Install and Activate the SEOvault AI SEO Plugin

Installing SEOvault AI takes a few minutes. The plugin requires WordPress 5.9+ and PHP 7.4+. After activation, it creates the necessary database tables, sets default options, generates a site key, and redirects you to an onboarding wizard.

Before you start

Confirm your environment meets the requirements:

WordPress: 5.9 or higher
PHP: 7.4 or higher
Role: Administrator access to the WordPress site
Plugin ZIP: The seovault-ai plugin ZIP file

If you are running a multisite network, note that SEOvault AI does not support network activation. Activate the plugin on each site individually from that site’s Plugins screen.

Install the plugin

Option 1: Upload via WordPress admin

Log in to your WordPress admin area.
Go to Plugins > Add New Plugin.
Click Upload Plugin at the top of the screen.
Choose the SEOvault AI ZIP file from your computer.
Click Install Now.
After installation completes, click Activate Plugin.

Option 2: Install via FTP or file manager

Unzip the plugin ZIP file on your computer.
Upload the seovault-ai folder to /wp-content/plugins/ on your server.
Log in to your WordPress admin area.
Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
Find SEOvault AI in the list and click Activate.

Option 3: Install via WP-CLI

If you use WP-CLI, you can install and activate in one command:

wp plugin install seovault-ai.zip --activate

What happens during activation

When you activate the plugin, the following happens automatically:

Default options are set – output mode defaults to Automatic, schema and Open Graph are enabled, noindex rules for search and date archives are applied
Site key is generated – a 40-character site key is created for web app connection. If the separate SEOvault AI connector plugin was previously installed, its site key is preserved and reused
Database tables are created – tables for the 404 monitor, redirect manager, and API audit log are created with the correct charset and collation
Rewrite rules are flushed – sitemap and llms.txt rewrite rules are registered and flushed
Local SEO post type is registered – the Local SEO custom post type and taxonomy are registered for location-based schema
Onboarding redirect is set – a flag is stored so your next admin page load redirects to the onboarding wizard

You do not need to manually create any database tables or configure rewrite rules. The activation hook handles all of this.

After activation: the onboarding wizard

Immediately after activation, WordPress redirects you to the onboarding wizard at SEOvault AI > Onboarding. The wizard walks you through seven steps:

Welcome – introduction and schema overview
SEO Mode – choose Automatic or Manual
Site Identity – set site type, publisher identity, name, logo, and social image
SEO Settings – confirm homepage title, description, output mode, social templates, and robots defaults
Import – import SEO data from another plugin if one is detected
Connect – optionally connect to the SEOvault AI web app
Finish – configuration summary

You can skip the wizard at any time. Skipping marks onboarding as complete and takes you to the dashboard. You can always return to the wizard later at SEOvault AI > Onboarding.

Verify the installation

After completing or skipping the wizard, confirm the plugin is working:

Check the dashboard – go to SEOvault AI in the admin sidebar. You should see the dashboard with status cards showing your output mode, connection status, and llms.txt status.
Check the frontend – open any page on your site and view the page source. Look for <title>, <meta name="description">, and <meta property="og:"> tags in the <head> section.
Check the sitemap – visit yoursite.com/sitemap.xml in your browser. You should see a valid XML sitemap.
Check the SEO meta box – open any post in the WordPress editor. Scroll to the SEOvault AI meta box below the content. You should see the SERP preview, focus keyword field, and SEO assessment.

If another SEO plugin is active

If Yoast, Rank Math, or AIOSEO is active on the same site, the SEOvault AI dashboard displays a warning banner about potential duplicate meta tags. You have two options:

Deactivate the other plugin – recommended for clean SEO output. Use the import tool in General Settings > Tools to migrate your SEO data first.
Switch SEOvault AI to Disabled mode – go to General Settings > Output Mode and select Disabled. The plugin stops outputting meta tags but keeps the admin UI available for managing SEO data.

For migration instructions, see Import SEO Data from Yoast, Rank Math, AIOSEO, Slim SEO, or The SEO Framework.

Updating the plugin

WordPress notifies you when a new version is available. Update the same way you update any other plugin:

Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
Find SEOvault AI and click Update now when an update is available.

The plugin runs an upgrade routine on plugins_loaded after an update. This routine handles database schema changes, option migrations, and version tracking. You do not need to re-activate the plugin after updating.

Deactivating the plugin

Deactivating SEOvault AI stops all SEO output and clears scheduled cron events (sitemap rebuilds). Your SEO data (meta values, schema settings, redirect rules) remains stored in the database. Reactivating the plugin restores everything.

To deactivate:

Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
Find SEOvault AI and click Deactivate.

Uninstalling the plugin

Uninstalling (deleting) the plugin runs a dual-layer cleanup:

Always removed: API credentials, auth and rate-limit transients, cron events, and the Site Health Monitor MU-plugin
Only if “Erase all data on uninstall” is enabled: all SEO settings, post meta, custom database tables (404 monitor, redirects, audit log), Local SEO CPT content, and uploaded files

The “Erase all data on uninstall” option is off by default. Enable it at General Settings > Tools if you want a complete removal. User-created pages referenced by 404 fallback or recovery settings are never deleted.

Troubleshooting

The onboarding wizard does not appear

If you are not redirected to the wizard after activation:

Go to SEOvault AI > Onboarding manually from the admin sidebar
Clear your browser cache and reload the admin area
Check that no other plugin is intercepting admin redirects

If the SEOvault AI menu does not appear in the admin sidebar:

Confirm the plugin is activated on the Plugins screen
Verify your user role has the manage_options capability
Check that no security plugin is blocking admin menu registration

I see a blank screen after activation

A blank screen usually means a PHP fatal error. Check your server’s PHP error log for details. Common causes:

PHP version below 7.4
A conflicting plugin that hooks into activation routines aggressively
Insufficient PHP memory limit (recommend at least 256MB)

Database tables were not created

If the 404 monitor or redirect manager tables are missing:

Deactivate and reactivate the plugin to re-run the activation hook
Verify the WordPress database user has CREATE TABLE permissions
Check for database prefix issues on some hosting configurations