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The Simpler SEO

Set & forget SEO and GEO for WordPress

by The Simpler · github.com/thesimplerdev/the-simpler-seo · website

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Install

No release zip yet. The repository archive installs, but the folder name will carry the branch suffix and updates will not flow:

wp plugin install https://github.com/thesimplerdev/the-simpler-seo/archive/refs/heads/main.zip
Readme github.com/thesimplerdev/the-simpler-seo ↗

Set & forget SEO and GEO for WordPress. Meta tags, Open Graph, schema, sitemap, robots.txt, llms.txt, RSS, and IndexNow.

Description

The Simpler SEO adds everything your WordPress site needs for search engines and AI bots with zero configuration. It works silently in the background — no bloated dashboards, no per-post settings, no learning curve.

Instant Indexing

  • IndexNow — Automatically pings the IndexNow API when you publish a new post, so search engines discover your content immediately.

Settings & Report Panel

A dedicated top-level "Simpler SEO" menu page shows everything the plugin does:

  • Accordion panels for each feature with per-URL detail tables
  • Live preview of llms.txt and llms-full.txt
  • IndexNow ping log with timestamps
  • Robots.txt AI bot rules overview
  • Sitemap and RSS feed status
  • Search Engine Verification — Paste Google, Bing, and Yandex verification codes without editing theme files.
  • Homepage SEO — Override the auto-generated title, description, and OG image for your homepage.
  • Social Profiles — Enter your Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube URLs to populate Organization schema sameAs.

Third-Party Services

This plugin connects to the following external services:

  1. IndexNow API (https://api.indexnow.org) — Notifies search engines when you publish new content. Only the published URL and your API key are sent. IndexNow Terms.
  2. Google Sitemap Ping (https://www.google.com/ping) — Pings Google with your sitemap URL after publishing (debounced to once per 5 minutes). Only the sitemap URL is sent. Google Terms.

No personal data is transmitted by either service.

Privacy

This plugin does not collect, store, or transmit any personal user data. The only external requests are the IndexNow and Google sitemap pings described above.

Installation

  1. Upload the the-simpler-core folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory.
  2. Activate the plugin through the "Plugins" menu in WordPress.
  3. Go to Simpler SEO in the admin menu to view the report and settings.
  4. Optionally paste your Google/Bing/Yandex verification codes, homepage overrides, and social profiles.
  5. That is it — all SEO and GEO features are active immediately.

Minimum Requirements

  • WordPress 6.0 or higher
  • PHP 7.4 or higher

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to configure anything after activation?

No. Every feature activates automatically. An IndexNow API key is generated on activation and all SEO/GEO features start working immediately.

Does this plugin conflict with other SEO plugins?

The Simpler SEO outputs standard meta, Open Graph, Twitter Card, and schema tags. If another SEO plugin generates the same tags, you may get duplicates. We recommend using only one SEO plugin at a time.

What is llms.txt and llms-full.txt?

These are plain-text files at your site root that describe your site in Markdown format. Large language model crawlers read them to understand your site structure and content. The full variant includes excerpts and categories.

What is IndexNow?

IndexNow is an open protocol that lets websites notify search engines (Bing, Yandex, and others) instantly when content is published or updated.

Can I customize the AI bot rules in robots.txt?

Yes. Use the the_simpler_seo_robots_ai_rules filter to add, remove, or modify bot directives programmatically.

How do I add social profile URLs to the Organization schema?

Go to Simpler SEO > Social Profiles and enter your URLs. They are automatically included in the Organization schema as sameAs properties. Developers can also use the the_simpler_seo_organization_same_as filter.

How do I verify my site with Google, Bing, or Yandex?

Go to Simpler SEO > Search Engine Verification and paste the verification code from each service. The plugin outputs the meta tags on your homepage automatically.

Screenshots

  1. Set & Forget SEO dashboard with accordion-style feature breakdown.
  2. Meta Tags + Twitter Cards detail table showing per-page output.
  3. JSON-LD Schema panel showing Organization, Article, and BreadcrumbList types.
  4. Robots.txt panel showing AI crawler directives.
  5. llms.txt live preview with link to the full variant.
  6. Search Engine Verification settings panel.
  7. Homepage SEO and Social Profiles settings panels.

Changelog

1.0.0

  • Initial release.
  • Automatic meta description and title tag optimization.
  • Canonical URL fallback.
  • Open Graph meta tags (og:title, og:description, og:image, og:url).
  • Twitter Card meta tags (twitter:card, twitter:title, twitter:description, twitter:image).
  • JSON-LD WebSite + SearchAction + Organization schema on homepage.
  • JSON-LD Article schema on posts.
  • JSON-LD BreadcrumbList schema on interior pages.
  • JSON-LD SiteNavigationElement schema from primary nav menu.
  • XML Sitemap lastmod timestamps for posts and taxonomies.
  • Google sitemap ping on publish (debounced).
  • RSS feed Media RSS namespace and featured images.
  • RSS feed clean excerpts and site icon.
  • Enhanced robots.txt with sitemap reference and AI crawler directives.
  • Dynamic /llms.txt endpoint for AI bots.
  • Dynamic /llms-full.txt endpoint with excerpts and categories.
  • IndexNow instant indexing on post publish.
  • Minimalist accordion-style report panel with per-URL details.
  • Search engine verification meta tags (Google, Bing, Yandex).
  • Homepage SEO overrides (title, description, OG image).
  • Social profile fields for Organization schema sameAs.

Upgrade Notice

1.0.0

Initial release of The Simpler SEO.