# Connect WordPress to Rankwise

> Connect your WordPress site to Rankwise safely and verify it's working. Includes prerequisites, step-by-step setup, and a troubleshooting table for common issues.

Canonical page: [https://tryrankwise.com/resources/learn/connect-wordpress](https://tryrankwise.com/resources/learn/connect-wordpress). Updated 2026-01-06. Published by Rankwise (tryrankwise.com).

This guide walks you through connecting your WordPress site to Rankwise so you can publish content, update pages, and build a connected topic system.

If you follow the steps, you'll end with a successful connection and a quick verification checklist to confirm everything works.

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## Prerequisites

Before you start, confirm:

- You have **WordPress Admin** access
- You can install/activate plugins (or you have someone who can)
- Your site is reachable publicly (not blocked by IP allowlists)
- You have your Rankwise account ready

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## Step-by-step: connect WordPress

### Step 1: Install the Rankwise plugin (or integration)

- Upload or install the Rankwise publisher plugin
- Activate it
- Locate the Rankwise connection screen inside WordPress (Settings or a Rankwise menu)

> Tip: Keep WordPress and the plugin updated to avoid auth and editor edge cases.

### Step 2: Generate a connection key

In Rankwise:

- Go to your integration settings
- Generate/copy your connection key (or token)

In WordPress:

- Paste the key into the Rankwise plugin settings
- Save

### Step 3: Verify permissions

Rankwise needs the ability to:

- create posts (draft/publish)
- update post content and metadata
- (optional) manage categories/tags if your workflow uses them

If you have "restricted editor roles," use an admin-level token to start, then tighten permissions later.

### Step 4: Test a draft publish

Run a quick "draft publish" test:

- Create a test article from Rankwise
- Ensure it appears in WordPress as a **draft**
- Confirm the title, slug, and content arrived correctly

### Step 5: Confirm canonical + indexation basics

- Ensure your WordPress theme outputs canonical URLs correctly
- Confirm your robots settings are not blocking new content

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## Verification checklist (copy/paste)

After connecting:

- [ ] Rankwise shows status: "Connected"
- [ ] Draft publish works (content appears in WP)
- [ ] Published post URL resolves publicly
- [ ] Permalinks are correct (no weird `?p=123` unless intended)
- [ ] No caching layer is serving stale versions after publish

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## Troubleshooting table

| Symptom                                  | Likely cause                         | Fix                                           |
| ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------- |
| "Unauthorized" / 401                     | Token/key invalid or revoked         | Regenerate key, re-save settings              |
| "Forbidden" / 403                        | WP roles/permissions too limited     | Use admin token; verify capabilities          |
| Draft never appears                      | Plugin not active or webhook blocked | Confirm plugin active; check firewall/WAF     |
| Content appears but formatting is broken | Theme/editor sanitizing content      | Test with classic editor; check blocks        |
| Published URL returns 404                | Permalinks need flush                | WP Settings → Permalinks → Save               |
| Updates don't show                       | Caching (server/CDN)                 | Purge cache; bypass cache for wp-json routes  |
| Slow publishing                          | Host or WP cron delays               | Check performance, cron settings, queue depth |

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## Security best practices

- Treat the connection key like a password.
- Rotate keys if a contractor leaves or you suspect exposure.
- Use least privilege once the integration is stable.

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## Next steps

- Turn on Autopilot: [/resources/learn/first-campaign](/resources/learn/first-campaign)
- Learn how citations work: [/resources/learn/understanding-ai-citations](/resources/learn/understanding-ai-citations)
- Topic strategy: [/resources/guides/topic-clusters-strategy](/resources/guides/topic-clusters-strategy)