Merchant.WiKi SEO Audit

Merchant.WiKi SEO Audit — Where It Helps
1. Launch inventory baselines after migrations or redesigns to catch missing URLs, sitemap gaps, and misconfigured canonicals.
2. Build prioritized “ready to submit” lists for manual indexing by combining HTTP 200 pages, sitemap coverage, and low inbound links.
3. Audit internal linking to surface orphan or weak pages before requesting more crawl budget.
4. Export a full, normalized dataset for BI dashboards or agency handoffs without granting direct DB access.
5. Validate Google Search Console signals (Page Indexing exports + Inspection API) against on-site data to see why URLs stay “not indexed”.
6. Keep evergreen posts from slipping by spotting the oldest pages/posts (≥1 year since last update) and opening Gemini with a pre-written English script (“update the page… propose two external links…”) for rapid refreshes.

Author & Links
• Built by Merchant.WiKi — your SEO knowledge hub: https://merchant.wiki/

Disclaimer
• This plugin is currently in beta. Install it on staging or a fresh backup copy first.
• Always take full file + database backups before running the audit queues or deleting data.
• Merchant.WiKi provides the software “as-is” and is not liable for any data loss or downtime.

External services

Google OAuth / Google account authorization

• Use: Lets administrators connect their Google account so the plugin can reach Search Console data and, if requested, Google Sheets.
• Data sent: During the consent flow the site posts your Google Cloud client ID, client secret, redirect URI, and the one-time authorization code to https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token, then calls https://www.googleapis.com/oauth2/v2/userinfo to record which account is connected.
• When data moves: Only when an administrator clicks “Connect Google Account” or “Connect Sheets”; no background jobs refresh tokens unless you start the OAuth flow.
• Optional: Yes. Inventory building, sitemap caching, crawls, and reports continue to run without signing in to Google.
• Terms: Google Terms of Service (https://policies.google.com/terms)
• Privacy: Google Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy)

Google Search Console API

• Use: Fetches your property list and runs the URL Inspection API so you can log index verdicts and TTLs in mw_gsc_cache.
• Data sent: Each inspection call posts the selected property (siteUrl) plus every queued WordPress URL as inspectionUrl, and uses your OAuth access token for authorization.
• When data moves: Only while you run “Check Google Index Status” or refresh the property selector—no calls fire automatically otherwise.
• Optional: Yes. The rest of the audit features work without Search Console; enabling it simply enriches the reports.
• Terms: Google API Terms of Service (https://developers.google.com/terms)
• Privacy: Google Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy)

Google Sheets API

• Use: Imports Page Indexing exports stored in Google Sheets and can build a combined export sheet through the “Assemble” tool.
• Data sent: Requests include the spreadsheet ID/range you provide, and when you create the combined export the plugin writes rows containing the URL, verdict, coverage reason, last crawled time, exported timestamp, and source label to a new sheet in your Drive.
• When data moves: Only when you opt into the Sheets import/export mode; the plugin never touches Sheets unless you paste sheet URLs and start the task.
• Optional: Yes. CSV uploads cover the same workflow if you prefer not to grant Sheets access.
• Terms: Google API Terms of Service (https://developers.google.com/terms)
• Privacy: Google Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy)

Gemini link

• Use: Adds an “Open Gemini” button in the Stale Content Refresh table so you can open https://gemini.google.com/app with a prefilled brief for that URL.
• Data sent: Clicking the button encodes the page URL, publish and update dates, title, and current meta description into the prompt query string; clipboard text with the page body stays on your device until you paste it.
• When data moves: Only when someone presses “Open Gemini”; nothing is transmitted automatically.
• Optional: Yes. You can ignore the Gemini link and still use every refresh workflow.
• Terms: Google Terms of Service (https://policies.google.com/terms)
• Privacy: Google Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy)

You must be a verified owner of the site in Google Search Console to use the plugin.

Index coverage data can lag behind reality by several days.