# WordPress SEO Plugin Documentation | Hack The SEO URL: https://hacktheseo.com/documentation-wordpress-seo-plugin/ Date: 2026-07-01 Last modified: 2026-07-22 Author: Hacktheeric --- - ** Hack The _SEO_ · Docs v4.1 Hack The SEO Technical documentation Plugin v4.1 · SEO + GEO Getting started Introduction Architecture Quickstart Plans & tiers SEO foundation Dashboard & score Meta Tags & SERP Schema JSON-LD Sitemap & robots Redirects & 404 Canonical The semantic engine Semantic cocoons Internal linking Cannibalization AI writing Images & ALT GEO · AI visibility GEO Score llms.txt & .md pages AI bot tracking Control & automation Agents & Inbox AI Coach MCP · pilot with Claude History & rollback Data & integrations Search Console WooCommerce Compatibility & specs Resources FAQ & troubleshooting SEO/GEO glossary Documentation · WordPress SEO plugin # Hack The SEO — the technical documentation Hack The SEO is a WordPress plugin that does the SEO for you**: it audits, fixes, writes, links and measures. This documentation explains what each module does and how to use it — for site owners who run their own site, and for SEO & GEO consultants who want to understand the levers. **What makes Hack The SEO different:** other plugins _flag_ problems (42 tags to fix, 8 orphan pages...). Hack The SEO _executes_: it builds and links a semantic cocoon, fixes an audit in one click, writes long-form articles, and lets you drive everything through AI. It's a plugin that acts, not a dashboard of alerts. my-site.com/wp-admin/ · Hack The SEO _ The plugin brings together technical SEO, a semantic engine and GEO in a single WordPress interface. ## What is Hack The SEO?# Hack The SEO improves your site's visibility on Google **and** on AI search engines (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini). It has two complementary parts: A **WordPress plugin** installed on your site. It applies fixes and manages internal linking, cocoons, redirects, schema, GEO and the AI Coach — right inside your admin. - A **SaaS platform** (app.hacktheseo.com) that handles the heavy processing: traffic analysis, keyword research, semantic audits, topical maps and article generation — with the AI included. ### What you can do - Check your site's SEO health in seconds (a score out of 100). - Automatically fix errors: titles, meta descriptions, ALT tags, schema. - Generate semantic cocoons and AI-optimized long-form articles. - Track positions, clicks and traffic from Google Search Console, without leaving WordPress. - Measure and improve your **visibility inside AI** (GEO Score, llms.txt, bot tracking). - Drive all of it in natural language through a connected AI agent (MCP). ### Who is this documentation for? #### Site owners SMBs, freelancers, e-merchants. No technical skills required: every screen guides you step by step. #### SEO consultants Understand the scores, the semantic clustering, the link budget, and the exact levers behind each module. #### GEO specialists GEO Score, llms.txt / llms-full.txt, clean .md pages and AI crawler tracking — the full AI-visibility toolkit. Architecture ## How the plugin and the platform work together# The WordPress plugin is the "arm" that acts on your site. The platform is the "brain" that hosts the AI, connects Search Console and runs the heavy processing. The two are linked by a single API key. #### The WordPress plugin Installed on your site. It reads and writes your content, injects schema and meta tags, serves the sitemap / robots / llms.txt, manages cocoons, linking and redirects, and displays the Dashboard. Compatible with PHP 7.4 → 8.2, shared hosting included. #### The SaaS platform Hosts the AI, the Google Search Console connection and the decision engines. All AI is **included**: no OpenAI/Claude key to supply, no cloud bill to manage. The AI processing runs on Hack The SEO servers (Europe), **not inside WordPress**. The plugin footprint stays light (comparable to Yoast) and your Lighthouse score is identical before/after activation. ### Where does what run? ProcessingPlugin (local)SaaS (HTS servers) Meta tags, schema, sitemap, robots, breadcrumbs✔ 100% local— SEO score, GEO Score, cannibalization detection✔ local— AI bot & traffic tracking✔ stored in your database— Article writing, AI meta rewriting—✔ AI included Semantic analysis of content~ cached locally✔ computed on our servers Google Search Console—✔ connection handled on the SaaS The connection is made through an **API key** (Settings → Connections_). A secure check validates your Free / Pro / Ultra plan, with a safety fallback if the servers are ever unavailable so your site keeps working. Quickstart ## Install and run your first scan# From install to your first health score: about 5 minutes. The plugin is **zero-config** — it works from activation, and the API key only unlocks AI and automation. #### Create your account On hacktheseo.com, create an account (free trial available without a credit card depending on the plan). You get your API key in your dashboard. #### Install the plugin In WordPress: _Plugins → Add New → Upload_, then activate. Go to _Hack The SEO → Dashboard_. #### Connect the API key and Google Search Console _Settings → Connections_: paste the API key, then connect your Google Search Console (no token to manage — the connection is handled for you). #### Let the first scan run The health score and first recommendations appear in the Dashboard. Search Console data comes in within 24–48 h. **Migrating from Yoast / Rank Math / SEOPress / AIOSEO?** The plugin detects the old plugin and imports your meta titles/descriptions in one click via the migration wizard (Dashboard). Meta data is shared: nothing is lost. See the FAQ. my-site.com/wp-admin/admin.php?page=hts-cockpit _ The Dashboard: health score, priority alerts and access to every module. Plans & tiers ## Free, Pro & Ultra: who gets what# Three levels. The table below is the **reference**: the technical SEO foundation is free, Pro unlocks analysis, and Ultra unlocks automatic execution. Free #### The full SEO foundation All core SEO modules, the global score, llms.txt, migration, the Coach (5 questions/month), redirects + AI suggestions, cannibalization detection, content refresh. Pro · €99/mo #### Analyze & plan Everything in Free, plus: cocoon analysis, cocoon plans, export, **unlimited Coach** + reports + memory + analytics, Inbox access, editorial planning. Ultra · €249/mo #### Execute automatically Everything in Pro, plus: cocoon writing, link application (AI linking), standalone articles, auto-write, Inbox actions, **autonomous agent mode**, weekly report, branded PDF, cannibalization merge, and conversational control via MCP. ### Capability grid CapabilityFreeProUltra SEO modules (meta, schema, sitemap, robots, redirects, breadcrumbs)✔✔✔ Global score & health check · llms.txt · migration wizard✔✔✔ AI Coach5 questions / monthUnlimitedUnlimited Cannibalization detection · AI 404 redirect suggestions✔✔✔ Cocoon analysis · article plans · export—✔✔ View the Inbox · Coach reports · editorial planning—✔✔ Auto article writing · standalone articles (auto-write)——✔ AI linking: apply links · cocoon import——✔ Apply Inbox actions · autonomous agent mode——✔ Cannibalization merge · weekly report · branded PDF · audit trail——✔ Conversational control via MCP (pilot with Claude)——✔ Good to know: **Schema JSON-LD** and the **GEO Score** are active from the Free tier (they show in the editor). What sets Ultra apart is **automatic execution** (write, link, apply) and **conversational control** through MCP. The SEO foundation ## Dashboard (Cockpit): the health cockpit# The Dashboard is the first page you see. It shows a **health score out of 100**, the most urgent problems, and gives access to the Inbox, the AI Coach and History. ### Reading the health score 80–100Green · site well optimized 50–79Orange · improvements to make 0–49Red · important problems ↻Recomputed on every open Below the score, alert cards show what's wrong, why_ it matters, and a link to fix it. The most urgent alerts come first. The Dashboard is organized into tabs: **Dashboard** (score + alerts), **Inbox** (agent recommendations), **AI Coach** (questions/answers on your data) and **History** (past actions + impact). ### The plugin's three scores ScoreScopeWhat it measures **On-page score**One page / articleReal-time score in the editor: title, description, Hn structure, keywords, ALT, canonical, robots... (multi-criteria analysis). **Global score**The whole siteAggregates the technical and editorial health of the site into a score out of 100 (shown in the Dashboard). **GEO Score**Article / category"Citability" score by AI — a weighted set of criteria (see GEO Score). Hack The SEO · Article analysis & scan _ The article scan surfaces scores and detected issues, page by page. The SEO foundation ## Meta Tags & SERP preview# Manage the titles and meta descriptions of every page, with a real-time preview of how it renders in Google. ### Where to configure - **Global**: Settings → SEO Settings tab_ — homepage title & description, default title format, separator, Organization info (name, logo, social profiles) for schema. - **Per page**: in the WordPress editor, the **Hack The SEO** block below the content — SEO Title and Meta Description fields, real-time character counter, Google preview. Recommended lengths: **SEO Title** 50–60 characters, **Meta description** 120–160 characters. The counter changes color when you exceed the limit. The _title tag_ is different from the WordPress title (H1) shown on the page. ### Automatic suggestions in bulk When the system detects pages with missing or weak meta tags, it drops suggestions into the **Inbox**. You preview the before/after, apply in one click, or reject — with bulk processing available. When you drive the plugin through AI, it can rewrite and apply the meta according to your _brand voice_. The SEO foundation · Technical ## Schema JSON-LD (structured data)# Hack The SEO automatically generates the structured data that lets Google show rich results (stars, expandable FAQ, breadcrumbs) — and helps AI understand your pages. Schema is **auto-detected** based on content type: Article, FAQ, HowTo, Product, Recipe, Event, and so on. You don't code anything. Configuration (Organization, active types) is done in _Settings → SEO Settings → Schema section_, then JSON-LD is injected on every page. Hack The SEO · Automatic Schema.org _ JSON-LD schemas are generated and injected automatically, with manual editing possible. ### Schema types emitted The module covers **45+ Schema.org types** (and their sub-objects), including: ArticleFAQPageHowToProductOffer / AggregateOfferAggregateRatingReviewRecipeEventCourseJobPostingOrganizationPersonLocalBusiness / PlaceBreadcrumbListWebSite / WebPageVideoObjectSpeakableSpecificationSoftwareApplicationProfilePageSpecialAnnouncement Check the output at search.google.com/test/rich-results. When driven through AI, the plugin can audit every schema on the site and add the missing ones automatically. ### E-E-A-T & Author schema The plugin manages the **Person** schema for authors (bio, links, expertise) — an E-E-A-T signal read by Google as well as AI. It can audit and fix author attribution, and a real author (not "admin") counts toward the GEO Score. The SEO foundation · Technical ## XML Sitemap & robots.txt# A dynamic sitemap that helps Google discover all your pages, and an optimized robots.txt — both handled automatically. ### XML Sitemap - Generated at yoursite.com/sitemap.xml, updated on every publish/change. - Noindex pages are **excluded** automatically; the native WordPress sitemap is disabled to avoid duplicates. - Choose which content types to include (posts, pages, products, categories) in Settings → SEO Settings → XML Sitemap_. - If Search Console is connected, the sitemap is **submitted automatically** to Google. ### Robots.txt An optimized robots.txt is served by default, editable in _Settings → SEO Settings → Robots.txt_ (a _Restore_ button reverts to the default). Never block the whole site with Disallow: /. A physical robots.txt file on the server takes priority over the plugin's version — delete or rename it. The SEO foundation · Technical ## 301 redirects & 404 errors# Manage redirects to avoid 404s and preserve SEO value when you delete or move a page. Hack The SEO · Smart 301 / 404 redirects _ 404 detection and automatic suggestion of the most relevant destination. - **Create**: Hack The SEO → Redirects → Add_. Source + destination URL, type 301 (permanent, recommended in 95% of cases), 302, 307 or 410. A _Test_ button. - **Detected 404s**: the dedicated tab lists errors with their hit count. For each 404, the plugin **suggests the most relevant destination** (AI suggestion, included from the Free tier). - **Bulk import**: a two-column CSV (source, destination) via the _Import_ button. When driven through AI, the plugin can check redirect chains and loops, create a redirect for you, and repair broken internal links. The SEO foundation · Technical ## Canonical (canonical URL)# The canonical tag tells Google which is the official version of content reachable via several URLs. Hack The SEO adds one automatically on every page. - By default, each page points to itself (**auto-canonical**). URL parameters (utm, sort, filters) are handled automatically. - To point one page to another: the _Canonical URL_ field in the Hack The SEO block of the editor. - Use cases: republished content (point to the original), two very similar pages (point the secondary to the main one). The canonical is part of the plugin's **multi-layer anti-cannibalization protection**. To resolve two competing pages, see Cannibalization. The semantic engine ## Semantic cocoonsPro / Ultra# A semantic cocoon is a group of articles about the same topic, linked together. Hack The SEO analyzes your site, automatically groups your content around a **pillar** page, and tells you what's missing — to prove to Google and AI that you're an authority on the topic. Hack The SEO → Content Groups _ Cocoons are built automatically around your pillar pages. ### The anatomy of a cocoon RoleDefinition **Pillar**The main page of the cocoon (your central topic). Only one per cocoon. **Child article**An article directly linked to the pillar (an inbound or outbound link with it). **Satellite article**An article in the cocoon, on the same topic, without a direct link to the pillar. **Orphan page**A page with no internal link at all — to fix as a priority. **"Unclassified" pool**Pages not attached to a cocoon (topic too far off), reusable later. ### Create a cocoon, step by step It all happens in Hack The SEO → Content Groups_, organized into three tabs: **Business pages** (choose the pillars), **My groups** (view and manage cocoons), **Writing** (missing articles). #### Detect the business pages _Business pages_ tab → _Detect_. The plugin scans the site and proposes your important pages (the ones that should rank). #### Choose the pillars Check the pages that will be pillars (one per cocoon). Simple rule: **N pillars checked = N cocoons**. #### Create the groups The plugin sorts each article around the right pillar by semantic analysis. The rest goes into the "Pages to organize" pool. #### Complete & link _Writing_ tab: generate the missing articles (Ultra), then create the internal links (Ultra). Pillar pages _ Business pages tab: detection and choice of the pillars. Cocoon view The visual graph: pillar in the center, children and satellites around it. ### How the plugin classifies articles The plugin compares the **meaning** of content, not just WordPress categories. Each article is turned into a numeric fingerprint of its meaning, then the plugin measures how close it is to the pillar. When an article is close enough, it joins the cocoon; when it's too far off, it goes to "Unclassified". That's what keeps an off-topic article from polluting a cocoon, even if it shares the same tags. **Cocoon score (Topical Authority).** A score out of 100 that measures how much your cocoon dominates its topic. It combines the average SEO quality of the pages, the number of articles vs the target, internal link density, and — if Search Console is connected — clicks and average position. ### Settings & guidance SettingGuidance Site modeAuto (Editorial / E-commerce, detected from WooCommerce) Ideal cocoon size5 to 20 pages (above 30, consider splitting) Article target (editorial)A dozen or so pages around a pillar Article target (e-commerce)Fewer — a handful of supporting pages per category Large sitesSupported — analysis is capped to stay fast on shared hosting **Exclusive:** Hack The SEO is the only WordPress plugin that **generates the cocoon, writes the articles and weaves the internal links** automatically. The plugin creates drafts_ — never published without your approval (see AI writing). ### Limits & requirements - **Plan**: Pro minimum to analyze/plan; Ultra to write and link. On Free, the screen is a locked preview. - **Multilingual**: never mix languages in a cocoon. The plugin analyzes one language at a time — otherwise, use _Recreate groups_. - **Shared hosting**: background tasks recover automatically when you open the admin, so nothing stalls if your host throttles cron jobs. - **Store**: a product is never a pillar — the pillar is the **product category** (see E-commerce). The semantic engine ## Internal linkingUltra# Internal linking analyzes all your internal links, detects orphan pages, and proposes precise links — with the source page, destination, anchor text, exact paragraph and a relevance score. Compatible with Elementor, Divi, Gutenberg. ### Why it's crucial Internal links have three roles: **discovery** (Google finds new pages by following links; an orphan may never get indexed), **understanding** (anchor text signals the destination's topic) and **authority distribution** (each page passes on part of its authority). In practice: a well-linked 200-page site outperforms a poorly linked 500-page site. Linking proposal _ Each suggestion specifies source, destination, anchor and relevance. Cocoon linking The linking graph updates in real time. ### The "Create links" flow Link proposals are created **and shown only after an explicit click on "Create links"**: nothing appears until you trigger it. The button runs the scan, proposes the links, and shows a clear result: "N links created", "Weekly quota reached (X/Y)" or "No new opportunity — cocoon already linked". #### Suggestion The plugin proposes the links (dotted on the graph) with anchor and placement. #### Validation In the Inbox: preview in context, then Apply_ or _Reject_ (blacklists the pair). Bulk processing available. #### Application (push to WordPress) The link is inserted into the real content, whatever the builder. Reversible via History. Automatic anchor proposal _ The anchor (link text) is proposed automatically, editable before applying. ### Guardrails & link budget - **Orphan pages**: a healthy target of 2–3 inbound links minimum per page. An "anti-orphan" net catches pages with no link, while respecting exclusions. - **Link budget**: a weekly quota per cocoon prevents over-optimization and keeps the linking natural. - **Exclusions respected**: a noindex, 301-redirected page, a product, or a manually removed page no longer receives a link (the cache is invalidated immediately). - **Catch-up on old content**: on a pre-existing site, the plugin can flag a whole cocoon to add links in batches, without overloading the server. When driven through AI, the plugin can apply the suggested links, verify the anchors, and keep the link budget under control. The semantic engine ## Cannibalization# Cannibalization is when two of your pages compete for the same keyword on Google — as a result, neither ranks well. It's one of the most common and most invisible SEO problems. ### Detect In Hack The SEO → Competing Pages_, you see the pairs of conflicting pages: the shared keyword, each page's positions, and the **severity** (red = urgent, orange = important, yellow = minor). Always start with the red cases. ### Resolve — 4 proposed actions #### Merge Ultra Combines the best of both pages into one, then redirects the old URL. #### Differentiate Adjusts titles and content to target distinct search intents. #### Redirect If one page is clearly inferior, redirect it (301) to the better one. #### Canonicalize Keep both pages accessible, but only one indexed (canonical tag). Resolving cannibalization is often the fastest way to gain positions: instead of two pages at position 15, you can have one at position 5. The **merge** (combine + automatic redirect) is Ultra-only. The semantic engine ## AI writing & content freshnessUltra# The plugin generates SEO-optimized blog articles from a keyword or a topic, factoring in the cocoon context (pillar + other satellites). The article lands as a **draft in the Inbox** — never published without your validation. Hack The SEO · SEO / GEO article planning _ The editorial calendar: drafts, scheduled and published, with auto-scheduling. ### Generate an article - In Content Groups_, select a cocoon and a missing satellite. - Click _Generate this article_. The AI analyzes the topic within the cocoon context. - The draft lands in the Inbox: review it, enrich it (your expertise, examples, links), then approve. - On approval, the article is **scheduled to the next slot** (max 1/day by default to space out publishing). You can also generate from the SaaS (keyword or competitor URL → semantic clusters → editable outline → content section by section → send to WordPress as draft or publish). Compatible with Gutenberg and Elementor. Google doesn't penalize AI content — it penalizes low-quality content. An article that's generated then **reviewed and enriched** ranks very well. Good cadence: 2 to 4 articles/week, consistency beats volume. ### Freshness The freshness module spots aging articles and offers to refresh them (recent content is scored higher by Google and counts toward the GEO Score: content updated in the last 90 days counts as fresh). When driven through AI, the plugin can list the stale articles and schedule a refresh. The semantic engine ## Images & ALT attributes# ALT tags describe your images for Google and accessibility — and count toward the GEO Score (aim for at least 2 images with an ALT containing the keyword). - **ALT generation**: the plugin detects images with no alt text and proposes a descriptive ALT containing the page keyword. - **Image cascade & prompt builder**: for AI image generation (Ultra), a prompt builder aligns the visual with the article topic. - **Best practice**: a descriptive ALT, never keyword stuffing. Example: "Automated semantic cocoon on WordPress" rather than "seo wordpress seo plugin seo". Remember to set width and height on your in-content images to avoid _CLS_ (layout shift) measured by Google in the Core Web Vitals. GEO · AI visibility ## The GEO Score# **GEO** = _Generative Engine Optimization_: optimizing to be **cited by AI** (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Google's AI Overviews). The GEO Score is a 0–100 score that measures how "citable" a piece of content is by AI — built from a weighted set of criteria grounded in current research on how AI engines choose their sources. Hack The SEO · GEO Score _ The GEO Score shows as a colored ring, with the breakdown of its criteria. ### Reading the score 75–100Well optimized for AI 50–74Partial optimization 0–49Needs optimization ### What the GEO Score checks The score looks at the signals AI engines rely on to quote a page. Each criterion is weighted by how much it moves the needle — below, grouped by impact. For every weak criterion, the plugin gives you a concrete **"fix"** and surfaces your top priority recommendations. CriterionImpactWhat is checked **FAQ & structured lists**HighFAQ,