WordPress SEO Automation Tool

Programmatically optimize SEO titles and meta descriptions across all WordPress posts using AI-powered generation and a CSV review workflow.

Features

• AI-Powered SEO Generation: Uses OpenRouter API (Claude, GPT-4, Llama, etc.) to create optimized titles and descriptions
• Plugin Support: Auto-detects and works with both Yoast SEO and Rank Math
• CSV Review Workflow: Generate proposals, review in Excel/Sheets, approve changes before applying
• Safety Features: Dry-run mode, rollback CSV generation, detailed logging
• SEO Best Practices: Enforces 50-60 char titles, 150-160 char descriptions, keyword optimization
• Batch Processing: Handle hundreds or thousands of posts efficiently

Table of Contents

• Prerequisites
• Installation
• WordPress Configuration
• OpenRouter API Setup
• Usage
• Workflow
• SEO Plugin Comparison
• Troubleshooting
• Cost Estimates

Prerequisites

• WordPress site with Yoast SEO or Rank Math plugin installed
• Python 3.8 or higher
• WordPress Application Password (for REST API access)
• OpenRouter API key (for AI-powered generation)

Installation

1. Clone or Download

cd /Users/acid/Documents/seo

2. Create Virtual Environment

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Configure Environment Variables

Copy the example environment file:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your credentials:

WORDPRESS_URL=https://yoursite.com
WORDPRESS_USERNAME=your_username
WORDPRESS_APP_PASSWORD=your_application_password
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_openrouter_api_key
AI_MODEL=anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet

WordPress Configuration

Step 1: Create Application Password

1. Log in to WordPress Admin
2. Go to Users → Profile
3. Scroll to Application Passwords section
4. Enter application name: "SEO Automation"
5. Click Add New Application Password
6. Copy the generated password (it will only be shown once)
7. Add to .env file as WORDPRESS_APP_PASSWORD

Step 2: Verify REST API Access

Test your authentication:

curl --user "your_username:your_app_password" \
  https://yoursite.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts?per_page=1&context=edit

You should receive a JSON response with post data.

Step 3: SEO Plugin Requirements

For Yoast SEO:

• Yoast SEO Free or Premium installed and activated
• Meta fields automatically accessible via REST API

For Rank Math:

• Rank Math Free or Pro installed and activated
• Meta fields automatically accessible via REST API

Both plugins are supported - the scripts auto-detect which one you're using.

OpenRouter API Setup

Why OpenRouter?

OpenRouter provides access to multiple AI models through a single API:

• Claude 3.5 Sonnet (recommended): Best quality, $3/$15 per 1M tokens
• GPT-4 Turbo: Strong performance, $10/$30 per 1M tokens
• Llama 3.1 70B: Free tier available, $0/$0 per 1M tokens
• Gemini Pro 1.5: Good balance, $1.25/$5 per 1M tokens

Get API Key

1. Visit https://openrouter.ai/
2. Sign up or log in
3. Go to API Keys section
4. Create new API key
5. Add to .env file as OPENROUTER_API_KEY

Choose AI Model

Edit AI_MODEL in .env:

# Best quality (recommended)
AI_MODEL=anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet

# Budget option (free)
AI_MODEL=meta-llama/llama-3.1-70b-instruct

# OpenAI
AI_MODEL=openai/gpt-4-turbo

Usage

Step 1: Generate SEO Proposals

Fetch all posts and generate AI-powered SEO suggestions:

python fetch_posts_and_generate_seo.py

Options:

# Test with first 5 posts
python fetch_posts_and_generate_seo.py --limit 5

# Specify output file
python fetch_posts_and_generate_seo.py --output my_proposals.csv

# Use rule-based generation (no AI/API costs)
python fetch_posts_and_generate_seo.py --no-ai

This creates a CSV file in output/ directory with proposals for all posts.

Step 2: Review Proposals

1. Open the generated CSV file in Excel or Google Sheets
2. Review each row:
   • Check proposed_seo_title (should be 50-60 chars)
   • Check proposed_meta_description (should be 150-160 chars)
   • Edit proposals if needed
3. Set status column to approved for changes you want to apply
4. Set status column to rejected for posts to skip
5. Save the CSV file

CSV Columns:

Column	Description
post_id	WordPress post ID
post_url	Post permalink
post_title	Original post title
current_seo_title	Current SEO title (from Yoast/Rank Math)
current_meta_description	Current meta description
proposed_seo_title	AI-generated SEO title
proposed_meta_description	AI-generated meta description
primary_keyword	Detected primary keyword
title_length	Character count of proposed title
description_length	Character count of proposed description
title_validation	Validation message
description_validation	Validation message
generation_method	'ai' or 'rule-based'
status	Set to 'approved' to apply changes
notes	Your notes (optional)

Step 3: Test with Dry Run

Before applying changes, test with dry-run mode:

python apply_approved_changes.py --input output/seo_proposals_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.csv --dry-run

This shows what would be updated without actually making changes.

Step 4: Apply Approved Changes

Apply the approved changes to WordPress:

python apply_approved_changes.py --input output/seo_proposals_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.csv

The script will:

1. Create a rollback CSV with original values
2. Ask for confirmation
3. Apply all approved changes
4. Generate detailed log file

Workflow

Complete Workflow Diagram

1. Generate Proposals
   └─> python fetch_posts_and_generate_seo.py
       └─> Fetches all posts from WordPress
       └─> Generates AI-powered SEO suggestions
       └─> Exports to CSV: output/seo_proposals_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.csv

2. Review & Edit
   └─> Open CSV in Excel/Google Sheets
       └─> Review proposed titles and descriptions
       └─> Edit as needed
       └─> Set status='approved' for changes to apply
       └─> Save CSV

3. Test (Optional)
   └─> python apply_approved_changes.py --input <csv> --dry-run
       └─> Simulates changes without applying

4. Apply Changes
   └─> python apply_approved_changes.py --input <csv>
       └─> Creates rollback CSV
       └─> Applies approved changes to WordPress
       └─> Generates log file

5. Verify
   └─> Check WordPress admin (post editor)
   └─> View source on frontend
   └─> Monitor search performance

Safety Features

• Dry Run Mode: Test without applying changes
• Rollback CSV: Automatically created before applying changes
• Detailed Logging: All operations logged to output/application_log_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.txt
• Validation: Enforces character limits and checks for duplicates
• Confirmation Prompt: Requires 'yes' confirmation before applying changes
• Rate Limiting: Prevents overwhelming WordPress server

SEO Plugin Comparison

Should You Switch from Yoast to Rank Math?

Current: Yoast SEO Free

• ✓ Market leader (12M users)
• ✓ Reliable and well-tested
• ✗ Only 1 focus keyword (vs unlimited in Rank Math)
• ✗ No redirect manager (premium only, $118.80/year)
• ✗ Limited schema support
• ✗ No internal linking suggestions

Alternative: Rank Math Free

• ✓ Unlimited focus keywords (vs 1 in Yoast Free)
• ✓ Redirect manager included (premium in Yoast)
• ✓ 20+ rich snippet types (FAQ, Product, Recipe, etc.)
• ✓ Better performance (40% less code)
• ✓ Internal linking suggestions
• ✓ Google Trends integration
• ✓ One-click Yoast migration (preserves all data)
• ✗ Smaller community (900K vs 12M users)

Recommendation for FREE users: Switch to Rank Math Free

Migration Steps:

1. Install Rank Math plugin
2. Run Setup Wizard → Import from Yoast
3. All SEO data automatically transferred
4. Deactivate (don't delete) Yoast as backup
5. Test a few posts
6. If satisfied, delete Yoast

These scripts work with both plugins - they auto-detect which one you're using.

SEO Best Practices (2026)

Title Optimization

• Length: 50-60 characters (≤600 pixels in SERPs)
• Keyword placement: Primary keyword in first 60 characters
• Uniqueness: Every post must have unique title
• Compelling: Written to improve click-through rate (CTR)
• Natural: No keyword stuffing

Meta Description Optimization

• Length: 150-160 characters (optimal for SERP display)
• User intent: Address what reader will learn/gain
• Keyword inclusion: Primary keyword appears naturally
• Uniqueness: Every post must have unique description
• Value proposition: Highlight what makes content unique
• CTR focused: Compelling language to encourage clicks

Note: Google rewrites 62%+ of meta descriptions, but they still matter for:

• CTR when not overridden
• Social media sharing (Open Graph)
• Signaling relevance to search engines

Troubleshooting

Error: "Authentication failed"

Cause: Invalid WordPress username or application password

Solution:

1. Verify username is correct (not email address)
2. Regenerate application password in WordPress
3. Update .env file with new password
4. Ensure no extra spaces in credentials

Error: "Access forbidden"

Cause: User doesn't have permission to edit posts

Solution:

1. Ensure user has Editor or Administrator role
2. Check if REST API is disabled by security plugin
3. Temporarily disable security plugins and test

Error: "OpenRouter API key invalid"

Cause: Invalid or missing OpenRouter API key

Solution:

1. Get API key from https://openrouter.ai/
2. Update OPENROUTER_API_KEY in .env
3. Ensure no extra quotes or spaces

Error: "No posts found"

Cause: No published posts or authentication issue

Solution:

1. Verify you have published posts in WordPress
2. Check authentication is working (see WordPress Configuration)
3. Try with --limit 1 to test with single post

SEO Plugin Not Detected

Cause: Plugin not installed or meta fields not exposed

Solution:

1. Verify Yoast SEO or Rank Math is installed and activated
2. Check if custom code blocks meta field access
3. Scripts default to Yoast field names if detection fails

AI Generation Fails

Cause: OpenRouter API error or rate limit

Solution:

1. Check OpenRouter account has credits
2. Try different AI model (switch to free Llama model)
3. Use --no-ai flag for rule-based generation
4. Check log files for specific error messages

Cost Estimates

OpenRouter API Costs

Using Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Recommended):

• Average post: ~2000 tokens input + 200 tokens output
• Cost per post: ~$0.009
• 100 posts: ~$0.90
• 1000 posts: ~$9.00

Using Free Models:

• Llama 3.1 70B: $0.00 (free tier)
• No cost for generation

Rule-Based Generation:

• No API costs
• Use --no-ai flag
• Lower quality but free

File Structure

/Users/acid/Documents/seo/
├── .env                              # Your credentials (git-ignored)
├── .env.example                      # Example configuration
├── .gitignore                        # Git ignore rules
├── requirements.txt                  # Python dependencies
├── config.py                         # Configuration loader
├── seo_generator.py                  # SEO generation logic
├── fetch_posts_and_generate_seo.py  # Main fetching script
├── apply_approved_changes.py        # Application script
├── README.md                         # This file
└── output/                           # Generated files
    ├── seo_proposals_*.csv          # Generated proposals
    ├── rollback_*.csv               # Backup files
    └── application_log_*.txt        # Detailed logs

Development Notes

Testing

Test with small batch first:

# Generate proposals for 5 posts
python fetch_posts_and_generate_seo.py --limit 5

# Review CSV and approve changes

# Dry run to verify
python apply_approved_changes.py --input output/seo_proposals_*.csv --dry-run

# Apply to 5 posts
python apply_approved_changes.py --input output/seo_proposals_*.csv

Verify changes:

1. Open WordPress post editor
2. Check Yoast/Rank Math SEO box shows updated title and description
3. View source on frontend: check <title> and <meta name="description"> tags
4. Test rollback CSV if needed

Extending the Scripts

Add custom validation:

• Edit seo_generator.py → validate_seo_title() and validate_meta_description()

Change AI model:

• Edit .env → AI_MODEL=openai/gpt-4-turbo

Customize prompts:

• Edit seo_generator.py → _generate_with_ai() method

Add more meta fields:

• Edit scripts to include focus keywords, Open Graph tags, etc.

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check this README troubleshooting section
2. Review log files in output/ directory
3. Test with --dry-run mode first
4. Start with --limit 5 for testing

License

This tool is provided as-is for WordPress SEO optimization. Use responsibly and always backup your WordPress site before bulk updates.

Changelog

Version 1.0.0 (2026-02-15)

• Initial release
• AI-powered SEO generation via OpenRouter
• Support for Yoast SEO and Rank Math
• CSV review workflow
• Safety features (dry-run, rollback, logging)
• Auto-detection of SEO plugins