EarlySEO WordPress
Publish EarlySEO articles to your self-hosted WordPress site using the EarlySEO Sync plugin.
The WordPress integration uses the EarlySEO Sync plugin to automatically pull articles from EarlySEO into your WordPress site. The plugin syncs every 5 minutes and supports Yoast SEO, RankMath, featured images, and flexible publishing options.
Prerequisites
- A self-hosted WordPress site (WordPress.org, not WordPress.com) running WordPress 5.8+
- PHP 7.4 or higher
- Admin access to install plugins
- An EarlySEO account with at least one site
For WordPress.com hosted blogs, see the WordPress.com integration instead.
Setup
1. Create the integration in EarlySEO
- Go to Integrations in your EarlySEO dashboard
- Click Add Integration and choose WordPress
- Select your publish mode: Draft (recommended) or Publish immediately
- Click Create — EarlySEO generates a unique API key (format:
wp_xxxxx_xxxxx) - Copy the API key — you will need it in WordPress
2. Install the WordPress plugin
- Download the plugin: earlyseo-sync.zip
- In WordPress Admin, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
- Choose the downloaded
earlyseo-sync.zipfile and click Install Now - Click Activate
3. Configure the plugin
- In WordPress Admin, go to Settings → EarlySEO Sync
- Paste your API key from Step 1
- Click Test Connection — you should see a green "Connected!" message with your integration name
- Configure additional settings (see below)
- Click Save Changes
4. Sync articles
The plugin checks for new articles every 5 minutes automatically. You can also click Sync Now on the settings page to pull immediately.
Plugin Settings
| Setting | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| API Key | wp_xxxxx_xxxxx | Your unique API key from EarlySEO Integrations |
| Auto Sync | On / Off | Automatically sync articles every 5 minutes |
| Post Status | Draft, Pending Review, Published | Default status for newly synced articles (can be overridden by EarlySEO publish mode) |
| Default Author | Any WordPress user | Author assigned to imported articles |
| Default Category | Any category | Category assigned to imported articles |
Features
Automatic & Manual Sync
- Auto sync runs every 5 minutes via WP-Cron
- Manual sync available from the settings page — click Sync Now
- The admin bar shows the last sync time for quick status checks
Incremental Sync
The plugin only syncs new or updated articles — it tracks which articles have already been imported and won't create duplicates.
SEO Plugin Support
The plugin automatically sets SEO metadata for both Yoast SEO and RankMath:
- Meta description
- Focus keyword
Featured Images
Featured images from your EarlySEO articles are automatically downloaded and set as the WordPress featured image.
Sync Log
The settings page shows the most recent synced articles with links to edit them in WordPress.
Troubleshooting
Test Connection fails
- Confirm the API key was copied completely without extra spaces — the format is
wp_xxxxx_xxxxx - Your hosting or a security plugin may be blocking outbound HTTPS requests — see Cloudflare Troubleshooting
Articles not appearing
- Check if WP-Cron is running — some hosts disable WP-Cron. Try clicking Sync Now from the settings page
- Confirm the API key is valid by clicking Test Connection
- If post status is Draft or Pending Review, articles will appear in those sections, not in the Published posts list
Duplicate posts
- The plugin tracks synced article IDs — duplicates should not occur
- If they do, check whether multiple integrations are configured with the same API key
Plugin won't activate
- Ensure you are running WordPress 5.8+ and PHP 7.4+
- Check that the plugin zip was not corrupted during download