WordPress.org

Where in WordPress does the plugin add itself?

SEO Ultimate puts all its admin pages under a new "SEO" top-level menu. The only exception is the plugin settings page, which goes under Settings > SEO Ultimate.

Where's the documentation?

SEO Ultimate's documentation is built into the plugin itself. Whenever you're viewing an SEO Ultimate page in your WordPress admin, you can click the "Help" tab in the upper-right-hand corner to view documentation for the area you're viewing.

What are modules?

SEO Ultimate's features are divided into groups called "modules." SEO Ultimate's "Module Manager" lets you enable or disable each of these groups of features. This way, you can pick-and-choose which SEO Ultimate features you want.

Can I access a module again after I've hidden it?

Yes. Just go to the Module Manager and click the module's title to open its admin page. If you'd like to put the module back in the "SEO" menu, just re-enable the module in the Module Manager and click "Save Changes."

How do I disable the number bubbles on the "SEO" menu?

Just go to the Module Manager and select the "Silenced" option for any modules generating number bubbles. Then click "Save Changes."

Why doesn't the settings exporter include all my data in an export?

The settings export/import system is designed to facilitate moving settings between sites. It is NOT a replacement for keeping your database backed up. The settings exporter doesn't include data that is specific to your site. For example, logged 404 errors are not included because those 404 errors only apply to your site, not another site. Also, post/page titles/meta are not included because the site into which you import the file could have totally different posts/pages located under the same ID numbers.

If you're moving a site to a different server or restoring a crashed site, you should do so with database backup/restore.

Why do I get a "500 Server Error" after using the File Editor?

You may have inserted code into your .htaccess file that your web server can't understand. As the File Editor warns, incorrectly editing your .htaccess file can disable your entire website in this way. To restore your site, you'll need to use an FTP client (or your web host's File Manager) to edit or rename your .htaccess file. If you need help, please contact your web host.

Will my robots.txt edits remain if I disable the File Editor?

No. On a WordPress blog, the robots.txt file is dynamically generated just like your posts and Pages. If you disable the File Editor module or the entire SEO Ultimate plugin, the File Editor won't be able to insert your custom code into the robots.txt file anymore.

Will my .htaccess edits remain if I disable the File Editor?

Yes. The .htaccess file is static. Your edits will remain even if you disable SEO Ultimate or its File Editor module.

Where did my .htaccess edits go?

The .htaccess file is static, so SEO Ultimate doesn't have total control over it. It's possible that WordPress, another plugin, or other software may overwrite your .htaccess file. If you have a backup of your blog's files, you can try recovering your edits from there.

What do I do if my site has multiple meta tags?

First, try removing your theme's built-in meta tags if it has them. Go to Appearance > Editor and edit header.php. Delete or comment-out any <meta> tags.

If the problem persists, try disabling other SEO plugins that may be generating meta tags.

Troubleshooting tip: Go to Settings > SEO Ultimate and enable the "Insert comments around HTML code insertions" option. This will mark SEO Ultimate's meta tags with comments, allowing you to see which meta tags are generated by SEO Ultimate and which aren't.

How do I edit the meta tags of my homepage?

If you are using a "blog homepage" (the default option of showing your blog posts on your homepage), go to SEO > Meta Editor and use the Blog Homepage fields.

If you have configured your Settings > Reading section to use a "frontpage" (i.e. a Page as your homepage), just edit that Page under Pages > Edit and use the "Description" and "Keywords" fields in the "SEO Settings" box.

Does the Title Rewriter edit my post/page titles?

No. The Title Rewriter edits the <title> tags of your site, not your post/page titles.

What's the difference between the "title" and the "title tag" of a post/page?

The "title" is the title of your post or page, and is displayed on your site and in your RSS feed. The title is also used in your <title> tag by default; however, you can override the value of just the <title> tag by using the "Title Tag" field in the "SEO Settings" box.

What's a slug?

The slug of a post or page is the portion of its URL that is based on its title.

When you edit a post or Page in WordPress, the slug is the yellow-highlighted portion of the Permalink beneath the Title textbox.

Does the Slug Optimizer change my existing URLs?

No. Slug Optimizer will not relocate your content by changing existing URLs. Slug Optimizer only takes effect on new posts and pages.

How do I see Slug Optimizer in action?

1. Create a new post/Page in WordPress.
2. Type in a title containing some common words.
3. Click outside the Title box. WordPress will insert a URL labeled "Permalink" below the Title textbox. The Slug Optimizer will have removed the common words from the URL.

Why didn't the Slug Optimizer remove common words from my slug?

It's possible that every word in your post title is in the list of words to remove. In this case, Slug Optimizer doesn't remove the words, because if it did, you'd end up with a blank slug.

What if I want to include a common word in my slug?

When editing the post or page in question, just click the "Edit" button next to the permalink and change the slug as desired.

How do I revert back to the optimized slug after making changes?

When editing the post or page in question, just click the "Edit" button next to the permalink; a "Save" button will appear in its place. Next erase the contents of the textbox, and then click the aforementioned "Save" button.

How does the Competition Researcher work?

The Competition Researcher opens Google search results in iframes based on the parameters you specify. You can study these results to glean information about the general competition for a keyword or about specific competitors' websites. The Competition Researcher does not scrape/crawl Google's search results or use other illicit automated methods; it just opens the Google search results in your browser.

Why is the More Link Customizer an improvement over WordPress's built-in functionality?

Although WordPress does allow basic custom "more" anchors, the SEO Ultimate approach has several benefits:

• More Link Customizer (MLC) lets you set a custom default anchor text. WordPress, on the other hand, leaves this up to the currently-active theme.
• MLC lets you dynamically incorporate the post's title into the anchor text.
• MLC lets you include HTML tags in your anchor, whereas WordPress strips these out.
• MLC's functionality is much more prominent than WordPress's unintuitive, barely-documented approach.
• Unlike WordPress's method, MLC doesn't require you to utilize the HTML editor.

If you've already specified custom anchors via WordPress's method, SEO Ultimate will import those anchors automatically into the More Link Customizer.

How do I remove the attribution link?

Because of the tremendous effort put into this plugin, we ask that you please leave the link enabled. If you must disable it, you can do so under Settings > SEO Ultimate.

Why isn't the Title Rewriter or the Meta Editor working?

Try disabling other SEO plugins, as they may be conflicting with SEO Ultimate. Also, check to make sure your theme is plugin-friendly.

How do I disable the "SEO Settings" box in the post/page editors?

Open the editor, click the "Screen Options" tab in the upper-right-hand corner, and uncheck the "SEO Settings" checkbox.

Why did some of the textboxes disappear from the "SEO Settings" box?

The "SEO Settings" fields are added by your modules. The "Title Tag" field is added by the Title Rewriter module, the "Description" and "Keywords" fields are added by the Meta Editor module, etc. If you disable a module using the Module Manager, its fields in the "SEO Settings" box will be disabled too. You can re-enable the field in question by re-enabling the corresponding module.

How do I uninstall SEO Ultimate?

1. Go to the Plugins admin page.
2. Deactivate the plugin if it's activated.
3. Click the plugin's "Delete" link.
4. Click the "Yes, Delete these files" button. SEO Ultimate's files and database entries will be deleted.

Will all my settings be deleted if I delete SEO Ultimate in the Plugins manager?

Yes. WordPress plugins are supposed to delete their settings during the uninstallation process.