First-time setup

Setup Wizard & First-Time Configuration

A friendly walkthrough of SEO Rank Genius’s 7-step Setup Wizard — what each screen does, what we recommend, and how to finish in about a minute without breaking your existing SEO data.

5 min read 7 wizard steps Plugin v7+

Before you start

The Setup Wizard appears the first time you activate SEO Rank Genius. It saves your choices step by step, so if you close the browser mid-way you can come back and pick up where you left off (for up to 3 days).

Important if you’re switching from another SEO plugin Keep Yoast, Rank Math, SEOPress, or AIOSEO active until you’ve finished the wizard and imported your data on Step 6. Deactivating too early can make migration harder.

You’ll need WordPress admin access (Administrator role). The wizard works on any site type — blog, business site, WooCommerce store, local business, and more.

How to open the Setup Wizard

First install: After you click Activate on the Plugins screen, WordPress redirects you straight into the wizard.

Already installed? Go to your WordPress dashboard and open:

SEO Rank Genius → Settings → Re-run Setup Wizard

If you skipped setup earlier, you may also see an admin notice at the top of your dashboard with a link to complete configuration.

Good to know Every step has a Skip Setup link at the bottom. You won’t lose the plugin — but we recommend completing at least Site Type and Enable Features so defaults match your site.

All 7 steps — explained simply

The wizard is designed to take about 60 seconds if you accept the recommended defaults. Here’s exactly what you’ll see:

1

Welcome

A quick hello and confirmation that you can change everything later in Settings. Click Get Started to begin.

2

What type of site is this?

Pick the option that best describes your site. SEO Rank Genius uses this to set smart defaults for schema, title templates, and which features start turned on.

Blog / MagazineArticle schema, strong internal linking, sitemaps on.
Business / CorporateOrganization schema, breadcrumbs enabled.
E-commerce (WooCommerce)Product schema and store-friendly defaults.
Local BusinessLocalBusiness schema and location-ready settings.
Portfolio / AgencyLighter auto-linking — great for showcase sites.
News / MediaNewsArticle schema priority for fresh content.
OtherBalanced defaults if none of the above fit.

Don’t stress over this — it’s not permanent. You can adjust templates and modules anytime under Settings.

3

Connect Google Search Console

This step connects your site to real Google search data — clicks, impressions, queries, and indexing insights. It unlocks Rank Genius intelligence and SEO Advisor features later.

  • Click Connect Google Search Console — a new tab opens the GSC connection screen inside your WordPress admin.
  • Sign in with the Google account that owns your property, then approve access.
  • When connected, the wizard shows a green confirmation message.

Not ready yet? Click Continue to skip. You can connect anytime under Tools & Analytics → GSC.

4

Title separator

Choose the character between your page title and site name in Google search results — for example:

My Page Title — Your Site Name

Pick from options like —, |, ·, or ». A live preview on screen updates as you click. The default em dash (—) works well for most sites.

5

Enable features

Toggle the modules you want active on day one. All are recommended for most sites — turn off only what you know you won’t use:

Meta Tags & TemplatesSEO titles, descriptions, Open Graph, and Twitter cards.
Schema GenerationJSON-LD structured data for rich results.
Auto-LinkingAutomatic internal links based on your rules.
Link GuardianMonitors and protects links across your site.
XML SitemapAuto-generated sitemap for search engines.
BreadcrumbsNavigation breadcrumbs (on by default for business & store sites).
Email NotificationsWeekly reports and important alerts.
6

Import & migrate SEO data

If SEO Rank Genius detects data from Yoast SEO, Rank Math, SEOPress, or AIOSEO, you’ll see an orange notice with a button to open the import tool.

  • Click Open Import & Export Tool — this opens Settings → Import & Export in a new tab.
  • Scroll to Import from Other SEO Plugins, run a scan, choose what to import, and start migration.
  • Typical imports include titles, meta descriptions, focus keywords, robots settings, redirects, and schema where supported.

No other SEO plugin on the site? You’ll see a green “starting fresh” message — just click Continue.

Detailed migration guide See our Import, Export & Migration guide for a full walkthrough with dry-run tips.
7

You’re all set!

A completion screen confirms configuration is saved. From here you can jump straight to the main dashboard or open Settings for fine-tuning.

That’s it — you’re live. SEO Rank Genius is now configured with your site type, modules, and separator. Next, explore your dashboard and run your first site scan when you’re ready.

What to do right after the wizard

You don’t need to do everything at once. Here’s a sensible order for the first hour:

  1. Visit the dashboard — get a feel for health scores, link stats, and suggestions.
  2. Finish migration (if you skipped Step 6) — import titles and redirects before deactivating your old SEO plugin.
  3. Connect GSC (if you skipped Step 3) — needed for Rank Genius and SEO Advisor insights.
  4. Check Search Appearance — confirm title templates look right for posts and pages.
  5. Submit your sitemap — under Indexing & Sitemaps once GSC is connected.
Get SEO Rank Genius Next: SEO Advisor guide →

Re-run the Setup Wizard anytime

Changed your site from a blog to a store? Want to reset module toggles? Open:

SEO Rank Genius → Settings → Re-run Setup Wizard

Re-running does not delete your content or imported SEO data. It updates defaults and module states based on your new choices.

Quick troubleshooting

The wizard didn’t appear after activation

Go directly to SEO Rank Genius → Settings → Re-run Setup Wizard. Clear your browser cache if the page looks broken.

I closed the wizard halfway through

Your progress is saved for 3 days. Open the wizard again — it resumes from where you left off. Look for the “Complete setup” admin notice if you’re not sure where to go.

GSC connection opens a blank tab

Allow pop-ups for your admin URL, make sure you’re logged into the correct Google account, and verify your site property exists in Search Console.

Import button doesn’t find my old plugin

The old plugin must still be installed and active. Run the import scan from Settings → Import & Export — not all third-party data formats are readable until the source plugin is present.

Continue learning

SEO Advisor: Connect GSC & Site AuditConnect Search Console and run your first audit. Import, Export & MigrationMove from Yoast, Rank Math, or AIOSEO safely. Indexing, Sitemaps & Link BehaviorSitemaps, redirects, and URL settings. Neural Schema & Structured DataBuild and validate schema markup.