SEOmatic
Full Guide

SEOmatic is a full-stack SEO automation platform. Connect your website, choose which SEO tasks to run, and let AI generate optimised meta tags, schema markup, keywords, internal link suggestions, and full blog posts — then push everything live to your site automatically.

5-Step Quick Start

1. 1
   Configure Agency Settings (Super Admin)

   Go to Admin → Agency Settings. Add your Anthropic API key (get one at console.anthropic.com) — this powers all AI features. Configure your SMTP email settings so you can receive OTP codes and send client reports.
2. 2
   Connect Your First Site

   Go to Sites and click + Add Site. Choose WordPress or Shopify. For WordPress, you'll need a WP Application Password. For Shopify, you'll need a Custom App access token. Full details are in the Connecting a Site section below.
3. 3
   Select Your SEO Tasks

   Tick which tasks to enable for the site: Meta Tags, Schema Markup, Keyword Optimisation, Internal Links. Start with Meta Tags only to see results quickly — you can add more tasks later.
4. 4
   Run Your First SEO Job

   On the site card, click ▶ Run SEO. The system fetches all published pages and sends each one to AI. A 30-page site takes roughly 3–5 minutes. Watch the progress in the run log at the bottom of the page.
5. 5
   Review & Approve Results

   When the run finishes, click any page row to review its AI-generated meta title, description, and schema. Click Approve to push it live to your site. Click Approve All to write everything in one action.

The Three User Roles

SEOmatic supports two platforms. Click + Add Site in the Sites panel and choose your platform using the toggle at the top of the modal.

WordPress Setup

1. 1
   Generate a WP Application Password

   Log into your WordPress Admin. Go to Users → Profile. Scroll down to the Application Passwords section. Type a label (e.g. SEOmatic) and click Add New Application Password. Copy the password exactly as shown — it includes spaces and is only displayed once.
2. 2
   Install the RankMath Plugin (recommended)

   SEOmatic writes meta data via RankMath's custom fields (rank_math_title, rank_math_description, rank_math_focus_keyword). Install and activate RankMath SEO or RankMath SEO Pro on your WordPress site. Without it, SEO data won't appear in Google's results pages.
3. 3
   Fill in the Add Site Form

   Enter the Site Name (display label), the full WordPress URL (no trailing slash), your WP Username, and the Application Password. Select which SEO Tasks to enable. Set the schedule if you want auto-runs.
4. 4
   Test the Connection

   Click ⚡ Test Connection inside the modal. A green banner confirms your credentials work. A red banner explains what went wrong. Common issues: wrong URL format, wrong username, Application Password not copied completely.

Shopify Setup

1. 1
   Create a Shopify Custom App

   In your Shopify Admin, go to Settings → Apps and Sales Channels → Develop Apps. Click Create an App, give it a name (e.g. SEOmatic), and click Create.
2. 2
   Configure API Scopes

   In the app settings, go to Configuration → Admin API integration. Enable these scopes: read_content, write_content, read_products, write_products, read_metaobjects, write_metaobjects. Click Save.
3. 3
   Install and Copy the Access Token

   Click Install App then click Reveal Token Once. Copy the Admin API access token — it starts with shpat_. Store it somewhere safe; it won't be shown again.
4. 4
   Add the Site in SEOmatic

   Toggle the platform selector to Shopify. Enter your store domain (e.g. mystore.myshopify.com) and paste the access token. Click Test Connection to verify, then Save.

SEO Task Checkboxes Explained

Require Approval Mode

Reviewing and Editing Results

Click any page row to open the full result view. You can edit the meta title, description, schema, and keywords directly before approving. Edited values override the AI output and are saved permanently. Click Approve to push the result live, or Reject to discard it and regenerate later.

Automated Weekly Runs

Enable Weekly Auto-Run in Agency Settings to automatically process all sites on a set day and time each week. Combined with Require Approval OFF, this creates a fully hands-free SEO optimisation pipeline. The scheduler uses the server's cron job — it runs even when no one is logged in.

The SEO Audit module takes your keyword and ranking data from any major SEO tool and produces a structured, day-by-day action plan for the week ahead. It also automatically creates draft blog posts from the keyword opportunities it finds.

Supported Data Sources

1. 1
   Export Your Keyword Data

   Export a Keywords or Rankings report as CSV from your SEO tool. Include at least 50 keywords with search volume and difficulty for meaningful analysis. More data = better action plan.
2. 2
   Click + Upload Audit

   Select the Source Platform from the dropdown (critical — each tool uses different column names). Select the target site, then upload your CSV file. The system normalises all column formats automatically.
3. 3
   Click Analyse with AI

   AI processes all keyword data — volume, difficulty, current rankings, content gaps — and generates: opportunities ranked by traffic impact, content gaps, technical priorities, and blog post topics. Takes 30–90 seconds.
4. 4
   Work Through the Weekly Action Plan

   The analysis produces a Monday–Friday plan. Each day has 2–4 specific tasks. Click any day to expand detailed instructions. Start with Monday — highest-impact items are always listed first.

Internal links are one of the most underrated SEO tactics. They distribute page authority across your site and help Google discover and index all your content. Pages with zero internal links pointing to them (orphans) are nearly invisible to search engines.

The Three Views

How to Run a Link Audit

1. 1
   Go to Internal Links in the sidebar. Select the target site from the dropdown.
2. 2
   Click Run Link Audit. The system fetches all published posts and maps every internal link between them. Takes 1–3 minutes for most sites.
3. 3
   Click Get Suggestions. AI reads all your post content and identifies the most relevant linking opportunities, ranked by SEO impact.
4. 4
   Click Apply on any suggestion. The link is inserted into the source post's content in WordPress automatically. The suggestion updates to "Applied ✓".

Backlinks from other websites are one of Google's strongest ranking signals. This module lets you track all your inbound links, verify they're still live, bulk import from any SEO tool, and include them in client reports.

Adding Backlinks

Verifying Backlinks

Click Verify on any row. The server fetches the live source page and scans for a link to your domain. Status updates to Active (found) or Lost (not found). Run verifications weekly — catching a removed link quickly lets you follow up with the site owner before it's too late.

Exporting

Click ⬇ Export to download a CSV. Filter by site, status, or DA score range before exporting. The export feeds directly into client reports and your own tracking spreadsheets.

The Media Performance module automatically processes every image uploaded through the blog post editor. Images are converted to WebP, resized to sensible dimensions, EXIF metadata stripped, and the byte savings tracked. Faster images = better Core Web Vitals = better Google rankings.

Every blog post follows a structured 6-stage editorial pipeline. Each transition triggers in-app notifications to the relevant team members and is logged in the Audit Log for accountability.

The 6-Stage Pipeline

Creating a Post

1. 1
   Click + New Post in the Blog Posts panel. Fill in: Title, Primary Keyword, Secondary Keywords (comma-separated), Target Site, Content Tone, Target Word Count, Category, and SEO Slug.
2. 2
   Click Generate with AI for a full AI-written post — or write manually in the editor. The AI uses the primary keyword as its central topic and writes an SEO-structured article with H2 headings and natural keyword placement.
3. 3
   Assign the post to an SEO Staff member, or keep it as your own draft to edit and publish yourself.

Assigning to Staff

Click Assign on any Draft post. Select the writer from the dropdown, add optional briefing notes (e.g. "Use these stats: …"), and click Assign. The staff member receives an immediate in-app notification and sees the post in their queue.

Staff: Working on a Post

1. 1
   Click the post title to open the editor. Click Mark as Under Review — this signals you've started work.
2. 2
   Write or edit content in the Visual editor. Upload images using the image uploader in the right sidebar. Fill in the meta title and description fields.
3. 3
   Click Submit for Approval when done. Your manager receives a notification immediately.

Approving & Scheduling

Posts in Pending Approval show an ✅ Approve & Schedule button. Click it, review the content, set a publish date (leave blank to publish immediately), add optional approval notes, and click Confirm Approval. The post moves to Scheduled status.

Auto-Publishing

The hourly auto-publish scheduler checks for Scheduled posts whose publish date has passed and pushes them live automatically — to WordPress or Shopify depending on the target site's platform. You don't need to be logged in for this to work.

Editor Tabs

Image Placeholders

The AI uses a special syntax for images it recommends including:

Upload a real image in the right sidebar's image uploader. When you publish to WordPress, the platform uploads images to the WP Media Library and automatically replaces [IMAGE: …] placeholders with proper <img> HTML tags with the alt text. The first image uploaded becomes the featured image.

AI Generation Settings

Each Client record stores the information needed to generate personalised, branded PDF reports and deliver them by email. A client typically maps to one or more Sites you're managing on their behalf.

Adding a Client

1. 1
   Click + Add Client in the Clients panel. Enter the Company Name — this appears as the report heading.
2. 2
   Add the Primary Contact Name and one or more Email Addresses (comma-separated). Reports are delivered to all addresses listed.
3. 3
   Set the Report Frequency: Monthly, Weekly, or Quarterly. The auto-generation scheduler uses this to know how often to generate reports automatically.
4. 4
   Upload a Logo (transparent PNG looks best) and pick a Brand Color. These are used to theme the PDF report header to match the client's identity.

Reports are generated server-side as multi-section PDFs using your real SEO data for the selected period. An AI executive summary is included in every report — written in professional language that clients appreciate.

Generating a Report

1. 1
   Go to Reports → + Generate Report. Select a Client from the dropdown.
2. 2
   Set the Report Period — start and end date. The report pulls all SEO activity within this date range.
3. 3
   Choose a Template:
   • Full — all data + AI executive summary (8–12 pages)
   • Summary — condensed KPI overview (4 pages)
   • Backlinks Only — detailed link profile report
4. 4
   Click Generate. The PDF is ready in 15–30 seconds. Click ⬇ Download to save it, or 📧 Send to email it directly to the client.

What's Included in a Full Report

Adding a User

1. 1
   Go to Admin → Users. Click + Add User.
2. 2
   Enter: Username (letters, numbers, underscores), Email Address, Temporary Password, and Role.
3. 3
   Click Save. An invitation email is sent immediately with their credentials. The user row shows an Invited badge until they log in and complete onboarding.
4. 4
   For SEO Staff users, click Assign Sites on their row to control which sites they can access and run.

Role Comparison

User Actions

AI Settings (Critical)

Go to Admin → Agency Settings → AI Settings. Paste your Anthropic API key here. Get one at console.anthropic.com. This key powers every AI feature: meta tags, blog posts, SEO audits, internal link suggestions, and report summaries. Without a valid key, all AI features return an error.

SMTP Email Setup

Configure SMTP to enable: invitation emails to new users, OTP codes for secure deletion, and client report delivery.

After saving, click Test Email to send a verification email to the agency contact address. Confirm it arrives before using report delivery.

Agency Branding

Set your Agency Name, Logo (transparent PNG, recommended 300×80px), Website URL, Contact Email, and Brand Color. These appear in the header and footer of every PDF report you generate. Update these before generating your first client report.

Automation Schedules

AI Cost Monitoring

The dashboard's AI Cost stat card shows your total Anthropic API spend for the current calendar month. Click it (or go to Agency Settings → AI Usage) to see a breakdown by action type: meta generation, blog writing, audit analysis, link suggestions, report summaries. Use this to stay within your Anthropic API budget and identify which features cost the most.

Security Architecture

3-Layer Deletion Protection

Deleting a user, site, or critical record triggers a 3-step confirmation to prevent accidental or malicious data loss:

1. 1
   Type the exact name of the item being deleted (e.g. the username). This confirms you know what you're deleting.
2. 2
   Enter your own password. Confirms you are the authenticated Super Admin initiating the deletion.
3. 3
   Enter the OTP code sent to the agency contact email. Prevents bulk accidental deletions and adds a second-factor check.

Audit Log

Go to Admin → Audit Log. Every significant platform action is recorded:

Go to Billing in the sidebar (or click Manage billing in your profile menu). Billing is handled securely via Stripe — your card details are never stored on this server.

Subscription Plans

Managing Your Subscription

In the Billing panel you can:

• ●Upgrade or downgrade your plan — changes take effect immediately, prorated to the billing cycle
• ●Add team seats if you need more user accounts than your current plan allows
• ●View invoices — download PDF invoices for accounting/expense purposes
• ●Cancel — your account stays active until the end of the current billing period

Navigation

Blog Post Editor