ByTheWeb AI
= 1.9.8 =
* Fixed an issue where ByTheWeb GEO AI action prices could appear wrong credits after updating to ByTheWeb AI 1.9.7.
* Restored caching of current GEO and SEO Fix with AI prices returned by ByTheWeb Cloud.
* Added client version verification for supported cloud AI actions.
= 1.9.7 =
* Removed the AI Article Wizard, Auto Pilot, article idea generation, and related article-generation workflows.
* Removed AI image generation and related featured-image generation workflows.
* Added a clear AI-processing notice to Media Metadata Optimization before sending image URLs for AI analysis.
* Updated plugin setup, settings, and documentation around AI Audit, FAQ Schema, and Media Metadata Optimization.
* Added clear documentation for optional plugin Usage Tracking and the data collected when enabled.
= 1.9.6 =
* Fixed minor text issues.
* Removed temporary load_plugin_textdomain() compatibility code.
* Added clearer review and responsibility notices for AI-generated articles and images.
* Added explicit consent and server-side safeguards for Auto Pilot automatic publishing.
* Added AI-generation disclosure to articles created by the Article Wizard and Auto Pilot.
* Added internal provenance metadata for AI-generated images, including provider, model, fallback status, generation record time, and plugin version.
* Improved Auto Pilot notifications to clearly distinguish drafts from automatically published articles.
= 1.9.5 =
* Updated compatibility for WordPress 7.1.
* Fixed the Admin Bar AI icon across WordPress admin screens.
* Updated the Admin Bar credits link to open the Packages tab.
* Added a new Getting Started setup experience for first-time activation.
* Added API Key connection and verification to the Getting Started flow.
* Added optional Usage Tracking controls and a new Privacy & Usage settings tab.
* Improved the main Dashboard with quick access to key AI tools and settings.
* Added an AI disclosure notice to articles created with the Article Wizard and Auto Pilot.
= 1.9.4 =
* Fixed duplicate credit charging for metadata generated with AI-created images.
* Added included-metadata support to the Featured Image Generator, Article Wizard, and Auto Pilot.
* Added per-article credit cost to the Auto Pilot confirmation summary.
* Improved Help & Guides links throughout the plugin.
* Removed outdated Video Guide buttons and updated Support labels to “Help & Guides”.
= 1.9.3 =
* Added secure signed scanner launch parameters for scans opened from the AI Audit page.
= 1.9.2 =
* Improved the API Connection & Credits pricing interface.
* Removed the extra AI Audit description text.
= 1.9.1 =
* Fix: Display exact bytheweb.cloud prices with decimals instead of rounded numbers.
= 1.9.0 =
* Added compatibility with Rank Math SEO.
* Added a unified SEO provider system for Yoast SEO, Rank Math SEO, and ByTheWeb GEO.
* Added Rank Math SEO integration to the AI Article Wizard and Auto Pilot.
* Generated SEO titles, meta descriptions, and focus keywords are now synchronized with the active supported SEO provider.
* Improved the Article Wizard and Auto Pilot interfaces to accurately reflect the active SEO and GEO plugins.
* Removed the legacy Site Analysis page and related dashboard functionality.
* Removed the legacy SEO Audit page and related settings.
* Simplified dashboard issue counters to focus on Media Optimization issues.
* Updated plugin texts and interfaces to remove outdated Yoast-only references.
= 1.8.2 =
* Added a new AI Audit page with direct access to the ByTheWeb AI Website Scanner for the current site domain.
* Added AI engine availability indicators for ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude based on the website’s API connection status.
* Improved API Key verification so invalid or domain-mismatched keys are rejected and not saved.
* Improved the AI Audit interface with a fixed site-domain display and a clear connection notice for enabling all supported AI engines.
* Removed automatic plugin activation and deactivation analytics.
= 1.8.1 =
* Added the new bytheweb branding.
= 1.7.9 =
* Improvement: Enhanced the SEO Audit table to accurately reflect the final, computed SEO Titles and Meta Descriptions. The report now fully evaluates global templates, smart variables (like `%%title%%` for Yoast or `%post_title%` for GEO), and automated excerpt fallbacks, ensuring you see exactly what search engines see rather than just raw database values.
* Tweak: Set “Pages” as the default active tab when visiting the SEO Audit page for a smoother workflow.
* Tweak: Expanded “SEO Audit” page accessibility to all users with content editing capabilities (`edit_posts`), making it hidden only for Subscribers.
* Security: Restricted the “API Connection & Credits” settings tab exclusively to Administrators (`manage_options`), while granting Editors (`edit_others_posts`) access to manage all other configuration tabs.
= 1.7.8 =
* UI/UX: Renamed the “Yoast Settings” tab to “SEO Audit” and removed icons from all tab titles for a cleaner, unified interface.
* Compatibility: The “SEO Audit” tab and its settings are now fully accessible if either ByTheWeb GEO or Yoast SEO is active.
* Tweak: Hid the “Keyword” column in the SEO Audit table when Yoast SEO is inactive (as ByTheWeb GEO no longer utilizes Focus Keywords for scoring).
= 1.7.7 =
* Fix: Resolved a critical JSON decoding bug where FAQ schemas containing double quotes or special characters were breaking and failing to display via the shortcode.
= 1.7.6 =
* Compatible to Woedpress 7.0
* New: Dedicated Elementor Widget for the AI FAQ Generator with advanced styling controls (Columns, Colors, Typography, Icon customization).
* Improvement: SEO Audit tool now fully supports ByTheWeb GEO fields when Yoast SEO is inactive.
* UX: Added original upload location (parent post) details in the Media Optimization page, including quick links to view and edit the parent post.
* Tweak: Replaced the “ shortcode with “ for better compatibility (backward compatibility maintained).
* Tweak: Smartly hide promotional banners if ByTheWeb GEO is already active.
* Tweak: Updated the promotional banner with responsive images and a direct internal WordPress installation link.
* UI: Updated plugin name to “ByTheWeb AI – Content Generator & AI Assistant” with a standard hyphen to comply with WordPress.org guidelines.
= 1.7.5 =
* Compliance Update: Added a legal disclaimer to all AI image generation features (Article Wizard, Post Editor, and Auto Pilot) to remind users to review AI-generated media for third-party rights prior to publishing.
* UI/UX: Integrated a direct link to the Terms of Service within the image generation approval modals for better transparency.
= 1.7.4 =
* Update: Service URL bytheweb.cloud.
* Fix: Auto Pilot settings can now be saved immediately without the summary modal when the pilot is disabled.
= 1.7.3 =
* Fix: Translation support for Hebrew sites.
* Fix: Update plugin Description text.
= 1.7.2 =
Fix: Dashboard banner CSS cache issue
= 1.7.1 =
* Documentation: Fully updated readme.txt with the new 4-step Article Wizard workflow, comprehensive feature details, and a clear breakdown of free vs. AI-powered tools.
= 1.7.0 =
* New Feature: Added shortcode to easily display generated FAQs on the frontend.
* Customization: Added FAQ frontend display settings (Standard, Accordion, Toggle) directly in the plugin settings.
* Performance: Frontend CSS and JS for the FAQ shortcode strictly follow WordPress.org guidelines and load only when the shortcode is used.
* Integration: Full compatibility with ByTheWeb GEO plugin. Auto-generated articles now instantly populate GEO fields (Short Answer, AI Summary).
* Smart Tags: AI-generated articles now automatically generate and assign highly relevant WordPress tags to improve site structure.
* New: Internal Links Dictionary – Define up to 10 keywords and URLs. The AI will automatically and naturally weave up to 3 of these links into your newly generated articles.
* New: AJAX Content Search – Easily find and select internal posts, pages, or products directly from the Internal Links settings using a fast AJAX search.
* New: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Support – AI now automatically generates ‘Short Answer’ and ‘AI Summary (Key Facts)’ fields for better visibility in AI search engines.
* New: Auto-Tags Generation – The AI now generates and assigns 5 highly relevant WordPress tags for each new article.
* Improved: Prompt Chaining Architecture – Completely rebuilt the AI generation engine to use a two-step process. This ensures 100% strict compliance with SEO metadata limits.
* Improved: Perfect SEO Focus Keywords – The AI now smartly extracts a concise (1-3 words) Focus Keyword directly from the topic and seamlessly integrates it into the SEO Title and Meta Description.
* Improved: Auto Pilot Compatibility – Auto Pilot now fully supports the new Internal Linking and GEO features.
* Fixed: SEO Title & Meta Description lengths to perfectly align with Yoast SEO requirements (Green score).
* Backward Compatibility: Full support maintained for older plugin versions (1.6.9 and below) to ensure stable API usage.
= 1.6.96 =
* Compliance: Updated terminology to strictly align with WordPress.org Serviceware guidelines (Guideline 6).
* UI/UX: Replaced “License Key” with “API Key” across the plugin to accurately reflect the external cloud connection architecture.
* UI/UX: Removed “Trial” and “Locked” terminology. Clarified that local built-in features are 100% free and unrestricted, and the API key is used solely for external AI cloud computations.
* UI/UX: Replaced restrictive lock icons with standard cloud and sparkle icons to prevent confusion regarding built-in functionality.
= 1.6.95 =
* Security: Implemented deep sanitization (`map_deep`) for nested JSON POST data (FAQ Schema) to ensure maximum safety.
* Security: Upgraded `register_setting` array sanitization using strict whitelist callbacks and `sanitize_key`.
* Security: Improved sanitization of POST array keys to prevent malicious input.
* UI/UX: Adjusted the admin dashboard menu position to integrate seamlessly with the WordPress core hierarchy.
* Documentation: Expanded the 3rd-party external service (AIPM) documentation with precise data transmission details and policy links.
= 1.6.9 =
* Compliance Update: Updated all plugin prefixes to ensure strict naming convention compliance and avoid global collisions.
* UI/UX Improvements: Removed physical UI overlays. The local plugin interface is now completely unrestricted and fully accessible at all times.
* Access Control: License and credit validations are now elegantly handled via JS and API checks only when triggering external AI services, providing a smoother experience.
* Performance: Cleaned up inline CSS/JS and properly enqueued all assets according to WordPress best practices.
* Code Cleanup: Removed redundant `load_plugin_textdomain()` call as WordPress now handles translations automatically from the directory.
* UI Polish: Upgraded the FAQ schema generator box to a new premium dark design and added dynamic status icons to AI action buttons.
= 1.6.8 =
* Security Enhancements: Improved input sanitization and validation across all AJAX endpoints to fully comply with WordPress.org security standards.
* Code Optimization: Resolved minor PHPCS warnings and improved meta_query structures.
= 1.6.7 =
* Reordered Dashboard hub for better user experience.
* Added AI Auto Pilot module for scheduled content generation.
* Masked license key field (password type) for better security.
* Updated Admin Bar credit notice for accounts without active packages.
* Added strict user capability checks to all AJAX endpoints for enhanced security.
= 1.6.4 =
* Improved AI Article Wizard flow.
* Added support for realistic image generation.
* Enhanced SEO audit capabilities.
* Fixed minor UI bugs.
= 1.0.0 =
* Initial release.
ByTheWeb GEO
= 1.3.4 =
* Aligned the GEO Dashboard AI-generation confirmation with the updated AI content disclosure used in the post editor.
* Added clearer documentation for optional plugin Usage Tracking and external service data flows.
= 1.3.3 =
* Improved AI-assisted content disclosure with clearer review, fact-checking, and publishing responsibility guidance.
= 1.3.2 =
* Updated compatibility for WordPress 7.1.
* Added a new Getting Started setup experience.
* Improved FAQ / Q&A structured data output and schema compatibility.
* Added enable/disable controls for the XML Sitemap and Robots.txt AI Controls.
* Improved sitemap and robots.txt behavior with Yoast SEO and Rank Math.
= 1.3.1 =
* Improved Help & Guides navigation across the plugin.
* Updated the LocalBusiness Schema business types reference to the new Help Center documentation.
* Updated SEO Title validity checks to 10-100 characters.
* Updated Meta Description validity checks to 50-200 characters.
* Improved SEO Title and Meta Description feedback and character counters across the plugin.
* Removed misleading character counters from dynamic SEO templates.
* Fixed character counters not refreshing after AI-generated SEO metadata was inserted from the Dashboard.
= 1.3.0 =
* Added compatibility with Rank Math SEO.
* Prevented duplicate SEO titles, meta descriptions, canonical tags, robots directives, sitemaps, breadcrumbs, and structured data when Rank Math is active.
* Added Rank Math Schema graph integration for FAQ, Short Answer, AI Summary, Organization, Person, LocalBusiness, Service, Article, sameAs, and ContactPoint data.
* Added provider-aware Schema enrichment for Yoast SEO and Rank Math while preserving each plugin’s existing core Schema graph and entity IDs.
* Updated post and taxonomy SEO interfaces to respect the active external SEO plugin while keeping ByTheWeb GEO features available.
* Improved SEO provider switching so rewrite rules are refreshed automatically when Yoast SEO or Rank Math is activated or deactivated, without requiring a manual Permalinks save.
* Improved LLM indexability handling so Yoast SEO and Rank Math remain responsible for determining indexability when either plugin is active.
* Added detection and admin warnings when Yoast SEO or Rank Math is also configured to generate llms.txt, helping prevent competing LLM file generators.
* Fixed Breadcrumb Schema handling when Yoast SEO is active, allowing Yoast to remain responsible for its own BreadcrumbList output.
* Improved Organization and Person primary entity handling across standalone, Yoast SEO, and Rank Math configurations.
* Improved Article and BlogPosting enrichment so Short Answers and AI Summaries enhance existing provider Schema without creating competing Article entities.
* Improved Schema relationships for publisher, provider, parentOrganization, ContactPoint, LocalBusiness locations, and Services.
* Redesigned the Entity & Schema settings with dedicated configuration for Primary Entity, Business Locations, Customer Support Contact, Services, and Article Schema.
* Added support for multiple LocalBusiness locations.
* Added support for LocalBusiness plus 130 additional supported Schema.org LocalBusiness descendant types.
* Added support for multiple Service entities.
* Added dedicated Customer Support ContactPoint fields instead of relying only on primary business contact details.
* Redesigned the Entity & Schema admin interface with consistent cards, modal configuration screens, provider-specific guidance, repeatable Locations and Services, and searchable Business Type selection.
* Improved sitemap counting and pagination so noindex content and password-protected posts are excluded before sitemap pages are generated.
* Added sitemap eligibility summaries in the admin interface to show included URL counts for selected post types and taxonomies.
* Improved standalone post and taxonomy Indexing & Discovery controls with explicit per-item Index/Noindex overrides, override counts, and filtered admin views.
* Expanded `llms.txt` and `llms-full.txt` generation to process content in batches instead of stopping after 50 items per content type.
* Added separate configurable character limits for `llms.txt` and `llms-full.txt`, with defaults of 50,000 and 200,000 characters.
* Updated LLM file robots headers to respect the global WordPress search engine visibility setting.
* Added standalone per-post and per-taxonomy LLM exclusion controls, allowing individual items to be excluded from both `llms.txt` and `llms-full.txt` without affecting search engine indexing or `sitemap.xml`.
* Added LLM eligibility summaries in the admin interface for selected post types and taxonomies.
* Improved LLM eligibility reporting to use the same indexability rules as the generated LLM files.
* Improved dashboard issue counting so each content item requiring attention is counted once, together with images that require optimization.
* Added a clear confirmation disclosure before post or page content is sent to ByTheWeb Cloud for AI generation.
* Removed automatic plugin activation and deactivation analytics requests.
* Removed the Yoast SEO migration tools, related AJAX endpoints, and the “Migrate to ByTheWeb” tab.
* Removed the legacy scheduled Needs Attention score recalculation cron and replaced it with direct issue counting.
= 1.2.5 =
* Added the new bytheweb branding.
= 1.2.4 =
* Added frontend meta indicators for ByTheWeb GEO and active ByTheWeb AI plugin detection.
* Added Robots.txt AI Policy Manager with selectable crawler blocking for major AI and search user agents, while keeping all bots allowed by default.
* Added automatic ByTheWeb GEO sitemap reference to the virtual robots.txt output when Yoast SEO is not active.
* Added llms-full.txt generation for a fuller Markdown version of public, indexable site content.
* Added configurable llms-full.txt character limit to prevent oversized responses on large sites.
* Extended llms.txt settings so selected post types and taxonomies apply to both llms.txt and llms-full.txt.
* Added Short Answer, AI Summary, cleaned content, last modified date, and Elementor text extraction support for llms-full.txt.
* Improved admin notices for robots.txt compatibility with physical robots.txt files, cache plugins, security plugins, firewalls, and server-level rules.
= 1.2.3 =
* Improved llms.txt generation with cleaner multilingual output, better content filtering, and exclusion of noindex or password-protected content.
* Added a one-time rewrite rules refresh after plugin updates to improve sitemap.xml availability.
* Enhancement: Fully synchronized the plugin’s indexing rules with the global WordPress “Discourage search engines” setting to prevent indexing conflicts. The global WordPress setting will now strictly override any individual page/taxonomy index settings.
* UI/UX: Added a prominent alert notice in the SEO Settings dashboard when the site is globally blocked from search engines.
* Tweak: Added a helpful UX hint under the Physical Address field to assist users with GPS coordinate fetching without compromising LocalBusiness Schema accuracy.
* Tweak: Temporarily added local textdomain loading (`load_plugin_textdomain`) for Hebrew translations until the official GlotPress language pack is fully approved.
= 1.2.2 =
* Added sameAs official profile URLs for stronger entity recognition.
* Added ContactPoint customer support schema using existing business contact fields.
* Added Service schema for businesses that offer a primary service.
* Added Yoast SEO schema graph integration for sameAs, ContactPoint, Service, and LocalBusiness schema.
* Improved LocalBusiness / Service settings labels and descriptions.
* Fixed LocalBusiness schema output when Yoast SEO is active.
= 1.2.1 =
* Fix: Resolved a compatibility issue with Yoast SEO where the plugin’s XML sitemap rewrite rules inadvertently overrode Yoast’s `sitemap_index.xml` redirection.
* Enhancement: Improved `llms.txt` file delivery by enforcing a 200 HTTP status (preventing false 404s), clearing output buffers for a clean text output, preventing caching, and adding `X-Robots-Tag: index, follow` to ensure proper crawling and indexing by AI bots.
= 1.2.0 =
* Added GA4 tracking for plugin activation events.
= 1.1.8 =
* Enhancement: Expanded access for Editors (`edit_others_posts`). Editors can now fully access the main GEO Dashboard, modify GEO/SEO settings templates, use the AI Auto-Fix tools, and execute the Yoast SEO data migration tools.
= 1.1.71 =
* UI/UX: Syntax error
= 1.1.7 =
* UI/UX: Swapped the layout order of the main dashboard cards to display “AI Readiness (GEO)” first, aligning the layout with the post editor Metabox structure.
* Fix: Resolved a calculation mismatch where the top small alert counters for SEO Titles and Meta Descriptions didn’t check for global fallback templates, causing false alerts on optimized pages.
* Fix: Updated the SEO Analyzer engine to check for site-wide global Open Graph/Social Media default images before flagging a page for missing media, ensuring accurate independent scoring.
= 1.1.6 =
* Fix: Fixed a JSON decoding issue (`wp_unslash`) that caused FAQ schemas with inner quotes to break and disappear from the dashboard modal and the frontend.
* Fix: Improved Yoast SEO integration by properly declaring the `@type` as `FAQPage` within the Yoast graph, ensuring Google correctly indexes the FAQ Rich Snippets.
= 1.1.5 =
* Compatible to Woedpress 7.0
* Feature: Evolved “Focus Keyword” into “AI & SEO Keyword (Target Entity)”. The analyzer now actively checks if your main entity is naturally included within your AI Summary, Short Answer, and FAQ Schema for maximum AI alignment.
* Enhancement: Completely rebuilt the GEO & SEO Analyzer engine. Removed direct content-scraping checks (word counts, H2/H3 headings, image alts) to guarantee 100% compatibility with page builders like Elementor and completely eliminate false-positive errors.
* Enhancement: Rebalanced the GEO and Classic SEO scoring algorithms to accurately reflect modern search priorities on a perfect, independent 100-point scale.
* Tweak: Improved UX by replacing the harsh red error for missing keywords with a friendly “Optimization Tip” and a dedicated guide link.
* Tweak: Redesigned the Metabox and Dashboard UI—moved the AI & SEO Keyword input to the very top for immediate access.
* Fix: Resolved an issue where GEO and SEO accordions (toggles) wouldn’t open or close properly inside the Dashboard “Edit & Fix” modal.
* Fix: Removed duplicate keyword input fields from the Taxonomy edit screens.
= 1.1.4 =
* Feature: Added dedicated Elementor widgets (AI Summary, AI Short Answer, Breadcrumbs) to easily design and embed optimized GEO content directly within the Elementor page builder.
* Enhancement: Upgraded the ‘llms.txt’ generator to output advanced, semantic Markdown formatting (using blockquotes for Short Answers and structured lists for AI Summaries) to maximize LLM ingestion and readability.
* Enhancement: Injected the ‘abstract’ property natively into the global WebPage JSON-LD Schema (and seamlessly into Yoast’s Schema graph) across all post types, complying with official Schema.org standards.
= 1.1.31 =
* Fix: Adjusted hook priorities for `llms.txt` and `sitemap.xml` to prevent WordPress from applying unintended canonical redirects or trailing slashes.
= 1.1.3 =
* Fix: Updated hardcoded core paths to use includes_url().
* Tweak: Renamed shortcodes and JS variables to use a unique 4-character prefix (btwgeo).
= 1.1.2 =
* Security: Added strict sanitization using `sanitize_key()` for array keys and `map_deep()` for all `json_decode()` operations to meet WordPress security standards.
* Tweak: Updated the plugin display name and slug to `bytheweb-geo` to better align with WordPress.org trademark and naming guidelines.
* Tweak: Refined the readme description to remove promotional language and provide clearer, objective instructions.
* Fix: Resolved a PHP warning/error during taxonomy meta saving.
* Fix: Addressed minor variable initialization notices in the frontend schema output.
= 1.1.1 =
* Fixed plugin slug and Text Domain to ‘bytheweb-geo’.
= 1.1.0 =
* Initial release on the WordPress.org repository.
* Added comprehensive Site-wide GEO Dashboard.
* Introduced llms.txt auto-generation.
* Added advanced XML Sitemap with Video and Image support.
* Added Trust Signals (Organization & LocalBusiness Schema).
* Added full Yoast SEO compatibility mode.