RankLite – Fast, Clean SEO

RankLite focuses on the essentials of on-page SEO. It’s intentionally small, fast, and easy to configure. You get all the core tools—without the kitchen sink:

• Titles & Meta Descriptions per post/page with live counters
• Global defaults with smart fallbacks
• Open Graph & Twitter Cards (title, description, image)
• Canonical and robots meta (index/noindex, follow/nofollow)
• XML Sitemaps (/sitemap.xml) with pretty permalink support and pings to Google & Bing
• JSON-LD Schema for Website, Article, Breadcrumbs + FAQ/How-to blocks (basic)
• Breadcrumbs output helper
• Manual 301 Redirects
• Analytics helpers (Google Analytics/GTAG & Google Tag Manager passthrough)
• Optional data wipe on uninstall
• Multisite-aware and performance-minded

No telemetry. No ad pixels. No phone-home calls—everything stays on your site.

Why RankLite?

• Performance first. Lightweight code, minimal queries, no admin nag spam.
• No lock-in. Uses standard WordPress fields/meta so you can switch any time.
• Clean UI. Sensible defaults and clear controls that won’t overwhelm you.

What’s included in the Free version?

• Titles/meta with counters and fallbacks
• Canonical, robots
• Open Graph & Twitter Cards
• Website/Article/Breadcrumbs + FAQ/How-to schema (basic, JSON-LD)
• XML sitemaps with Google/Bing pings
• Breadcrumbs helper
• Manual redirects (301)
• Analytics & GTM helpers
• Tools page with wipe on uninstall option

Pro add-on

A separate Pro add-on (not required) can extend RankLite with AI-assisted titles/descriptions/alt-text/articles, advanced schema & sitemaps, a 404 monitor, and auto-redirects. The free plugin is fully functional on its own and does not require Pro.

Features

• Meta box on posts/pages for custom SEO Title & Description
• Smart fallback to site title/tagline or post excerpt
• Open Graph/Twitter image fallback
• Robots (index/noindex, follow/nofollow) per post and global
• Sitemaps: index + post types; pretty /sitemap.xml with:
  • Fallback query route for non-pretty permalinks
  • Automatic pings to Google and Bing when content changes (with safe throttling)
• Schema: Website, Article, Breadcrumbs + FAQ/How-to via blocks (basic) with safe defaults
• Breadcrumbs: simple template function/filter to output a trail
• Redirects: add simple 301 manual redirects from an admin screen
• Analytics: GA4/gtag and GTM helpers (paste ID and go)
• Developer-friendly (filters/actions documented below)
• Privacy-friendly: no data leaves your site

Privacy

This plugin does not:

• Collect personal data
• Send usage data to third parties
• Set cookies on the front end by itself

If you enable Analytics or GTM helpers, you are integrating external services—ensure you have the proper disclosures/consent (e.g., via your cookie banner).

Performance

• Minimal queries and safe caching behavior
• No assets loaded on the front end unless necessary
• Short timeouts and safe throttling for sitemap pings to Google/Bing

External services

This plugin can optionally connect to the following external services:

1. Google Search and Bing (sitemap ping)

– What it does: When sitemap pinging is enabled, RankLite can notify search engines that your sitemap has been updated.
– What is sent: The public URL of your sitemap is sent as a query parameter to:
– https://www.google.com/ping?sitemap=
– https://www.bing.com/ping?sitemap=
– When: Only when sitemap pinging is enabled in the plugin settings and a sitemap is generated/updated.
– Terms / Privacy:
– Google: https://policies.google.com/privacy / https://policies.google.com/terms
– Microsoft (Bing): https://privacy.microsoft.com / https://www.microsoft.com/servicesagreement

1. Google Analytics / Google Tag Manager (optional)

– What it does: If you choose to enable Analytics or Tag Manager in RankLite, the plugin outputs the official tracking/snippet code provided by Google.
– What is sent: Standard analytics/usage data as defined by Google, associated with your own property IDs (e.g. GA4, GTM). No additional data is sent by RankLite beyond what Google’s scripts normally collect.
– When: Only when you explicitly enable these features and enter your own tracking IDs.
– Terms / Privacy:
– Google Analytics / Tag Manager: https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/terms/us/
– Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Developers

Filter the final title string

`php

/**
* Filter the final value RankLite outputs.
*
* @param string $title Final title string.
* @param array $parts Parsed parts (h1, site_name, brand, etc).
* @param WP_Post|null $post Current post object (or null).
* @param string $type Detected type: ‘news’ | ‘product’ | ‘default’.
*/
add_filter( ‘ranklite_meta_title_final’, function( $title, $parts, $post, $type ) {
return $title;
}, 10, 4 );
`

Add extra sitemap index entries (e.g. news/video)

`php

add_filter( ‘ranklite/sitemaps/index_items’, function( $extra, $opts ) {
$extra[] = array(
‘loc’ => home_url( ‘/news-sitemap.xml’ ),
‘lastmod’ => gmdate( ‘c’ ),
);
return $extra;
}, 10, 2 );
`

Tweak the breadcrumb trail before output

`php

add_filter( ‘ranklite_breadcrumb_trail’, function( $trail ) {
// $trail is an array of arrays like [ ‘name’ => ‘Blog’, ‘url’ => ‘https://example.com/blog/’ ].
return $trail;
} );
`

Programmatic redirect registration

`php

do_action( ‘ranklite/register_redirect’, ‘/old-path’, ‘/new-path’, 301 );
`

See inline docs for more hooks and parameters.

1. Upload the plugin folder to /wp-content/plugins/ranklite/ or install it from Plugins → Add New.
2. Activate RankLite.
3. Go to Settings → RankLite to configure Titles, Social, Indexing, Sitemaps, Schema, and Tools.
4. Optional: Add your GA4/GTAG or GTM container ID in Analytics.

1. 

   Titles & Meta: per-post editor with live counters

2. 

   Global settings: Titles, Social, Indexing

3. 

   XML Sitemaps settings with Google/Bing pings

4. 

   Schema (Website, Article, FAQ, How-to) basic controls

5. 

   Analytics helpers (GA4/GTAG & GTM passthrough settings)

6. 

   Redirects screen (manual 301s)

7. 

   Tools, uninstall & reset options

1.0.4

• Fix: Sitemap rewrites/router initialization issue on some installs.
• Add: Optional category and tags sitemap support.
• Fix: Cookie consent banner now closes correctly on accept/reject/manage.

1.0.3

Compatibility and security hardening: improved URL/path handling, safer redirect sanitization, removed cross-hook output buffering, and form handling now reads only required fields.

1.0.2

• Security hardening: sanitize/validate inputs in admin handlers and term/meta saves.
• Fix: close output buffers properly for schema exclusivity.
• Fix: harden settings import validation.

1.0.1

• Code cleanup and compatibility improvements based on WordPress.org review.

1.0.0

• Initial public release.
• Titles & meta with counters and fallbacks.
• XML sitemaps with pretty /sitemap.xml, fallback routes, and Google/Bing pings.
• Website/Article/Breadcrumbs + FAQ/How-to schema (basic, JSON-LD).
• Open Graph/Twitter Cards, breadcrumbs helper, manual redirects, analytics/GTM helpers.
• Tools screen with wipe-on-uninstall option and uninstall cleanup logic.