Automate SEO title & description updates for WordPress with Yoast SEO API

This workflow automates the update of Yoast SEO metadata for a specific post or product on a WordPress or WooCommerce site.

It sends a POST request to a custom API endpoint exposed by the Yoast SEO API Manager plugin, allowing for programmatic changes to the SEO title and meta description.

Bulk version available here.

Prerequisites

• A WordPress site with administrator access.
• The Yoast SEO plugin installed and activated.
• The Yoast SEO API Manager companion plugin installed and activated to expose the required API endpoint.
• WordPress credentials configured within your n8n instance.

Setup Steps

1. Configure the Settings Node: In the Settings node, replace the value of the wordpress URL variable with the full URL of your WordPress site (e.g., https://your-domain.com/).
2. Set Credentials: In the HTTP Request - Update Yoast Meta node, select your pre-configured WordPress credentials from the Credential for WordPress API dropdown menu.
3. Define Target and Content: In the same HTTP Request node, navigate to the Body Parameters section and update the following values:
   • post_id: The ID of the WordPress post or WooCommerce product you wish to update.
   • yoast_title: The new SEO title.
   • yoast_description: The new meta description.

How It Works

1. Manual Trigger: The workflow is initiated manually. This can be replaced by any trigger node for full automation.
2. Settings Node: This node defines the base URL of the target WordPress instance. This centralizes the configuration, making it easier to manage.
3. HTTP Request Node: This is the core component. It constructs and sends a POST request to the /wp-json/yoast-api/v1/update-meta endpoint. The request body contains the post_id and the new metadata, and it authenticates using the selected n8n WordPress credentials.

Customization Guide

• Dynamic Inputs: To update posts dynamically, replace the static values in the HTTP Request node with n8n expressions. For example, you can use data from a Google Sheets node by setting the post_id value to an expression like {{ $json.column_name }}.
• Update Additional Fields: The underlying API may support updating other Yoast fields. Consult the Yoast SEO API Manager plugin's documentation to identify other available parameters (e.g., yoast_canonical_url) and add them to the Body Parameters section of the HTTP Request node.
• Change the Trigger: Replace the When clicking ‘Test workflow’ node with any other trigger node to fit your use case, such as:
  • Schedule: To run the update on a recurring basis.
  • Webhook: To trigger the update from an external service.
  • Google Sheets: To trigger the workflow whenever a row is added or updated in a specific sheet.

Yoast SEO API Manager Plugin for WordPress

// ATTENTION: Replace the line below with <?php - This is necessary due to display constraints in web interfaces.

<?php
/**
 * Plugin Name: Yoast SEO API Manager v1.2
 * Description: Manages the update of Yoast metadata (SEO Title, Meta Description) via a dedicated REST API endpoint.
 * Version: 1.2
 * Author: Phil - https://inforeole.fr (Adapted by Expert n8n)
 */

if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) {
    exit; // Exit if accessed directly.
}

class Yoast_API_Manager {

    public function __construct() {
        add_action('rest_api_init', [$this, 'register_api_routes']);
    }

    /**
     * Registers the REST API route to update Yoast meta fields.
     */
    public function register_api_routes() {
        register_rest_route( 'yoast-api/v1', '/update-meta', [
            'methods'             => 'POST',
            'callback'            => [$this, 'update_yoast_meta'],
            'permission_callback' => [$this, 'check_route_permission'],
            'args'                => [
                'post_id' => [
                    'required'          => true,
                    'validate_callback' => function( $param ) {
                        $post = get_post( (int) $param );
                        if ( ! $post ) {
                            return false;
                        }
                        $allowed_post_types = class_exists('WooCommerce') ? ['post', 'product'] : ['post'];
                        return in_array($post->post_type, $allowed_post_types, true);
                    },
                    'sanitize_callback' => 'absint',
                ],
                'yoast_title' => [
                    'type'              => 'string',
                    'sanitize_callback' => 'sanitize_text_field',
                ],
                'yoast_description' => [
                    'type'              => 'string',
                    'sanitize_callback' => 'sanitize_text_field',
                ],
            ],
        ] );
    }

    /**
     * Updates the Yoast meta fields for a specific post.
     *
     * @param WP_REST_Request $request The REST API request instance.
     * @return WP_REST_Response|WP_Error Response object on success, or WP_Error on failure.
     */
    public function update_yoast_meta( WP_REST_Request $request ) {
        $post_id = $request->get_param('post_id');

        if ( ! current_user_can('edit_post', $post_id) ) {
            return new WP_Error(
                'rest_forbidden',
                'You do not have permission to edit this post.',
                ['status' => 403]
            );
        }

        // Map API parameters to Yoast database meta keys
        $fields_map = [
            'yoast_title'       => '_yoast_wpseo_title',
            'yoast_description' => '_yoast_wpseo_metadesc',
        ];

        $results = [];
        $updated = false;

        foreach ( $fields_map as $param_name => $meta_key ) {
            if ( $request->has_param( $param_name ) ) {
                $value = $request->get_param( $param_name );
                update_post_meta( $post_id, $meta_key, $value );
                $results[$param_name] = 'updated';
                $updated = true;
            }
        }

        if ( ! $updated ) {
            return new WP_Error(
                'no_fields_provided',
                'No Yoast fields were provided for update.',
                ['status' => 400]
            );
        }

        return new WP_REST_Response( $results, 200 );
    }

    /**
     * Checks if the current user has permission to access the REST API route.
     *
     * @return bool
     */
    public function check_route_permission() {
        return current_user_can( 'edit_posts' );
    }
}

new Yoast_API_Manager();

Bulk version available here : this bulk version, provided with a dedicated WordPress plugin, allows you to generate and bulk-update meta titles and descriptions for multiple articles simultaneously using artificial intelligence. It automates the entire process, from article selection to the final update in Yoast, offering considerable time savings.

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Phil | Inforeole | Linkedin

🇫🇷 Contactez nous pour automatiser vos processus