=== Ghost Update ===
Contributors: ipodguy79
Tags: SEO, Indexing API, Scheduled Updates, Recrawl, Post Refresh
Requires at least: 5.8
Tested up to: 6.9
Requires PHP: 7.2
Stable tag: 1.2.2
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Auto-refresh post/page, encourage recrawls by refreshing timestamps and optionally notifying Google. Boost SEO visibility without changing your content.

== Description ==

Ghost Update is a simple but powerful plugin that makes your WordPress site look alive again by systematically updating post/page timestamps and alerting Google Search to come check it out.

This is perfect for older blogs, abandoned content, or static websites that haven’t changed in a while and are now suffering in search rankings.

Ghost Update offers:

- ✅ Automatic post/page timestamp refresh (without touching content)
- ✅ Optional random or sequential update order
- ✅ Force update + recrawl button
- ✅ Manual Google JSON auth upload & secure storage
- ✅ Enforced 10-minute cooldown between Google Indexing API pings (for safety)
- ✅ Simple log viewer + log clearing
- ✅ Cron toggle — enable/disable auto mode
- ✅ No product updates, no WooCommerce, no content edits

== Installation ==

1. Upload the plugin folder to `/wp-content/plugins/` or install via the Plugins > Add New screen
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu
3. Visit **Settings → Ghost Update** to configure:

    - Upload your Google `.json` service account file
    - Enable automatic updating
    - Set your desired interval (in seconds)
    - Exclude posts/pages (optional)
    - View logs of all update and ping activity

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= What does this plugin actually do? =

Ghost Update refreshes your post/page `post_date` and `post_modified` fields on a schedule (e.g. every 8 hours). Optionally, it will also notify Google using the Indexing API to request a recrawl.

= Does it change content? =

No. It does **not** alter content, metadata, taxonomy, SEO fields, or anything else. It only updates timestamps and optionally triggers a Google ping.

= What’s the cooldown logic for Google API pings? =

Ghost Update enforces **1 request every 10 minutes**. This is to protect your quota and avoid abuse detection.

If an update is triggered while in cooldown, the post is still refreshed — but the Google ping is skipped and logged as:

`🔒 Cooldown active. Skipping GSC for post ID 1234.`

= Can I control which posts/pages get updated? =

Yes — exclude any number of posts or pages via ID in the plugin settings.

= How do I authenticate with Google? =

1. Create a Google Cloud project
2. Enable the **Indexing API**
3. Create a **service account**, and download the `.json` key
4. Upload it in the plugin settings
5. Add the `client_email` from the `.json` file as an **Owner** in your Google Search Console property

= How do I add the service account as an Owner in GSC? =

1. Open your `.json` file and find:
   `"client_email": "your-service-account@project.iam.gserviceaccount.com"`
2. Go to **Google Search Console → Settings → Users and Permissions**
3. Click **Add User** and paste the service account email
4. Set permission to **Owner**

= Google gave me an HTML file for verification — what do I do? =

You don’t need it.

Just uploaded securely via the plugin settings. 
this will add the file to "your-site"/uploads/ghostupdate 


== Cron Behavior ==

GhostUpdate uses WordPress' built-in "pseudo-cron" system, which means scheduled tasks only run when someone visits your site. This includes both automatic post updates and Google Search Console pings.
If DISABLE_WP_CRON is enabled in wp-config.php, you must run WordPress cron via a real server cron job.
=== Key Points ===

🔁 WordPress cron is visitor-based
No visitors = no cron runs. It only triggers when a page is loaded by a real user or bot.

🕓 Missed runs = delayed schedules
Cron tasks won’t fire in the background unless triggered by activity. This can cause delays in updates on low-traffic sites.

🧠 One run = one reschedule
A cron job must fire before WordPress will schedule the next one. They don’t “queue up” in advance.

=== Options for Low-Traffic Sites ===

✅ Keep the plugin’s settings page open in your browser
This keeps cron alive by generating regular page loads.

✅ Use the “Force Update + Recrawl Now” button
Instant update and ping, no waiting or cooldown.

=== Reminder ===

This behavior is core to how WordPress works. GhostUpdate doesn’t change or override it — it works with it.

== Screenshots ==

1. Ghost Update Settings Panel
2. Google JSON upload section
3. Force Update and Clear Log buttons
4. Recrawl log output with 200/403/Cooldown results

== Changelog ==

= 1.1.0 =
Tested and updated to work with wp 6.9

= 1.0 =
* Initial release
* Scheduled updates with interval + randomization
* Google Indexing API ping integration
* Rate-limited GSC API calls (1 per 10 min)
* Service account JSON file support
* Logging system with viewer + cleaner
* Admin UI with force button and exclusion filter
* Enable/Disable toggle for plugin scheduler
* Works with pages and posts (not WooCommerce)

== External Services ==

This plugin connects to multiple endpoints from Google’s Indexing API to notify Google that a post or page has been updated. This functionality is required to trigger recrawls in Google's search index.

=== What data is sent ===
The plugin sends the URL of the updated post or page to the following Google API endpoints. No personal data is transmitted.

=== When data is sent ===
Data is sent only when a post/page is programmatically republished by the plugin or when triggered manually by the admin.

=== External domains contacted ===
- `https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token` — used to obtain an OAuth 2.0 token with a service account
- `https://indexing.googleapis.com/v3/urlNotifications:publish` — used to send the updated URL to Google for recrawling
- `https://www.googleapis.com/auth/indexing` — used as the OAuth scope to limit access to Indexing API only

=== Service Provider ===
- Google LLC
- [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms)
- [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy)

By using this plugin, you agree to Google's API terms and policies. The authentication is performed using a Google Cloud service account which you manually upload to the plugin.


== Notes ==

- Posts/pages skipped due to cooldown are **still updated**, just not pinged.
- Google will still crawl updated content eventually even if not directly pinged.

== License ==

GPL v2 — use, modify, share freely.