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Rank Math API Manager

Full SEO Automation in WordPress with Rank Math API Manager

License: GPL v3 WordPress Plugin PHP Version WordPress Version

📋 Overview

Plugin Name: Rank Math API Manager
Version: 1.0.9.1
Author: Devora AS
Description: WordPress extension that exposes REST API endpoints to update Rank Math SEO metadata programmatically.

🎯 Purpose

This extension enhances the WordPress REST API with custom endpoints that allow external systems (such as n8n workflows) to update Rank Math SEO fields directly via API calls. This eliminates the need for manual SEO configuration and integrates seamlessly with automation.

✨ Features

🔧 Supported SEO Fields

  • SEO Title (rank_math_title) - Meta title for search engines
  • SEO Description (rank_math_description) - Meta description for search engines
  • Canonical URL (rank_math_canonical_url) - Canonical URL for duplicate content
  • Focus Keyword (rank_math_focus_keyword) - Primary keyword for the article

🌐 REST API Endpoints

POST /wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/update-meta

Updates Rank Math SEO metadata for a specific post or product.

Supported post types: Only posts (post) and products (product, if WooCommerce is active). Page IDs are not accepted and will return a validation error.

Parameters:

  • post_id (required) - ID of the post or product (must be a post or product, not a page)
  • rank_math_title (optional) - SEO title
  • rank_math_description (optional) - SEO description
  • rank_math_canonical_url (optional) - Canonical URL
  • rank_math_focus_keyword (optional) - Focus keyword

Request Example:

curl -X POST "https://example.com/wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/update-meta" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
  --user "USERNAME:APPLICATION_PASSWORD" \
  -d "post_id=14&rank_math_title=Optimized title&rank_math_description=SEO description&rank_math_focus_keyword=keyword"

Replace USERNAME and APPLICATION_PASSWORD with your WordPress username and Application Password. Use a real post (or product) ID; page IDs are not supported.

Response:

{
  "rank_math_title": "updated",
  "rank_math_description": "updated",
  "rank_math_focus_keyword": "updated"
}

🚀 Installation

1. Plugin Installation

  1. Upload the plugin ZIP or extracted plugin folder to /wp-content/plugins/rank-math-api-manager/
  2. Activate the plugin in WordPress admin panel
  3. Verify that the plugin is active

1.1 Update packaging note

Current releases are packaged as rank-math-api-manager.zip and extract to the folder rank-math-api-manager/. If your site still runs an older install from Rank Math API Manager-plugin-kopi, the plugin will continue to work and can still detect updates, but the plugin now surfaces an admin notice with a recommended one-time reinstall path to normalize the folder name.

2. Permissions

The plugin requires users to be authenticated and able to edit the specific target post or product via current_user_can( 'edit_post', $post_id ).

3. REST API Access

Ensure that the WordPress REST API is available and not blocked by security layers.

🔗 Integration with n8n Workflow

This plugin is specifically designed to work with Devora's n8n workflow "Write wordpress post with AI".

Workflow Integration

  1. Automatic SEO Generation: AI generates SEO metadata based on content
  2. Programmatic Update: n8n sends API calls to the plugin
  3. Seamless Integration: No manual intervention required

n8n Node Configuration

{
  "method": "POST",
  "url": "https://example.com/wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/update-meta",
  "contentType": "form-urlencoded",
  "bodyParameters": {
    "post_id": "={{ $('Post on Wordpress').first().json.id }}",
    "rank_math_title": "={{ $('Generate metatitle e metadescription').first().json.output.metatitle }}",
    "rank_math_description": "={{ $('Generate metatitle e metadescription').first().json.output.metadescription }}",
    "rank_math_focus_keyword": "={{ $('Generate metatitle e metadescription').first().json.output.metakeywords }}"
  }
}

🛡️ Security

Authentication

  • Requires WordPress Application Password or Basic Auth
  • Validates object-level user permissions (edit_post on the requested post or product)
  • Sanitizes all input parameters

Validation

  • Validates that post_id exists
  • Sanitizes SEO text fields with wp_filter_nohtml_kses()
  • Validates URLs with esc_url_raw()

📡 Telemetry and Privacy

Version 1.0.9.1 introduces privacy-documented anonymous telemetry groundwork for update health monitoring. The plugin sends only:

  • Anonymous site ID
  • Plugin slug and version
  • WordPress version
  • PHP version
  • Event type (activate, deactivate, heartbeat)
  • Timestamp

It does not send site URL, emails, usernames, SEO content, or authentication data. Telemetry is enabled by default for the documented minimal payload and can be disabled from the admin notice shown to site administrators. See docs/telemetry-and-privacy.md for the full policy.

🔧 Technical Details

Post Types

The plugin automatically supports:

  • Posts (standard WordPress posts)
  • Products (WooCommerce products, if WooCommerce is active)

Meta Fields

All SEO fields are registered as post meta with:

  • show_in_rest: true - Available via REST API
  • single: true - Single values
  • type: string - String data type
  • auth_callback - Permission control

🗺️ Development Roadmap

🎯 Phase 1: Extended Field Support (High Priority)

1.1 Social Media Meta Tags

  • Facebook Title (rank_math_facebook_title)
  • Facebook Description (rank_math_facebook_description)
  • Facebook Image (rank_math_facebook_image)
  • Twitter Title (rank_math_twitter_title)
  • Twitter Description (rank_math_twitter_description)
  • Twitter Image (rank_math_twitter_image)

1.2 Advanced SEO Fields

  • Robots Meta (rank_math_robots)
  • Advanced Robots (rank_math_advanced_robots)
  • Primary Category (rank_math_primary_category)
  • Secondary Focus Keyword (rank_math_secondary_focus_keyword)
  • Tertiary Focus Keyword (rank_math_tertiary_focus_keyword)

1.3 Schema Markup

  • Schema Type (rank_math_schema_type)
  • Article Schema Type (rank_math_schema_article_type)

🚀 Phase 2: Bulk Operations and Read Functions

2.1 Bulk Updates

POST /wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/bulk-update
  • Update multiple posts/products in one API request
  • Support for batch processing
  • Error handling for individual updates

2.2 Read Functions

GET /wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/get-meta/{post_id}
GET /wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/posts
  • Retrieve existing SEO metadata
  • List of posts with SEO information
  • Filtering and sorting

2.3 SEO Status Endpoint

GET /wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/seo-status/{post_id}
  • SEO score for posts
  • Missing fields
  • Improvement recommendations
  • Schema status

🔄 Phase 3: Automation and Integration

3.1 Conditional Updates

POST /wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/smart-update
  • Update only if fields are empty
  • Update only if values are different
  • Minimum/maximum length validation
  • Duplicate checking

3.2 Webhook Support

POST /wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/webhooks
  • Register webhooks for SEO updates
  • Real-time notifications for changes
  • Configurable webhook endpoints

3.3 SEO Template System

POST /wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/apply-template
  • Predefined SEO templates
  • Variable substitution
  • Content-based templates (blog, product, page)

📊 Phase 4: Advanced Features

4.1 SEO Validation

POST /wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/validate
  • Validation of SEO metadata before saving
  • Length controls
  • Keyword density
  • Duplicate checking

4.2 Analytics and Reporting

GET /wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/analytics
  • SEO statistics for the website
  • Average SEO score
  • Schema implementation rate
  • Missing metadata overview

4.3 Rate Limiting and Security

  • Rate limiting per user/IP
  • API key support
  • Audit logging
  • Advanced error handling

🌐 Phase 5: Enterprise Features

5.1 Multi-site Support

POST /wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/multisite-update
  • Support for WordPress multisite
  • Cross-site SEO synchronization
  • Centralized SEO administration

5.2 Advanced Integrations

  • Google Search Console API integration
  • Google Analytics 4 integration
  • External SEO tool integration

📈 Expected Timeline

Phase Features Estimated Delivery Status
1 Extended Field Support Q3 2025 🔄 Planned
2 Bulk Operations Q3 2025 🔄 Planned
3 Automation Q3 2025 🔄 Planned
4 Advanced Features Q4 2025 🔄 Planned
5 Enterprise Q1 2026 🔄 Planned

🎯 Use Cases

1. Content Syndication

  • Update SEO metadata when content is syndicated
  • Cross-site SEO synchronization
  • Automatic SEO optimization

2. AI-driven SEO Optimization

  • Integration with AI tools
  • Automatic keyword generation
  • Content-based SEO suggestions

3. E-commerce SEO Automation

  • Product catalog optimization
  • Seasonal campaigns
  • Inventory-based SEO updates

4. Bulk SEO Administration

  • Mass reporting of posts
  • SEO audit automation
  • Competitor analysis integration

❓ FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

🤔 General Questions

Q: What is Rank Math API Manager? A: Rank Math API Manager is a WordPress plugin that allows you to update Rank Math SEO metadata programmatically via REST API endpoints. It's specifically designed to integrate with automation like n8n workflows.

Q: Which WordPress versions are supported? A: The plugin requires WordPress 5.0 or newer and PHP 7.4 or newer. It has been verified on WordPress 6.9.3 during local runtime testing.

Q: Is Rank Math SEO plugin required? A: Yes, the Rank Math SEO plugin must be installed and activated for this plugin to work.

🔧 Installation and Setup

Q: How do I install the plugin? A: Upload the plugin ZIP through Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, or place the extracted plugin folder in /wp-content/plugins/rank-math-api-manager/, then activate it in WordPress admin.

Q: What permissions do I need? A: You must be authenticated and have permission to edit the specific target post or product.

Q: How do I set up authentication? A: Use WordPress Application Passwords or Basic Auth. See the installation section for details.

🌐 API and Integration

Q: Which SEO fields can I update? A: The plugin supports SEO Title, SEO Description, Canonical URL, and Focus Keyword.

Q: Can I use this with WooCommerce? A: Yes, the plugin automatically supports WooCommerce products if WooCommerce is active.

Q: How do I integrate with n8n? A: See the n8n integration section in the documentation for example configuration.

Q: Is there rate limiting on the API endpoints? A: The plugin does not currently add a dedicated endpoint rate limiter. The route is authenticated and permission-checked, and additional rate limiting can be added at the site or infrastructure layer if needed.

🛡️ Security

Q: Are the API endpoints secure? A: Yes, all endpoints require authentication and validate user permissions. All input parameters are sanitized.

Q: How do I report security issues? A: Send security reports to security@devora.no. Do not create public GitHub issues for security problems.

Q: Is sensitive data logged? A: No, the plugin does not log sensitive data.

🔄 Updates and Maintenance

Q: How do I update the plugin? A: The plugin can be updated via the WordPress admin panel or by manually uploading a new version.

Q: Are there automatic updates? A: Yes. The plugin integrates with the native WordPress update UI by checking the latest published GitHub release and its rank-math-api-manager.zip asset. Sites running 1.0.8 or 1.0.9 should see 1.0.9.1 as an available update in WP Admin -> Plugins once WordPress refreshes plugin updates, as long as the release is published, the ZIP asset exists, and the site can reach the GitHub API. Because release data is cached for up to 1 hour and GitHub checks are rate-limited to 5 minutes, the notice may not appear immediately.

Q: What if no update appears yet? A: Confirm that the GitHub release is published and includes rank-math-api-manager.zip, then clear the plugin update transient and the plugin's GitHub release/rate-limit cache before triggering Dashboard -> Updates -> Check Again. If your install still uses Rank Math API Manager-plugin-kopi, that folder name does not block update detection, but the admin notice will recommend a one-time reinstall to normalize the folder.

Q: How do I check if the plugin is working? A: Test the API endpoint with a simple POST request to /wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/update-meta.

🐛 Troubleshooting

Q: I get 401 Unauthorized errors? A: Check that the Application Password is correctly configured and that the user can edit the specific target post or product.

Q: I get 404 Not Found errors? A: Verify that the plugin is active and that the WordPress REST API is available.

Q: I get 400 Bad Request errors? A: Ensure post_id is a post or product (pages are not supported). Check that the post exists and that all parameters are correctly formatted.

Q: WooCommerce integration doesn't work? A: Check that WooCommerce is installed and activated.

📈 Future Features

Q: Will there be support for more SEO fields? A: Yes, see the roadmap section for planned features like social media meta tags and schema markup.

Q: Will there be bulk operations? A: Yes, bulk updates are planned for phase 2 of development.

Q: Will there be webhook support? A: Yes, webhook support is planned for phase 3.

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Problems

  1. 401 Unauthorized

    • Check that Application Password is correctly configured
    • Verify that the user can edit the specific target post or product

  2. 404 Not Found

    • Check that the plugin is active
    • Verify that the REST API is available

  3. 400 Bad Request

    • Ensure post_id is a post or product (not a page)
    • Check that post_id exists
    • Validate that all parameters are correctly formatted

Debugging

Enable WordPress debug logging to see detailed error messages:

// wp-config.php
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);

🤝 Contributing

To contribute to this plugin:

  1. Follow WordPress coding standards
  2. Test changes thoroughly
  3. Update documentation
  4. Use descriptive commit messages
  5. Follow our Code of Conduct

📞 Support

Developed by: Devora AS
Website: https://devora.no

🐛 Reporting Bugs and Issues

If you discover a bug or have other problems with the plugin, you can:

  1. Create a GitHub Issue: Visit GitHub Issues and create a new issue
  2. Include the following information:
    • WordPress version
    • Plugin version
    • PHP version
    • Description of the problem
    • Steps to reproduce the problem
    • Error messages (if any)
    • Screenshots (if relevant)

🔒 Security Issues

Important: Do not report security issues via GitHub Issues. Send them to security@devora.no instead.

📧 Contact

📋 Documentation

License: GPL v3 - Devora AS
Last Updated: March 2026

Developed by Devora AS ☔️

Brave • Innovative • Responsible • Creative • Different

About

A WordPress plugin that manages the update of Rank Math metadata (SEO Title, SEO Description, Canonical URL, Focus Keyword) via the REST API for WordPress posts and WooCommerce products.

devora.no

Topics

javascript plugin api php wordpress metadata wordpress-plugin automation rest-api seo zapier make meta-tags n8n rankmath

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