Connect your tools

Connect a client's WordPress site

⏱ 10 minUpdated 2026-10-22

Install two free plugins, paste in their keys, and RankRight can push SEO fixes and publish blog posts straight to your client's WordPress site. You don't need to copy and paste every change by hand.

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  • Two plugins, about 10 minutes
  • Keys stay on your client's site
  • Works on hosts that block bots
How RankRight reaches a WordPress site RankRight sends changes to the client's WordPress site in one of two ways. REST sends them directly to the plugins using the API keys. FTP inbox drops them in a folder on the site, and the Blog Updater plugin picks them up a few minutes later. YOUR FIXES RankRight REST sent directly, using the plugin keys FTP inbox dropped in a folder, picked up shortly WordPress Site Manager Blog Updater
Most sites use REST. FTP inbox is the backup for hosts that block automated requests.

Before you start

You'll need three things:

  • An administrator login for the client's WordPress site, so you can install plugins and open the Tools menu.
  • The client already added in RankRight.
  • An owner, SEO editor or web builder role in RankRight. Viewers can't edit a client's credentials.

Connect the site in five steps

Do this once per client site. It takes about ten minutes the first time and less after that.

1 Download both plugins ~1 min

In RankRight, open the Account menu and choose Plugin downloads. Download both files:

  • RankRight Site Manager handles page edits, SEO titles and descriptions, headings, alt text and schema.
  • RankRight Blog Updater publishes and updates blog posts. It works with Yoast and Rank Math.

Both are required on every client site. They're two separate .zip files, so don't unzip them.

2 Install them in WordPress ~3 min

  1. Log in to the client's WordPress admin.
  2. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
  3. Choose RankRight-Site-Manager.zip, click Install Now, then Activate.
  4. Repeat for RankRight-Blog-Importer.zip.

Replacing an older "ISS" version of a plugin? Just upload the new .zip over it. WordPress treats it as an update, so the keys and settings carry over.

3 Copy the keys from WordPress ~2 min

Each plugin creates its own key when you activate it. You'll copy three values:

  1. Tools → RankRight Site Manager: under API Access, click Copy next to the API Key.
  2. Tools → RankRight Blog Updater: under API Settings, copy the Endpoint URL and the API Key.

On sites with an older version of the plugins, these menus are called ISS Site Manager and ISS Blog Importer. They're the same plugins.

Treat these keys like passwords. Clicking Regenerate API Key in WordPress cancels the old key, so you'd need to paste the new one into RankRight.

4 Paste them into RankRight ~2 min

  1. Open the client in RankRight and click the Credentials tab. You can also click Edit credentials on the client's Integrations panel.
  2. Under WordPress REST — plugin keys, fill in:
    • Blog Importer webhook URL: the Endpoint URL
    • Blog Importer key / secret: the Blog Importer API Key
    • Site Manager API key: the Site Manager API Key
  3. Under Push method, leave it on Auto (decide per push) unless the site needs FTP (see below).
  4. Click Save credentials.

Saving checks both plugins straight away and shows the result at the top of the page, for example "Site Manager ✓ connected".

5 Check the connection ~1 min

Go back to the client's page. In the Integrations panel, RankRight plugins should show a green ✓ next to Blog Updater and Site Manager, with their version numbers.

If something changes later, like a plugin being deactivated, a key being regenerated or the site moving hosts, click Re-check to test again.

You seeWhat to do
✗ not detectedMake sure the plugin is installed and activated, then check the site loads normally.
⚠ key rejectedCopy the key from WordPress again and re-enter it under Edit credentials.
⚠ control-IP not trustedUpdate to the latest plugin version from Plugin downloads.

When to use FTP instead

Some web hosts, SiteGround especially, have firewalls that block automated requests, even legitimate ones from RankRight. When that happens, RankRight can deliver changes by FTP instead.

Default

Auto (decide per push)

Uses REST when the plugin keys are saved. If the site starts blocking requests and FTP details are saved, it switches to FTP for you.

Fastest

REST

Changes go directly to the plugins and apply right away. Best for most hosts.

For strict hosts

FTP inbox

Changes are dropped in a folder on the site, and the Blog Updater plugin applies them shortly after. Use this for SiteGround-hosted sites.

To set up FTP, fill in the FTP push (SiteGround-hosted sites) section on the same Credentials page: FTP host, FTP port, FTP username, FTP password and FTP root path (often /public_html). Tick Use FTPS (TLS) if the host supports it. Your hosting control panel shows these details. Then set Push method to FTP inbox, or leave it on Auto, and click Save credentials. RankRight tests the FTP connection when you save.

FTP still needs the Blog Updater plugin installed, because it's the plugin that picks up and applies the delivered changes. Changes by FTP aren't instant; they're applied on the site's next scheduled check.

What RankRight can do once you're connected

On your Dashboard, fixes RankRight can make itself go under Tier A · auto. Everything else goes under Operator tasks, with instructions. The getting started guide shows how a month of work flows through both.

SEO titles & descriptions

Rewrites and pushes them, working with Yoast, Rank Math, AIOSEO or plain WordPress.

Headings & page text

Fixes heading levels and edits page copy on Elementor and Divi sites.

Image alt text

Fills in missing alt text across the site's existing images.

Schema markup

Adds structured data like LocalBusiness, FAQ and Article to the right pages.

Blog posts

Publishes and updates posts with featured images, alt text, SEO details and scheduled dates.

Noindex

Hides thin pages, like thank-you pages or header and footer templates, from search results.

Not automated: redirects, robots.txt, moving or adding page sections, and block-editor (Gutenberg) page content. For non-WordPress sites, RankRight still tracks and audits everything, and every fix becomes a manual task.

Questions

Quick answers to what people usually ask.

Do I need both plugins?
Yes, install both on every client site. RankRight Site Manager handles page edits, SEO titles and descriptions, alt text and schema. RankRight Blog Updater publishes and updates blog posts, and it also picks up changes delivered by FTP.
Should I choose REST or FTP?
Leave the push method on Auto unless you have a reason not to. Auto uses REST when the plugin keys are saved and switches to FTP when the site starts blocking requests and FTP details are saved. Choose FTP inbox if the site's host blocks automated requests, which is common on SiteGround.
RankRight says the key was rejected. What do I do?
Someone probably regenerated the key in WordPress, or the plugin was reinstalled. Copy the current key again from Tools in the WordPress admin, paste it on the client's Credentials page and click Save credentials. The check runs again when you save.
Can RankRight change my site's layout or design?
Day to day, RankRight works on content and SEO: page text, headings, SEO titles and descriptions, image alt text, schema and blog posts. Things like moving or adding page sections, redirects and robots.txt are not pushed automatically. They show up as tasks with instructions instead.
Which page builders are supported?
SEO titles, descriptions, alt text, schema and blog posts work on any WordPress site with the plugins installed. Editing the text on pages works on Elementor and Divi sites. Block editor (Gutenberg) page content is not edited automatically.
What if the client's site isn't WordPress?
You can still add it, track it and audit it. RankRight can't push changes to non-WordPress sites, so every fix it finds becomes a manual task with the steps to make it yourself.
How do I update the plugins?
Download the latest .zip from Plugin downloads and upload it in WordPress the same way you installed it. WordPress treats it as an update, so the API keys and settings carry over and you don't need to re-enter anything in RankRight.

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