ClassicPress SEO experimental plugin now available for testing & feedback

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I’m quite chuffed to let everyone know that a pre-release version of the experimental / research SEO plugin for ClassicPress is now available for download and testing. This is the first step toward having an SEO plugin built specifically for ClassicPress.

The plugin is a fork of Rank Math but it doesn’t contain all the features of RM. Rank Math was chosen because, judging by the many comments here on the forums, it seemed to be the most popular among the community.

So I’m now looking for guinea pigs :hamster:. I need the help of the community to test the plugin and I would also greatly welcome your feedback - bug reports, what’s good, what’s not so good etc.

For those with appropriate accounts, if you spot a bug :spider: can you create an issue on Github. Anyone without a Github account, feel free to create one or leave feedback here in the forums.

The only way to install the plugin at present is to download the zip from Github to a local drive. You can then either upload the zip from the plugins page or copy the files via FTP or SSH.

Just a couple of other points to note. Firstly, the name “ClassicPress SEO” is a working title only which may, or may not, change. Secondly, I’m aware that much more work needs to be done on internationalization.

Lastly, if you’re testing this on a clone of an existing site with Rank Math already installed, it is possible to import your RM settings. It’s also possible to import some settings from Yoast. It is advisable to take a backup of your database before importing.

Please don’t test this on a live, production site.

Bugs should be expected! :spider:

Github links:

Repository: https://github.com/ClassicPress-research/classicpress-seo

Zip download: https://github.com/ClassicPress-research/classicpress-seo/archive/master.zip

Thank you!

EDIT: I should also add that the plugin needs PHP 7.0 or above

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Great work! :clap:

I’ll check it out.

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4 posts were split to a new topic: Breadcrumbs not showing in Classic SEO

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It’s looking really good. I don’t do much in the way of SEO work so don’t really understand all the features, but haven’t found anything obviously broken yet. I see there is an area to optimise WooCommerce product pages. Early days yet, but it might be nice to get Classic Commerce included as well when we have that available. That feature currently doesn’t recognise a Classic Commerce installation.

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With regard to the name, I think you probably saw this relevant discussion:

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Thanks @ozfiddler.

Yes, I agree. When I first started on the project, I wasn’t sure of the timescales for Classic Commerce so I decided to stick with WC. Any feedback from WC users would still be great to have and will be useful for when CC is integrated. But you make a good point.

Yes, I did. To all intents and purposes, the name as it currently stands doesn’t really mean anything other than that’s the name I chose to use from day one. But as it is a ClassicPress research project, I guess at the time, I assumed that using ClassicPress in the name of the plugin was acceptable. If I’m honest, I probably didn’t give it too much thought.

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Great work!

Too late man :sweat_smile:

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:astonished: Er. You did read the small print didn’t you @Simone?

small-print
small-print901×267 39.4 KB

:rofl:

Seriously, thanks for testing. Look forward to feedback.

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Perfect update using GitHub updater.
Simone.

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Excellent! :+1: Thanks Simone.

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Referring to a slack post by @timkaye. Might be worth considering

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Thanks for sharing that @klein. That’s useful to see. But, alas, I still have questions. :confused:

It’s still not entirely clear to me when ClassicPress and CP can be used in the name of a plugin or theme. In other words, how does a plugin or theme become “part of ClassicPress” or “endorsed by ClassicPress”? Is that ever likely to happen?

If the plugin begins its life as a ClassicPress research plugin and then gets accepted by the CP community, what does that actually mean in terms of its “relationship” with ClassicPress?

And, while the CP community may want to adhere to any naming guidelines, as I see it, there’s nothing to prevent non-community members from using whatever name they choose.

For example, if I were to name the SEO plugin “Super Awesome SEO”, what’s to stop someone not involved in the community from then creating a “ClassicPress SEO” plugin and making it available via Github or any number of other 3rd party outlets?

Ultimately, I’m not actually that bothered what the SEO plugin is eventually called but I don’t think it would hurt to have some formal guidelines in place.

EDIT: New topic created in #plugins:plugin-directory as per @klein’s suggestion.

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It might be a worthwhile idea to open a topic in #plugins:plugin-directory or #team-discussions:marketing-forum to ask about guidelines and how we should go about them. This is something people are going to keep encountering I think.

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Just to expand on my original post, there is one key question that needs to be asked, which is:

Would you be prepared to drop Rank Math / Yoast / Whatever and adopt “ClassicPress SEO” (working title!) as your go-to SEO plugin for ClassicPress?

If not, what would it take for you to make the switch?

Thank you!

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That’s a good idea. I shall do just that.

Done.

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If it will be based on RankMath, I definitely will. What about migratiom from RM to your plugin?

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As much as I want to, I’m not prepared to give up my current SEO plugin. SEO is a special beast that requires exceptional care. For example, let’s say I install a gallery plugin and, after a few months, I realize it’s not quite working how I expected. At that point I can swap out the plugin for one that does do what I need it to … and no harm done. If I make this same mistake with SEO, sure, I can switch the plugin, but, it would likely take months to undo the “damage”.

For me, it’s going to take a bit of development longevity and a handful of social proof before I can switch such critical functionality to a new plugin. That said, SEO is one of those plugins that I (as a plugin developer who tends to write most of his own functionality,) am willing to pay a premium for if it contains the tools I need.

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@LinasSimonis The plugin is a fork of RM and I have created an import feature for existing RM installations. It’s also possible to import some Yoast settings. One thing to bear in mind though is that the plugin currently doesn’t have all of the features of RM.

As always, take a database backup before testing this, even in a non-production environment.

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Completely understand and I appreciate your honesty. More testing, more feedback and some proof of results and dependability are definitely required.

On that note, would you perhaps still be able to test the plugin, maybe on a clone of a live site? I’d very much welcome any feedback.

Out of interest, what is your current SEO plugin?

That is certainly a possibility for further down the road.

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Absolutely. I’ve added it to my todo list and shared it here to get some extra eyes on it in the meantime. :slight_smile:

I’m using Yoast.

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