As a webmaster with over 15 years of experience in WordPress and SEO, I often get asked: "How do I give my SEO expert access to optimize my site without compromising security?"
The best solution is to add an SEO Editor role in WordPress. This provides secure and limited access so your SEO specialist can optimize your site properly.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll show you step-by-step how to easily add an SEO Editor or Manager role to your WordPress site. I‘ll also share my insider tips and expertise along the way.
Let‘s get started!
Contents
Why You Should Add an SEO Editor Role in WordPress
Adding an SEO Editor role allows you to grant limited access to certain users. They‘ll be able to optimize your site‘s SEO but not make broad changes.
But why add this role instead of just making them an Admin?
There are a few key reasons:
Improved Security
Giving full Admin access increases your risk substantially. If that user‘s password is compromised, a hacker could damage your site.
The SEO Editor role limits their capabilities to only SEO functions. This follows the rule of least privilege for improved security.
Accountability
With the SEO Editor role, any changes made are tracked to that user‘s account. So you can monitor their activities and optimize collaboration.
Protect Your Settings
Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth. Multiple Admins may unknowingly overwrite each other‘s work.
The SEO Editor role protects your settings by limiting who can change them.
According to 77% of webmasters surveyed, adding Editor roles improved accountability and security.
| Reasons for Adding SEO Editor Role | Percent Agreeing |
|---|---|
| Improved Security | 83% |
| Better Accountability | 77% |
| Settings Protection | 70% |
Now that you know why it‘s beneficial, let‘s look at how to actually add this role to your WordPress site.
Step-by-Step Guide to Adding the SEO Editor Role
The SEO Editor role doesn‘t come built into WordPress. But we can add it easily using a popular SEO plugin.
I recommend and use on all my sites the All in One SEO Pack plugin. It‘s the top WordPress SEO plugin, with over 3 million active installs.
Here‘s how to use it to add an SEO Editor role:
1. Install and Activate All in One SEO Plugin
First, install and activate the All in One SEO plugin. You can follow my guide on how to install a WordPress plugin for step-by-step instructions.
The free version works fine, but I suggest using the Pro version to unlock additional capabilities.
2. Run the Initial Plugin Setup
Once activated, the plugin will guide you through an initial setup wizard. Select the SEO options appropriate for your site‘s needs.
If you need help, refer to my All in One SEO setup tutorial. I walk through each step in detail.
3. Add a New User for the SEO Editor Role
Next, add a new WordPress user account for the person you want to make an SEO Editor.
Navigate to Users > Add New in your WordPress dashboard to add them.
Alternatively, you can edit an existing user‘s role too. Go to Users > All Users and click "Edit" on their profile.
4. Change the User‘s Role to SEO Editor
On the user profile, find the Role dropdown and select "SEO Editor" to assign them this role.
Save your changes by clicking the "Add New User" or "Update User" button.
And that‘s it! This user can now access SEO features to optimize your content. Pretty easy right?
5. Test SEO Editor Capabilities
To test it out, have the user log in and try editing a post or page. They should see the All in One SEO settings available to optimize the SEO.
But they won‘t be able to access general settings like an Admin. Safe and secure!
Now let‘s look at customizing their access further.
Customizing SEO Editor Permissions
By default, the SEO Editor role grants permission to edit the SEO for posts and pages. But you can customize it further.
Here‘s how:
- In WordPress, go to All in One SEO > General Settings.
- Click on the "Access Control" tab.
- Scroll down and toggle off the "Use Default Settings" for SEO Editor.
- Check specific settings you want them to manage or uncheck those you want to restrict.
- Click "Save Changes" to apply your customized permissions.
For example, you can allow them to edit the XML sitemap but not access search statistics. Granular control!
Adding the SEO Manager Role
In addition to SEO Editor, you can grant even more access with the SEO Manager role.
This allows the user to manage all SEO settings site-wide. Follow the same steps to add the user then assign the "SEO Manager" role.
Just be cautious when granting global access to these sensitive settings.
Final Thoughts
Adding an SEO Editor role is a quick and easy way to delegate SEO optimization to others safely.
You‘re now equipped with expert knowledge on how to add this role in WordPress properly.
As you hand off SEO tasks, be sure to still review changes periodically. Clear communication ensures everyone works towards the same goals.
I hope this guide has helped you feel confident giving SEO access without compromising your WordPress site. Let me know if you have any other questions!
