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SEO Ops
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Updating the plugin

How SEO Ops updates itself from the WordPress Plugins screen, what the update check sends, and how to switch it off.

How updates arrive

SEO Ops is not listed in the WordPress.org plugin directory, so it carries its own update check. When a new version is published, WordPress shows update available on the Plugins screen, exactly as it does for any other plugin. You can update with one click, or let WordPress update it automatically if you have switched automatic updates on for the plugin.

Free and Premium sites update the same way. You do not need a licence key to receive an update.

Update the plugin

  1. In WordPress, open Dashboard › Updates or the Plugins screen.
  2. If a new version is available, you will see it listed against SEO Ops. If you have just heard about a release and do not see it yet, open Dashboard › Updates and choose Check again.
  3. Choose Update now and wait for WordPress to finish.
  4. Open SEO Ops. If the new version changes the database, it updates it automatically the first time the site loads. Your data is kept.

Back up first on a busy site. It is good practice with any plugin update, and it matters most if several people are editing strategies or reports at the same time.

Why the update file is safe to trust

  • It is signed. The update file is signed with a private key that only the publisher holds, and the plugin carries the matching public key. A file that is missing, altered or signed by anyone else is ignored.
  • The package is checked. The package must be hosted on the same address as the update file, and the downloaded file has to match the checksum in the signed file before WordPress unpacks it.
  • It sends almost nothing. The check sends no site address and no licence key. It is a plain request with the plugin version in the user agent. The answer is cached for 12 hours, or for an hour after a failed check, so it never slows the admin down.

Switching update checks off

If you manage plugin versions yourself, add this line to wp-config.php:

define( 'SEOOPS_DISABLE_UPDATE_CHECK', true );

The plugin then stops asking for updates. You can still install a new version by uploading its zip under Plugins › Add New Plugin › Upload Plugin, as described in Installing the Free plugin.

If you are on a very old version

Automatic updates arrived in version 1.4.0. A site running 1.3.x or earlier needs that version installed by hand once; from then on updates arrive by themselves. Download the latest plugin from the download page and upload it over the old one.

Common questions

Will an update delete my clients or tasks?

No. Updates keep your data. Some versions add database tables or columns, and the plugin applies those automatically.

Does Premium switch off if I update?

No. Your licence is stored on the site and re-checked daily. An update does not change it. See Activating your licence.

Why is the update not offered yet?

WordPress caches update information. Use Check again on the Updates screen, or wait up to 12 hours.