Core Concepts
This page explains the vocabulary used throughout the product and command documentation.
WordPress Path
Most commands need to know which WordPress installation to operate on. You can pass it explicitly:
seo-ops meta get 123 title --path=/var/www/html
Or configure it once:
seo-ops config set default_path /var/www/html
seo-ops meta get 123 title
The path should point to the WordPress root directory containing wp-config.php.
Post IDs
Most metadata commands target WordPress content by numeric post ID:
seo-ops meta get 123 title
Use inventory or WP-CLI to discover IDs:
seo-ops inventory --path=/var/www/html
wp post list --path=/var/www/html --post_type=page,post
SEO Fields
Commands use product-level field names instead of raw database meta keys.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
title | SEO title shown in search results |
description | SEO meta description |
canonical | Canonical URL |
robots | Indexing directives such as noindex/nofollow |
focus_keyword | Primary target keyword where supported |
The active SEO plugin determines the underlying storage key.
Plugin Adapter
The SEO adapter detects the active plugin and maps product-level fields to plugin-specific metadata keys.
Example:
seo-ops meta set 123 title "New SEO title" --path=/var/www/html
Depending on the site, this may write to a Yoast, SEOPress, Rank Math, AIOSEO, or fallback meta key.
Fallback Mode
If no supported SEO plugin is detected, wp-seo-ops can use generic fallback keys.
Fallback mode is useful for:
- Sites without an SEO plugin.
- Migration preparation.
- Custom workflows where another process reads generic metadata.
Fallback keys make the CLI usable without a plugin, but they do not automatically change how a theme outputs SEO tags unless your WordPress stack reads those keys.
Dry Run
--dry-run previews a write operation without changing the database.
Use it before any batch or destructive command:
seo-ops meta bulk updates.csv --path=/var/www/html --dry-run
seo-ops redirect import redirects.csv --path=/var/www/html --dry-run
seo-ops redirect delete /old-page --path=/var/www/html --dry-run
Output Formats
Many commands support machine-readable output:
| Format | Best For |
|---|---|
table | Human terminal review |
json | Automation and API-like workflows |
csv | Spreadsheet review or migration |
md | Reports and documentation |
html | Browser-readable audit reports |
External API Adapters
Some features depend on external APIs:
| Adapter | Used By | Optional? |
|---|---|---|
| Google PageSpeed | audit speed | Yes |
| Google Search Console | analyze gsc-adapter | Yes |
| SpyFu | analyze keyword | Yes |
| IndexNow | instant-indexing submit | Yes |
Where supported, mock mode lets you test workflows without credentials.