap generator with Basic, Complete, E-commerce, and Segmented modes, plus a real sitemap index with paginated child sitemaps, controls for post types, and sitemap discovery through robots.txt. | |
| 180 | 234 | |
| 181 | -ThinkRank analyzes competitor URLs to provide insights on content structure, keyword usage, SEO strategies, and technical implementation. This helps you identify content gaps and optimization opportunities to outrank your competition. | |
| 235 | += What is llms.txt and why does ThinkRank support it? = | |
| 182 | 236 | |
| 237 | +llms.txt is an emerging convention: a Markdown index of your important content, kept at a fixed URL, that AI coding agents and agentic tools read to discover site content. ThinkRank generates and maintains it automatically. To be straight with you: Google has said llms.txt does not affect Google Search or AI Overviews, and we don't claim it earns AI citations - it is useful infrastructure for AI tooling, and that is the claim we stand behind. | |
| 238 | + | |
| 239 | += Does ThinkRank work with Google Search Console and GA4? = | |
| 240 | + | |
| 241 | +Yes. ThinkRank connects with Google Search Console to show clicks, impressions, queries, and keyword opportunities inside WordPress - including a dashboard widget with your last 30 days of traffic - and supports GA4 for traffic and organic-performance insights. | |
| 242 | + | |
| 243 | += Does ThinkRank support Open Graph, canonical URLs and noindex? = | |
| 244 | + | |
| 245 | +Yes. ThinkRank includes Open Graph and social meta controls for Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and X/Twitter, plus canonical URL controls and robots meta settings such as noindex and nofollow. | |
| 246 | + | |
| 247 | += Is ThinkRank a Yoast, Rank Math, AIOSEO or SEOPress alternative? = | |
| 248 | + | |
| 249 | +Yes. ThinkRank covers the core SEO those plugins cover - metadata, schema, XML sitemaps, robots meta, canonical URLs, Search Console and GA4 insights - plus two things they don't sell at any price: an AI-assistant connection that operates the plugin directly, and AI features at a flat price with your own key instead of metered credits. The Setup Wizard imports your existing Rank Math, Yoast, AIOSEO, or SEOPress data and can deactivate the old plugin once migration completes. | |
| 250 | + | |
| 251 | += Can I migrate from AIOSEO, SEOPress or Squirrly SEO? = | |
| 252 | + | |
| 253 | +Yes. ThinkRank's Setup Wizard imports supported SEO data from All in One SEO (AIOSEO), SEOPress and Squirrly SEO, along with Rank Math and Yoast SEO - including title formats, Knowledge Graph details, role permissions, author archive settings, IndexNow keys, breadcrumb settings, and social defaults. | |
| 254 | + | |
| 255 | += Does ThinkRank include a redirect manager, 404 monitor, or internal linking? = | |
| 256 | + | |
| 257 | +Redirect management, 404 monitoring, the broken link checker, and AI internal linking are available in ThinkRank Pro. The free plugin shows these sections with an option to upgrade. | |
| 258 | + | |
| 259 | += Does ThinkRank help with WooCommerce and Local SEO? = | |
| 260 | + | |
| 261 | +Yes. The free plugin supports product metadata, an E-commerce sitemap mode, Local Business schema, business information, and a local sitemap. Advanced WooCommerce product SEO and multi-location Local SEO are available in ThinkRank Pro. | |
| 262 | + | |
| 263 | += Will ThinkRank conflict with my current SEO plugin? = | |
| 264 | + | |
| 265 | +For best results, use only one primary SEO plugin at a time - running two can create duplicate meta tags, duplicate schema, conflicting robots meta, and sitemap confusion. ThinkRank's migration workflow imports supported data and can deactivate the previous SEO plugin when migration is complete. | |
| 266 | + | |
| 267 | += Who is ThinkRank for? = | |
| 268 | + | |
| 269 | +WordPress site owners, bloggers and publishers producing content at scale, SEO professionals and agencies managing client sites, WooCommerce stores and local businesses, and teams that run their work through an AI assistant. | |
| 270 | + | |
| 271 | += Is ThinkRank free? = | |
| 272 | + | |
| 273 | +Yes, ThinkRank is a free WordPress SEO plugin with bring-your-own-key AI features - your AI provider usage is billed by the provider you choose, giving you direct control over model, cost, and privacy. There are no ThinkRank AI credits to buy and no monthly meter, in free or in Pro. ThinkRank Pro adds advanced automation such as the redirect manager, 404 monitor, internal linking, and rank tracker. | |
| 274 | + | |
| 275 | +== External services == | |
| 276 | + | |
| 277 | +Core SEO features need no external service. Each service below is contacted only when you use or switch on the feature that needs it - never to license or unlock ThinkRank features. | |
| 278 | + | |
| 279 | += AI providers: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, OpenRouter = | |
| 280 | + | |
| 281 | +For AI features: metadata and content brief generation, AI insights, "Explain with AI", image alt text, and the generative MCP tools. Only providers you add an API key for are contacted. ThinkRank sends that key and the content the task needs (such as a post's title and content, your prompt, or image data) when you run an AI action, or in the background for automatic AI features you switch on. | |
| 282 | + | |
| 283 | +* OpenAI (api.openai.com): [Terms](https://openai.com/policies/services-agreement/), [Privacy](https://openai.com/policies/row-privacy-policy/) | |
| 284 | +* Anthropic (api.anthropic.com): [Terms](https://www.anthropic.com/legal/commercial-terms), [Privacy](https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy) | |
| 285 | +* Google Gemini (generativelanguage.googleapis.com): [Terms](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/terms), [Privacy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) | |
| 286 | +* OpenRouter (openrouter.ai): [Terms](https://openrouter.ai/terms), [Privacy](https://openrouter.ai/privacy) | |
| 287 | + | |
| 288 | += ThinkRank Google connection (api.thinkrank.ai) = | |
| 289 | + | |
| 290 | +Clicking Connect Google (Search Console, GA4) signs in through api.thinkrank.ai, which holds ThinkRank's Google app credentials. It receives your site URL and a one-time sign-in code on connect, and your Google refresh token whenever the access token is renewed. [Terms](https://thinkrank.ai/terms-and-conditions/), [Privacy](https://thinkrank.ai/privacy-policy/) | |
| 291 | + | |
| 292 | += Google APIs: Search Console, Analytics Data, PageSpeed Insights, OAuth = | |
| 293 | + | |
| 294 | +After you connect Google or add a PageSpeed Insights key, ThinkRank sends your access token or API key, your Search Console or GA4 property, and page URLs to test, to www.googleapis.com and analyticsdata.googleapis.com - when you open analytics or performance screens or the dashboard widget, and when scheduled reports or checks run. Disconnecting sends the token to oauth2.googleapis.com to revoke it. [Terms](https://developers.google.com/terms), [Privacy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) | |
| 295 | + | |
| 296 | += IndexNow (api.indexnow.org) = | |
| 297 | + | |
| 298 | +Only with Instant Indexing on: your host name, IndexNow key and key file location, and the URLs you publish, delete or submit, shared with participating search engines. [Terms](https://www.indexnow.org/terms), [Privacy](https://privacy.microsoft.com/privacystatement) | |
| 299 | + | |
| 300 | += WP Insights usage tracking (send.wpinsight.com, opt-in) = | |
| 301 | + | |
| 302 | +Nothing is sent unless you opt in, from the admin notice or "Get Started" in the Setup Wizard. Then, on opt-in and daily after: site URL and name, admin email, WordPress, PHP and server versions, active and inactive plugins, active theme, the plugin's file path, which ThinkRank features you use, and a country on the first send. Optional deactivation feedback is sent too. The email may be used for ThinkRank news and offers. [Terms](https://wpdeveloper.com/terms-and-conditions/), [Privacy](https://wpdeveloper.com/privacy-policy/) | |
| 303 | + | |
| 304 | += ip-api.com country lookup = | |
| 305 | + | |
| 306 | +Only on WP Insights' first send after opt-in: the IP address of that request (normally yours) is sent to look up a country name. Nothing else is sent. [Terms and privacy](https://ip-api.com/docs/legal) | |
| 307 | + | |
| 308 | += Websites you enter = | |
| 309 | + | |
| 310 | +Content brief competitor analysis and schema import fetch the URLs you type in, from your server. Nothing else is sent to those sites. | |
| 311 | + | |
| 183 | 312 | == Screenshots == |
| 184 | 313 | |
| 185 | -1. LLMs.txt for AI Indexing | |
| 186 | -2. AI Content Brief Generator | |
| 187 | -3. Core Web Vitals & Performance Dashboard | |
| 188 | -4. AI Metadata Generator | |
| 189 | -5. SEO Metadata: Generate with AI | |
| 190 | -6. Schema Manager: Generate Schema with AI | |
| 314 | +1. Agentic AI SEO - connect Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor to your WordPress SEO with the built-in MCP server. | |
| 315 | +2. Your AI assistant generating and updating WordPress SEO metadata in plain language via ThinkRank's MCP tools. | |
| 316 | +3. AI Metadata Generator - SEO title and meta description with a live SERP preview. | |
| 317 | +4. SEO content analysis dashboard - 13-factor score, focus keyword, and one-click apply suggestions. | |
| 318 | +5. Schema Manager - choose Article, FAQ, Local Business, or Review schema with validation. | |
| 319 | +6. XML Sitemap generator - Basic, Complete, E-commerce, and Segmented modes with post-type controls. | |
| 320 | +7. llms.txt generator - a maintained Markdown index of your content for AI agents and tools. | |
| 321 | +8. Google Search Console & GA4 insights with Core Web Vitals inside WordPress. | |
| 322 | +9. AI Content Brief Generator with competitor analysis and content gaps. | |
| 191 | 323 | |
| 192 | 324 | == Changelog == |
| 193 | 325 | |
| 194 | -= 1.1.0 = | |
| 195 | -Release Date: 2025-11-23 | |
| 326 | += 2.8.0 = | |
| 327 | +Release Date: 2026-09-21 | |
| 196 | 328 | |
| 197 | -- Added: New Feature | Bulk SEO Optimization Settings | |
| 198 | -- Few minor bug fixes & improvements | |
| 329 | +- New: Import your SEO data from Squirrly SEO | |
| 330 | +- Improved: Email reports redesigned, with site traffic and AI assistant cards when connected | |
| 331 | +- Changed: Email reports pause until Search Console is connected, and the panel says so | |
| 332 | +- Changed: Email report subjects lead with your Google clicks and their change | |
| 333 | +- Fixed: Migrations discarded imported title formats and the default social image | |
| 334 | +- Fixed: Migrations lost category and tag noindex, focus keywords and social fields | |
| 335 | +- Fixed: Re-scan on the Migration screen now finds newly installed SEO plugins | |
| 336 | +- Fixed: Minor migration issues with sparse snapshots, deleted content and sitemap exclusions | |
| 199 | 337 | |
| 200 | -= 1.0.2 = | |
| 201 | -Release Date: 2025-10-30 | |
| 338 | += 2.7.0 = | |
| 339 | +Release Date: 2026-09-17 | |
| 202 | 340 | |
| 203 | -- Fixed: Google Service integration issue for PageSpeed Insights | |
| 204 | -- Fixed: WooCommerce edit conflict with ThinkRank plugin | |
| 205 | -- Fixed: Version number inconsistency | |
| 206 | -- Few minor bug fixes & improvements | |
| 341 | +- New: Hide a post from this site's own search results and archive listings | |
| 342 | +- New: RSS feed controls: excerpt only, a link back to the source post, and noindex for feeds | |
| 343 | +- New: Extra og:image tags, so a share has a fallback when the first image fails validation | |
| 344 | +- New: Post embeds carry your SEO title, description and social image | |
| 345 | +- New: A canonical URL scheme setting for sites behind a proxy that terminates TLS | |
| 346 | +- New: Brand the XML sitemap stylesheet with your logo and two colours | |
| 347 | +- New: URLs asking for content that does not exist now answer 404 instead of the page | |
| 348 | +- Changed: Archive titles drop the "Category:" label and strip markup, and your alternate site name is published as schema | |
| 349 | +- Fixed: Turning Schema off now stops every schema producer, including blocks and page builders | |
| 350 | +- Fixed: Non-Latin titles and descriptions are no longer cut short, plus minor sitemap, feed and database fixes | |
| 207 | 351 | |
| 208 | -= 1.0.1 = | |
| 209 | -Release Date: 2025-09-25 | |
| 352 | += 2.6.0 = | |
| 353 | +Release Date: 2026-09-15 | |
| 210 | 354 | |
| 211 | -- Improved: Updated Database Schema | |
| 212 | -- Fixed: AI Content Brief not showing properly on Firefox | |
| 213 | -- Few minor bug fixes & improvements | |
| 355 | +- New: Pages publish every schema you deploy, not just the first two | |
| 356 | +- Changed: Admin screens load the Inter font from your site instead of Google Fonts | |
| 357 | +- Changed: Email reports go out every 30 days to the admin email; schedule, recipients and branding are in ThinkRank Pro | |
| 358 | +- Changed: Posts take up to five focus keywords; ThinkRank Pro adds more | |
| 359 | +- Changed: Automatic AI metadata, the GA4 tag installer and SEO insights moved to ThinkRank Pro | |
| 360 | +- Removed: Brand Visibility | |
| 214 | 361 | |
| 215 | -= 1.0.0 = | |
| 216 | -Release Date: 2025-07-07 | |
| 362 | += 2.5.0 = | |
| 363 | +Release Date: 2026-09-10 | |
| 217 | 364 | |
| 218 | -- Initial release | |
| 219 | -- AI Content Brief Generator with competitor analysis | |
| 220 | -- Real-time SEO Score Calculator (13-factor) | |
| 221 | -- AI Metadata Generation with SERP preview | |
| 222 | -- Competitor analysis insights | |
| 223 | -- Export content briefs in multiple formats | |
| 224 | -- Complete Site Identity management (Basic Info, Title Formats, Breadcrumbs, Hero & Branding, Business Info) | |
| 225 | -- Advanced Schema Manager for organization/website structured data | |
| 226 | -- Social Media Optimization (Open Graph, Twitter Cards) | |
| 227 | -- Performance Monitoring (Core Web Vitals, PageSpeed, diagnostics) | |
| 228 | -- Analytics Integration (GA4, Search Console) with insights | |
| 229 | -- Robots.txt management with AI optimization | |
| 230 | -- XML Sitemap generation: Basic, Complete, E-commerce, Segmented | |
| 231 | -- LLMs.txt for AI indexing | |
| 232 | -- SEO Analytics Dashboard with keyword opportunities | |
| 233 | -- AI-powered insights with natural language explanations | |
| 234 | -- Real-time diagnostics and improvement recommendations | |
| 235 | -- Intelligent reporting with automated alerts and trends | |
| 236 | -- Post/Page metabox integration with real-time optimization | |
| 237 | -- Multi-AI provider support (OpenAI GPT-4, Claude) | |
| 238 | -- Local SEO data management | |
| 239 | -- Secure API key management; your own keys | |
| 240 | -- React-based admin interface | |
| 241 | -- PHP 8.0+ with strict typing | |
| 242 | -- Custom tables and intelligent caching | |
| 243 | -- Error handling, logging, performance optimization | |
| 244 | -- WordPress 6.0+ compatibility | |
| 365 | +- New: AI Search (GEO) category in the Site SEO Audit, with one-click fixes | |
| 366 | +- New: Audit findings list the exact pages and images affected | |
| 367 | +- New: Allow or block individual AI crawlers in robots.txt | |
| 368 | +- New: Automatic nofollow and new-tab for external links, with an exception list | |
| 369 | +- New: Per-content-type matrix to turn SEO features on or off | |
| 370 | +- New: Beaver Builder support, with FAQ, How-To and Table of Contents modules | |
| 371 | +- Improved: Test Connection checks your AI model as well as your key | |
| 372 | +- Fixed: Saving the Posts or Pages SEO screen reset matrix switches | |
| 373 | +- Fixed: Turning product schema off also removed WooCommerce's own product data | |
| 374 | +- Fixed: Minor Site SEO Audit, sitemap and robots.txt issues | |
| 245 | 375 | |
| 376 | += 2.4.0 = | |
| 377 | +Release Date: 2026-09-08 | |
| 378 | + | |
| 379 | +- New: FAQ, How-To and Table of Contents elements for Bricks Builder | |
| 380 | +- New: Option to use SEO titles in breadcrumbs | |
| 381 | +- Improved: SEO score rates Core Web Vitals and Mobile Experience from real measurements | |
| 382 | +- Improved: XML Sitemap screen warns when automatic regeneration fails or falls behind | |
| 383 | +- Fixed: Duplicate and hidden FAQ structured data on Bricks pages | |
| 384 | +- Fixed: Favicons are now generated at the correct sizes | |
| 385 | +- Fixed: 404 pages printed the matched post's meta tags | |
| 386 | +- Fixed: A failed PageSpeed audit counted as a score of zero | |
| 387 | +- Fixed: Minor breadcrumb, sitemap, video sitemap and audit issues | |
| 388 | + | |
| 389 | +[See changelog for all versions](https://thinkrank.ai/changelog/). | |
| 390 | + | |
| 246 | 391 | == Upgrade Notice == |
| 247 | 392 | |
| 248 | -= 1.0.0 = | |
| 249 | -Initial release of ThinkRank. Welcome to AI-powered SEO optimization! | |
| 393 | += 2.8.0 = | |
| 394 | +Adds import from Squirrly SEO and redesigned email reports that pause until Search Console is connected. Fixes migrations dropping title formats, the default social image and category SEO. Recommended for all sites. | |
| 395 | + | |
| 396 | += 2.7.0 = | |
| 397 | +Adds per-post search and archive visibility, RSS feed controls, alternative og:image tags, SEO metadata on post embeds, a canonical URL scheme setting and sitemap branding. Fixes the Schema master switch and non-Latin title and description truncation. Recommended for all sites. | |
