Who is this for

Agency devs / future maintainers

Overview

Summary

The SEO Module handles archive and per-page meta titles, descriptions, TLDR summaries, breadcrumb labels, canonical URLs, and robots directives. Along with Advanced SEO, Image SEO and Redirections. This hub orients you to child documentation; open specific guides from the module navigation when editing content.

Module hub — body content is still minimal. Use child SEO docs or the post editor SCOS metabox for field-level guidance until this overview is expanded.

SEO Post meta keys

get_post_meta / update_post_meta / delete_post_meta

Nine distinct keys. Values are per post.

Key	Type / notes	Read	Write
`scos_seo_breadcrumb_title`	string	`Meta_Box.php`, `breadcrumb-shortcode.php`, `scos-migration.php`	`Meta_Box.php` (`update_or_delete`), `scos-migration.php`
`scos_seo_tldr`	string (HTML allowed on save)	`Meta_Box.php`, `FAQ_Module.php`	`Meta_Box.php` (`update_or_delete`)
`scos_seo_title`	string	`Meta_Box.php`, `Head_Output.php`, `brighter-og-meta.php`, `scos-migration.php`	`Meta_Box.php`, `scos-migration.php`
`scos_seo_description`	string	`Meta_Box.php`, `Head_Output.php`, `brighter-og-meta.php`, `scos-migration.php`	`Meta_Box.php`, `scos-migration.php`
`scos_seo_canonical`	URL string	`Meta_Box.php`, `Head_Output.php`, `scos-migration.php`	`Meta_Box.php`, `scos-migration.php`
`scos_seo_robots`	array (`noindex`, `nofollow`, `noimageindex`, `nosnippet`)	`Meta_Box.php`, `Head_Output.php`, `scos-migration.php`	`Meta_Box.php` (always `update_post_meta`), `scos-migration.php`
`scos_seo_sitemap_exclude`	array (`xml`, `html`, `news`)	`Meta_Box.php`, `views/meta-box.php`	`Meta_Box.php` (`update_post_meta`)
`scos_seo_freeze_og_date`	`'1'` / `'0'` — freeze `post_modified` for OG/schema freshness	`Meta_Box.php`, `views/meta-box.php`	`Meta_Box.php` (`update_post_meta` on every save)

Registered (REST/auth only, not extra keys): Meta_Fields.php registers all except scos_seo_freeze_og_date (used in code but not in register_post_meta).

Not post-meta storage (same prefix, different purpose):

scos_seo_meta — metabox DOM id (Meta_Box.php)
scos_seo_schema — Schema metabox id (SeoSchema/Meta_Box.php); actual schema meta is scos_schema_custom (see schema module)

Gap: [tldr] shortcode (brighter-core/includes/tldr-shortcode.php) still reads bw_tldr, not scos_seo_tldr. Meta_Box dual-writes bw_tldr on save so the shortcode keeps working.

SEO `wp_options` keys

(get_option / update_option / delete_option)

options are created on first update_option, No add_option( 'scos_seo_*' )

Fixed option keys

Key	Purpose	Read	Write
`scos_seo_freeze_modified_date`	Global “freeze modified date” (`'1'` or empty)	`Meta_Box.php`, `views/archive-meta.php`	`Archive_Settings.php` (`update_option` on Meta Tags save)
`scos_seo_author_rewrite_ver`	MD5 of custom author base; triggers one `flush_rewrite_rules`	`Archive_Settings.php`	`update_option` / `delete_option` in `Archive_Settings.php`

Dynamic option keys (pattern)

Pattern	Purpose	Read	Write
`scos_seo_archive_{slug}`	Serialized array of archive SEO settings	`Archive_Settings::get()` → `get_option( OPTION_PREFIX . sanitize_key( $slug ) )`	`Archive_Settings::save()` → `update_option(...)`

{slug} values come from Archive_Settings::get_archives():

post — blog archive
Every public, non–built-in CPT (e.g. project, service, faq, … — site-specific)
author, date, search, 404 — special archives

Each option stores a merged array (fields vary by slug).

Common keys inside the array: title, description, breadcrumb_title, robots, tldr, sitemap_exclude, og_image_id, pagination_noindex, canonical_paged, rel_prevnext; author/date/search also disabled, redirect_url; author also author_slug.

Not an option: scos_seo_title_sep is a apply_filters() hook name in Archive_Settings.php, not get_option.

Notes

Admin query param ?scos_seo=disabled in Admin_UI.php

Claude MCP/WP-CLI grep cheat sheet, post-meta set is:

scos_seo_breadcrumb_title, scos_seo_tldr, scos_seo_title, scos_seo_description, scos_seo_canonical, scos_seo_robots, scos_seo_sitemap_exclude, scos_seo_freeze_og_date.

Archive SEO Meta Update request.

MCP Archive SEO Meta Update request.

MCP task: fill SEO archive options (Meta Tags tab)

Admin UI (reference only): wp-admin/admin.php?page=site-essentials-seo&tab=meta
Storage: one option per archive slug: scos_seo_archive_{slug}
Same tab also sets: scos_seo_freeze_modified_date (global, not per archive)

1. Discover slugs on this site (run first)

Do not guess CPT/taxonomy names. Build the slug list the same way Archive_Settings::handle_save() does:

# Post type archives: always includes “post” + public non-builtin CPTs

wp post-type list –_builtin=0 –public=1 –field=name

# Special archives (fixed)

# author | date | search | 404

# Taxonomy archives: category, post_tag, then other public taxonomies

wp taxonomy list –public=1 –field=name

Option key rule: scos_seo_archive_ + sanitize_key( $slug )
Examples: scos_seo_archive_post, scos_seo_archive_project, scos_seo_archive_category, scos_seo_archive_scos_content_cluster (if that taxonomy exists).

2. Read before write (merge, do not blind overwrite)

wp option get scos_seo_archive_post –format=json

If missing, treat as {}. When updating one slug, only change that option key; other scos_seo_archive_* keys are independent (unlike the admin form, which re-saves every slug on one submit).

3. Write with `wp option update` (preferred)

Use JSON and WordPress will store the PHP array correctly:

wp option update scos_seo_archive_post ‘{

“title”: “%title% %sep% %sitename%”,

“description”: “%description%”,

“breadcrumb_title”: “Blog”,

“tldr”: “”,

“robots”: [],

“sitemap_exclude”: [],

“og_image_id”: 0,

“pagination_noindex”: false,

“canonical_paged”: false,

“rel_prevnext”: false

}’ –format=json

Global on same tab (optional):

wp option update scos_seo_freeze_modified_date ‘1’ # enable

# or

wp option update scos_seo_freeze_modified_date ” # disable

4. Payload schema by slug type

A. Post type archives — slug `post` or any public CPT name

Field	Type	Notes
`title`	string	Template; tokens below
`description`	string	Template; multiline OK
`breadcrumb_title`	string	Plain text
`tldr`	string	Plain text
`robots`	string[]	Subset: `noindex`, `nofollow`, `noimageindex`, `nosnippet`
`sitemap_exclude`	string[]	Subset: `xml`, `html`, `news`
`og_image_id`	int	Attachment ID
`pagination_noindex`	bool
`canonical_paged`	bool
`rel_prevnext`	bool

B. Taxonomy archives — slug = taxonomy name (`category`, `post_tag`, custom)

Same fields as A (taxonomies are not “special” slugs).

Extra tokens useful here: %term%, %taxonomy%, %description%.

C. Special archives — `author`, `date`, `search`, `404`

Base fields only: title, description, breadcrumb_title, robots
(No tldr, sitemap_exclude, og_image_id, pagination flags — admin save strips them for special slugs except author partial extras.)

author, date, search also:

Field	Type
`disabled`	bool
`redirect_url`	string (URL)

author also:

Field	Type
`author_slug`	string
`tldr`	string
`og_image_id`	int

404: base fields only (no disable/redirect).

5. Template tokens (title / description only)

Token	Use
`%title%`	Archive / term / author / blog title
`%sitename%`	Site name
`%sep%`	Separator (default `–`; filter `scos_seo_title_sep`)
`%page%`	`Page N` on paginated archives
`%term%`	Term name (taxonomy)
`%taxonomy%`	Taxonomy plural label
`%description%`	Term description (taxonomy)
`%author%`	Author display name
`%search%`	Search query

Example title: %title% %sep% %sitename%

Important: Do not run values through sanitize_text_field() in a way that breaks % tokens (e.g. %description% is valid). Plain strings are fine for MCP; PHP admin uses sanitize_template_field() which preserves tokens.

6. Verify after write

wp option get scos_seo_archive_post –format=json

wp eval ‘var_export( \SiteEssentials\Modules\SeoMeta\Archive_Settings::get(“post”) );’

Second line confirms merged defaults + saved values (only works if Site Essentials is loaded in CLI — otherwise option get is enough).

Frontend output is consumed by Head_Output.php via Archive_Settings::get( $slug ) — no separate meta keys.

7. What NOT to do

Avoid	Why
`wp post meta update` for archive SEO	Wrong storage layer
Guessing slugs from another site	CPT/tax list is per site
POSTing to `admin-post.php?action=site_essentials_save_archive_meta` without full `scos_archive[all-slugs]`	Omitted slugs save as empty arrays for every slug in the loop
Setting `scos_seo_author_rewrite_ver` manually	Internal; admin deletes it on save to flush rewrites
Legacy export keys `scos_seo_breadcrumb`, `scos_seo_isnoindex`	Not used by this module

8. Optional: mimic admin save (usually worse for MCP)

Only if you must use the UI pipeline:

URL: admin-post.php
action: site_essentials_save_archive_meta
nonce: scos_archive_meta_nonce / action scos_save_archive_meta
Capability: manage_options
Body: scos_archive[{slug}][title], etc., plus scos_global[freeze_modified_date] if needed

Requires a logged-in admin session or nonce generation. wp option update per slug is simpler and safer.

9. Copy-paste MCP system prompt (short)

Task: Fill SCOS SEO archive settings for {site}.

1. List slugs: wp post-type list –_builtin=0 –public=1 –field=name;

add “post”; add special author,date,search,404;

wp taxonomy list –public=1 –field=name.

2. For each slug in scope, read wp option get scos_seo_archive_{slug} –format=json.

3. Write with wp option update scos_seo_archive_{slug} ‘<json>’ –format=json

using the correct schema (CPT/tax vs special vs author).

4. Use template tokens in title/description where appropriate.

5. Optionally set scos_seo_freeze_modified_date to “1” or “”.

6. Verify with wp option get. Do not use post meta. Do not POST admin form unless updating all slugs at once.

Reference: site-essentials/Modules/SeoMeta/Archive_Settings.php

10. Author slug side effect

If you set author_slug on scos_seo_archive_author, the next normal admin save (or code path that calls Archive_Settings::set_author_slug()) may flush rewrite rules. After CLI-only author slug changes, tell the operator to visit Settings → Permalinks → Save once if author URLs look wrong.

If you want this wired into scos-meta-fill as a sub-skill, the stable contract is: option prefix scos_seo_archive_ + site-specific slug list + JSON schemas above — not the admin URL itself.

Page/Post SEO Meta Output

(pages/posts is slightly different – shown in bold)

Example for Pages

 <head>
   <title>Website Design Ballarat | Conversion Infrastructure</title>
   <meta name='robots' content='max-image-preview:large' />

<!-- OG Image Tags -->
<meta property="og:image" content="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/brighter-websites-logo-web-design-1200x630.jpg">
<meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg">
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630">
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="Brighter websites colourful graphical representation of website design on multiple devices">

<!-- Twitter Card (after image) -->
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
<meta name="author" content="Vanessa Wood">

<!-- SCOS SEO Meta -->
<meta name="description" content="Custom web design for Ballarat and regional Australian businesses. Infrastructure-first — schema markup, Core Web Vitals, and AI-ready architecture included." />
<link rel="canonical" href="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/services/website-design/" />
<meta property="og:type" content="website" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/services/website-design/" />
<meta property="og:site_name" content="Brighter Websites" />
<meta property="og:locale" content="en_AU" />
<meta property="og:title" content="Website Design Ballarat | Conversion Infrastructure" />
<meta property="og:description" content="Custom web design for Ballarat and regional Australian businesses. Infrastructure-first — schema markup, Core Web Vitals, and AI-ready architecture included." />
<meta property="og:updated_time" content="2026-04-10T12:08:21+10:00" />
<!-- /SCOS SEO Meta -->

<link rel="icon" href="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bw-favico2026-150x150.png" sizes="32x32" />
<link rel="icon" href="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bw-favico2026-300x300.png" sizes="192x192" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bw-favico2026-300x300.png" />
<meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bw-favico2026-300x300.png" />

Example for Articles

<head>
        <meta charset="UTF-8">
        <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
        <title>How I Made Contact Forms Ready for AI Agents &#8211; Brighter Websites</title>
<meta name='robots' content='max-image-preview:large' />

<!-- OG Image Tags -->
<meta property="og:image" content="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/webmcp-tool-testing-dev-tools-1-1200x630.png">
<meta property="og:image:type" content="image/png">
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630">

<!-- Twitter Card (after image) -->
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">

<meta name="author" content="Vanessa Wood">

<!-- SCOS SEO Meta -->
<link rel="canonical" href="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/blog/how-i-made-contact-forms-ready-for-ai-agents/" />

<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/blog/how-i-made-contact-forms-ready-for-ai-agents/" />
<meta property="og:site_name" content="Brighter Websites" />
<meta property="og:locale" content="en_AU" />
<meta property="og:title" content="How I Made Contact Forms Ready for AI Agents" />
<meta property="article:published_time" content="2026-05-28T10:26:02+10:00" />
<meta property="article:modified_time" content="2026-06-04T16:23:34+10:00" />
<meta property="article:author" content="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/author/vanessa-wood/" />
<!-- /SCOS SEO Meta -->

<link rel="icon" href="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bw-favico2026-150x150.png" sizes="32x32" />
<link rel="icon" href="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bw-favico2026-300x300.png" sizes="192x192" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bw-favico2026-300x300.png" />
<meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://brighterwebsites.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bw-favico2026-300x300.png" />

Archive SEO Tokens Available

Template Tokens you can use in Meta Title and Meta Description fields

`%title%`	Archive name — CPT plural label, term name, author name, or blog page title
`%sitename%`	Site name from Settings › General
`%sep%`	Separator (default –, filterable via scos_seo_title_sep)
`%page%`	“Page 2” on paginated views, blank on page 1
`%term%`	Taxonomy term name (alias for %title% on term archives)
`%taxonomy%`	Taxonomy plural label (e.g. “Categories”, “Tags”)
`%description%`	Term description — the description set on the taxonomy term edit screen
`%author%`	Author display name (author archives)
`%search%`	Search query string (search results archives)

Example: %title% %sep% %sitename% → Posts (Blog) – Brighter Websites

SEO Module

Table Of Contents

Who is this for

Summary

SEO Post meta keys

SEO `wp_options` keys

Fixed option keys

Dynamic option keys (pattern)

Notes

Claude MCP/WP-CLI grep cheat sheet, post-meta set is:

MCP task: fill SEO archive options (Meta Tags tab)

1. Discover slugs on this site (run first)

2. Read before write (merge, do not blind overwrite)

3. Write with `wp option update` (preferred)

4. Payload schema by slug type

A. Post type archives — slug `post` or any public CPT name

B. Taxonomy archives — slug = taxonomy name (`category`, `post_tag`, custom)

C. Special archives — `author`, `date`, `search`, `404`

5. Template tokens (title / description only)

6. Verify after write

7. What NOT to do

8. Optional: mimic admin save (usually worse for MCP)

9. Copy-paste MCP system prompt (short)

10. Author slug side effect

Page/Post SEO Meta Output

Archive SEO Tokens Available

Want to Contribute to SCOS?

SEO Module

Who is this for

Summary

SEO Post meta keys

SEO wp_options keys

Fixed option keys

Dynamic option keys (pattern)

Notes

Claude MCP/WP-CLI grep cheat sheet, post-meta set is:

MCP task: fill SEO archive options (Meta Tags tab)

1. Discover slugs on this site (run first)

2. Read before write (merge, do not blind overwrite)

3. Write with wp option update (preferred)

4. Payload schema by slug type

A. Post type archives — slug post or any public CPT name

B. Taxonomy archives — slug = taxonomy name (category, post_tag, custom)

C. Special archives — author, date, search, 404

5. Template tokens (title / description only)

6. Verify after write

7. What NOT to do

8. Optional: mimic admin save (usually worse for MCP)

9. Copy-paste MCP system prompt (short)

10. Author slug side effect

Page/Post SEO Meta Output

Archive SEO Tokens Available

Want to Contribute to SCOS?

Work with me

SEO `wp_options` keys

3. Write with `wp option update` (preferred)

A. Post type archives — slug `post` or any public CPT name

B. Taxonomy archives — slug = taxonomy name (`category`, `post_tag`, custom)

C. Special archives — `author`, `date`, `search`, `404`