=== ProRank SEO ===
Contributors: prorankseo
Donate link: https://prorank.io
Tags: seo, image optimization, performance, schema markup, xml sitemap
Requires at least: 6.8
Tested up to: 7.1
Requires PHP: 8.2
Stable tag: 1.6.1
License: GPL-2.0-or-later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Rank higher and load faster with live SEO audits, schema, caching, image optimisation, internal links, and AI search tools.

== Description ==

= Rank Higher. Load Faster. Grow with One WordPress Plugin. =

**Stop stitching together separate SEO, speed, image, schema, and audit plugins.** ProRank brings the tools you need into one clear WordPress workspace.

Enable only the modules your website needs. Start with powerful free tools, keep control of your data, and add advanced workflows when your site grows.

= Why Website Owners Choose ProRank =

* **Find SEO problems faster** — run live site audits and see scores, issues, and recommendations while the scan is still running.
* **Improve search visibility** — manage titles, descriptions, schema, sitemaps, redirects, and indexing without touching code.
* **Make WordPress faster** — use page caching, asset optimisation, image compression, lazy loading, and performance health checks from one place.
* **Build stronger internal links** — discover link opportunities, broken links, orphaned content, and pages that need more authority.
* **Prepare for AI search** — publish `llms.txt` and structured discovery endpoints that help AI assistants understand your website.
* **Switch without starting over** — preview and import SEO data from Yoast SEO, AIOSEO, Rank Math, or SEOPress, with rollback protection.
* **Stay in control** — ProRank is modular, and its core free SEO tools work on your WordPress site without requiring an account.

= What changed in 1.6.1 =

* Site audits: refined checks and clearer details for images, redirects and page content.
* Scan progress: improved recovery, progress updates and link statistics.
* SEO editing: consistent search and social previews, with improved image controls.
* Internal linking: expanded Thrive support and published-link verification.
* Speed reports: clearer performance measurements and PageSpeed status.
* Image loading: refined responsive sizing, cache preloading and WooCommerce layouts.
* Caching and settings: smoother setup, clearer status messages and better compatibility with other caching plugins.
* Compatibility: updated search-engine checks and page-builder support.

= Start Free. Upgrade When You Need More. =

**ProRank SEO Free** includes on-page SEO, schema, sitemaps, redirects, live site audits, caching, image optimisation, internal-link tools, AI-search readiness, and safe migration from leading SEO plugins.

**[ProRank Premium](https://prorank.io/pricing?utm_source=wporg&utm_campaign=readme)** adds Link Intelligence campaigns, advanced analytics, Keyword Research (Beta), cloud image optimisation, critical CSS, unused CSS removal, AI-assisted content tools, local SEO, WooCommerce SEO, and agency workflows.

= ✍️ On-Page SEO =

* SEO titles and meta descriptions
* Canonical URL controls
* Robots meta controls
* Open Graph and X (Twitter) cards
* Search result and social previews in the editor
* SEO revision history API for ProRank metadata changes
* Site basics, social profile, and site representation settings
* Breadcrumb settings and breadcrumb schema
* Search result priority controls for ordering site-search results by post type
* Bulk editing tools for SEO metadata
* H1 audit and guided repair for missing or duplicated main headings
* Title-length audit and per-page SEO title repair workflow

= 🏆 Schema & Rich Results =

* Core schema settings for WebSite, Organization, Article, and Breadcrumbs
* FAQ, HowTo, Recipe, JobPosting, and Dataset Gutenberg blocks with automatic JSON-LD
* Schema output controls from the on-page SEO settings
* Local business schema with business type, opening hours, map coordinates, and price range
* Schema validation helpers

= 🤖 AI Discovery & AI Endpoints =

* Site-wide JSON-LD @graph at `/wp-json/prorank-seo/v1/schema-map`
* Public NLWeb-compatible `/ask` endpoint with `mode=list`
* Public MCP-compatible `/mcp` endpoint over the same discovery data
* Shared on/off gate for `/schema-map`, `/ask`, and `/mcp`
* Agentic SEO readiness checks for `llms.txt`, AI discovery endpoints, agent-readable controls, and layout stability
* ProRank Premium adds authenticated BYOK `summarize` and `generate` modes on `/ask` and `/mcp`

= 🗺️ Sitemaps, Indexing & Technical SEO =

* XML sitemap generation with content-type controls
* Video XML sitemap with automatic YouTube and Vimeo detection
* HTML sitemap generation
* Robots.txt controls and physical-file detection
* AI crawler blocking with per-vendor controls (OpenAI, Google AI, Anthropic, Perplexity, and more)
* Indexing controls and global noindex options
* Post index status REST checks for publish/noindex/canonical blockers
* URL cleanup tools
* Head cleanup tools
* RSS feed before/after content and attribution settings
* AI metadata leak detection and cleanup for editor attributes left in generated content
* Redirect manager with 301/302 redirects
* 404 monitoring and redirect suggestions
* IndexNow and search-engine ping support where configured

= 🔗 Content Analysis & Internal Linking =

* Content analysis settings and editor integration
* Readability checks
* Headline analysis
* Numeric SEO/content score badges in the WordPress 7 post list
* Inclusive-language and prominent-words analysis
* Internal-link scan and suggestions
* Inbound and outbound link opportunities
* Broken-link checks
* Orphan detection
* Link reports and auto-linking rules
* Configured post-type scope respected across link reports and broken-link filters
* Optional internal-link click tracking

= 🩺 Audits & Monitoring =

* Local site audit dashboard
* Issue history and audit tracking
* Core Web Vitals dashboard
* H1, title-length, AI metadata leak, font delivery, and bloat audit panels
* Accessibility audit tools
* Notifications and workflow guidance inside the plugin

= ⚡ Image Optimisation & Performance =

* Local image optimisation
* Image SEO pattern tools for bulk alt text, attachment titles, and captions
* WebP-ready image workflow
* Lazy loading controls
* Performance presets for Standard, Aggressive, and E-commerce profiles
* Compatibility profiles for 39 common caching, asset, and image-optimisation plugins
* Runtime health reporting for cache, scheduler, storage, encoder, CDN, and host-workload readiness
* Page cache settings with URL, category, tag, and post-type exclusions
* Stale-while-revalidate page caching with background refresh controls
* WooCommerce cart, session, checkout, account, and Store API cache bypasses
* REST GET cache for safe public API routes
* Browser cache controls
* CSS and JavaScript optimisation
* Self-healing JavaScript learning that protects scripts ProRank has optimised
* Role-based asset-optimisation skips and content-visibility rendering controls
* HTML minification
* Missing thumbnail generation and upload big-image threshold controls
* Resource hints and Google Fonts local hosting
* Per-zone Heartbeat controls for frontend, admin dashboard, and post editor
* Cloudflare zone detection, dev-mode toggle, and clear-on-purge-all controls
* Font Delivery Health and Bloat diagnostics
* Object cache health and opt-in drop-in lifecycle controls for Redis or Memcached (server backend required; not bundled; never auto-enabled)
* Cache safety hardening with atomic `.htaccess` writes, variant-aware purges, bounded UCSS fallback handling, and a secret-gated raw-analysis bypass
* Unused media scan and confirmation-gated dry-run deletion endpoints
* Database cleanup endpoints with estimated savings previews, power tweaks, and server-side tuning checks

= 📦 Import, Export & Workflow =

* Setup wizard
* Import from Yoast SEO, AIOSEO, Rank Math, and SEOPress
* Builder support for Gutenberg, Elementor, Divi Builder, Beaver Builder, SeedProd, and WPBakery
* Export and import settings
* Import preview, post counts, import type badges, and one-click rollback
* Settings snapshots and backups
* Module manager
* Support, feedback, and documentation screens

= 🚀 Upgrade to ProRank Premium =

ProRank Premium adds advanced workflows for larger sites, teams, and agencies:

* Google Analytics 4 and Microsoft Clarity integrations
* Content decay, AI brand insights, AI overviews, action opportunities, query fan-out planner, advanced analytics modules, and Keyword Research (Beta) powered by Ahrefs for Business and Agency plans
* Advanced content analysis and AI-assisted tools
* AI image attributes and AI performance doctor tools
* Visual schema builder and advanced schema controls
* Visual link map, content safeguard, and enhanced internal-linking workflows
* Local SEO modules including locations and KML sitemap support
* WooCommerce SEO modules including product schema, cart schema, shop optimisation, and visibility controls
* E-E-A-T monitoring and advanced audit workflows
* Advanced cloud image optimisation workflows
* Advanced performance modules including critical CSS, unused CSS, cache preload, Cache Coverage, Warm Cache Now, script management, font subsetting, video optimisation, speculation rules, INP/LCP optimisers, and view transitions
* Advanced technical SEO modules including author and news sitemaps, redirect logging, hreflang/internationalisation, ethical SEO, headless mode, and LLMs.txt support
* Business and agency features including Role Manager, client reporting, audit log, SEO roadmaps, white label, user manager, and SEO simulator

[See pricing and plans →](https://prorank.io/pricing?utm_source=wporg&utm_campaign=readme)

= 📚 Learn More =

* [Website](https://prorank.io?utm_source=wporg&utm_campaign=readme)
* [Documentation](https://prorank.io/docs?utm_source=wporg&utm_campaign=readme)
* [Pricing](https://prorank.io/pricing?utm_source=wporg&utm_campaign=readme)
* [Support](https://prorank.io/support?utm_source=wporg&utm_campaign=readme)

== Development & Build ==

The human-readable source for JS/CSS lives in `src/` and `assets/`. Production bundles are generated into `build/`.

Build steps:
1. `npm install`
2. `npm run build`

== External Services ==

ProRank SEO connects to external services only for features that need them. Requests are made only after an administrator enables or runs the relevant feature, except for normal WordPress-scheduled checks such as the notification feed. The Free plugin package is updated only through WordPress.org; it does not contain ProRank's private Premium updater.

* **ProRank API** — Admin notifications, changelog checks, optional feedback submissions, optional cache diagnostics, security alerts, extension metadata, and cloud image optimization where explicitly enabled/available. Sends site URL, plugin version, license key or tier where configured, feedback fields when you submit feedback, image files when cloud optimization is enabled, and diagnostic/error context for security or cache checks. The ProRank API is not used to deliver Free plugin package updates. [Terms](https://prorank.io/terms) | [Privacy](https://prorank.io/privacy-policy)
* **Google PageSpeed Insights API** — Core Web Vitals and performance audits. Sends the analysed URL and optional API key. [Terms](https://policies.google.com/terms) | [Privacy](https://policies.google.com/privacy)
* **YouTube Data API** — Optional video-sitemap metadata enrichment when you provide a YouTube API key. Sends the detected YouTube video IDs and your configured API key. [Terms](https://www.youtube.com/t/terms) | [Privacy](https://policies.google.com/privacy)
* **Hosted video metadata** — Video sitemaps can request public titles, descriptions, thumbnails, dates, and durations for detected Vimeo, Dailymotion, VideoPress, and TED videos. Sends only the detected public video URL; VideoPress also receives the requesting site host required by its oEmbed API. Requests use fixed provider endpoints, are cached, and run only while generating a sitemap containing those videos. [Vimeo](https://vimeo.com/terms) | [Dailymotion](https://legal.dailymotion.com/en/terms-of-use/) | [WordPress.com](https://wordpress.com/tos/) | [TED](https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-com-terms-of-use)
* **Schema.org Validator** — Schema validation. Sends the validated page URL. [Terms](https://schema.org/docs/terms.html)
* **IndexNow** — Instant indexing notifications. Sends host, API key, and URLs. [Protocol](https://www.indexnow.org/)
* **Sitemap Pings** — Notifies Google and Bing of sitemap updates. Sends the sitemap URL.
* **Google Fonts** — Downloads fonts locally when local hosting is enabled. Sends the font request URL.
* **Website Carbon API and Green Web Foundation API** — Sustainability reports send page byte counts and the site's hostname to estimate emissions and check green-hosting status. Requests run only when an administrator runs sustainability analysis and successful results are cached. [Website Carbon Terms](https://www.websitecarbon.com/terms/) | [Website Carbon Privacy](https://www.websitecarbon.com/privacy/) | [Green Web Foundation Privacy](https://www.thegreenwebfoundation.org/privacy-policy/)
* **CDN provider APIs (optional)** — After an administrator selects a provider and supplies credentials, ProRank can test the connection, detect a Cloudflare zone, manage supported Cloudflare settings, and purge cached URLs. Requests go directly from the WordPress server to the selected provider. They can include the configured zone, service, pull-zone or distribution ID; authentication token, key ID or signed authorization header; the site hostname; and URLs or paths selected for invalidation. An AWS secret key is used locally to sign CloudFront requests and is not transmitted verbatim. Requests occur only on an explicit connection/settings action or a cache purge while that provider is configured. ProRank does not upload or proxy site assets through prorank.io as part of these controls. [Cloudflare Terms](https://www.cloudflare.com/terms/) | [Cloudflare Privacy](https://www.cloudflare.com/policies/privacy/) | [bunny.net Terms](https://bunny.net/tos/) | [bunny.net Privacy](https://bunny.net/privacy/) | [Fastly Terms](https://www.fastly.com/terms) | [Fastly Privacy](https://www.fastly.com/privacy) | [AWS Service Terms](https://aws.amazon.com/service-terms/) | [AWS Privacy](https://aws.amazon.com/privacy/) | [KeyCDN Terms](https://www.keycdn.com/terms) | [KeyCDN Privacy](https://www.keycdn.com/privacy)
* **Administrator-configured webhooks (optional)** — A CDN purge webhook receives a connection-test request or a JSON purge action with the affected public URLs. Audit-alert webhooks receive the event and report fields selected by the administrator. Requests are sent only after an administrator saves and uses that endpoint. The endpoint is controlled by the site owner, so its terms and privacy policy are those of the chosen webhook operator.
* **User-configured CDN URL rewriting (not a ProRank proxy)** — When an administrator enters a CDN base URL, ProRank rewrites eligible URLs for static files already hosted by the site. This feature makes no server-side upload or proxy request. A visitor's browser requests the rewritten asset directly from the administrator's chosen CDN, which receives the visitor IP address, standard request headers, and requested asset path under that provider's terms. Nothing is routed through prorank.io by this rewrite feature.
* **Trustindex loader localization (optional)** — When the matching performance governance feature is enabled and the site already includes a Trustindex widget loader, the WordPress server can retrieve that public loader URL, adapt it for deferred local delivery, and cache the resulting file under WordPress uploads. Trustindex receives the requested loader URL, the server IP address, and standard HTTP request data; ProRank does not send visitor form data or WordPress database content. [Trustindex Terms](https://www.trustindex.io/terms-of-use) | [Trustindex Privacy](https://www.trustindex.io/privacy-policy)

Static hostnames for Google Maps, CAPTCHA providers, payment gateways, booking tools, WordPress emoji resources, and public CDNs also appear in ProRank's compatibility, privacy, and sustainability catalogues. Those entries identify or protect resources already added by WordPress, the theme, or another plugin; the lists themselves do not load those services or send them data.

== Third Party Libraries ==

* axe-core (https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core), licensed under MPL-2.0 and bundled locally in `assets/js/axe-core/axe.min.js`.

== Privacy ==

ProRank SEO does not collect personal data by default. All SEO data is stored locally in your WordPress database. Optional features like click tracking and RUM monitoring are disabled by default and only activate when you enable them.

[Privacy Policy](https://prorank.io/privacy-policy)

== Installation ==

1. Upload the plugin files to `/wp-content/plugins/prorank-seo/`
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
3. Go to ProRank SEO in your admin menu and run the setup wizard

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Does ProRank SEO require an account or API key? =

No. The free plugin works entirely locally — no account, no API key, no cloud dependency. Its AI Discovery surface is public list mode only (`/schema-map`, `/ask`, and `/mcp`). ProRank Premium requires a license key for cloud features, and its richer AI Discovery modes (`summarize` and `generate`) use your own AI Tools provider key plus WordPress application-password auth.

= Which plugins can I import from? =

ProRank can preview and import supported data from Yoast SEO, AIOSEO, Rank Math, SEOPress, Redirection, Schema Pro, and All in One Schema Rich Snippets. A completed import includes a temporary rollback option.

= What is ProRank Premium? =

ProRank Premium is the paid upgrade that adds advanced Site Audit workflows, rank tracking, advanced analytics, AI-assisted workflows, and agency tools. [See plans](https://prorank.io/pricing?utm_source=wporg&utm_campaign=readme).

= Does the plugin send data to external services? =

Only when you use features that require them (PageSpeed audits, IndexNow, etc.). See the External Services section for full details.

= Does the free plugin include the admin app? =

Yes. The free plugin package includes the compiled admin app required to run ProRank SEO. The human-readable source and build steps are documented in the Development & Build section.

= Does Object Cache require Redis or Memcached? =

Only if you choose to enable the object-cache drop-in. ProRank SEO does not bundle Redis or Memcached and does not auto-install the drop-in. The install control first checks that a backend is reachable, protects foreign drop-ins, creates a backup, and fails open to WordPress' in-memory cache if the backend becomes unavailable.

= Will uninstalling remove my data? =

Yes. Uninstalling removes all plugin options, metadata, and custom database tables.

== Screenshots ==

1. Dashboard overview with SEO score, issue summary, page totals, and Core Web Vitals.
2. On-page SEO settings for site basics, metadata, schema, content analysis, and social/search previews.
3. Performance tools for caching, asset optimisation, image optimisation, and database cleanup.
4. Internal linking workspace with link reports, link map, broken-link checks, and auto-linking tools.
5. Technical SEO controls for sitemaps, robots, redirects, schema, and crawl management.

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 1.6.1 =
This maintenance update refines site audits, SEO editing, internal linking and performance tools. Existing settings and saved reports are retained.

== Changelog ==

= 1.6.1 =
* Site audits: refined checks and clearer details for images, redirects and page content.
* Scan progress: improved recovery, progress updates and link statistics.
* SEO editing: consistent search and social previews, with improved image controls.
* Internal linking: expanded Thrive support and published-link verification.
* Speed reports: clearer performance measurements and PageSpeed status.
* Image loading: refined responsive sizing, cache preloading and WooCommerce layouts.
* Caching and settings: smoother setup, clearer status messages and better compatibility with other caching plugins.
* Compatibility: updated search-engine checks and page-builder support.

= 1.6.0 =

**New features**

* See Site Audit scores, issues, and recommendations appear while the scan is running.
* Keep a useful report when a large or slow audit cannot finish every page.
* Check caching, images, scheduled tasks, storage, CDN, and server readiness from the new Performance Health dashboard.
* Route different folders and file types through up to four CDN Asset Routes.
* Automatically leave redirected pages out of standard XML sitemaps.

**Improvements**

* Improved H1 checks and guided fixes across WordPress editors, shortcodes, and page builders.
* Improved sitemaps, redirects, CDN rewriting, internal links, focus keywords, and template variables.
* Improved migration previews, validation, conflict warnings, and rollback feedback.
* Improved admin layouts, labels, responsive tables, and error recovery.
* Added safer background processing and compatibility profiles for 39 popular performance plugins.

**Bug fixes**

* Fixed long audits losing findings or leaving pages stuck in progress.
* Fixed inconsistent live scores, issue totals, category counts, and audit progress.
* Fixed audit summaries failing on some WordPress database setups.
* Fixed repeated cache jobs adding unnecessary server load.
* Fixed imports accepting unsupported values or showing unclear rollback results.

* [View the complete release history](https://prorank.io/changelog).