Connect Anansi SEO to Google Search Console and YouTube
Step-by-step setup for Anansi SEO: add a YouTube Data API key for richer video schema, connect Google Search Console with your own OAuth client, and fix common errors.
Anansi SEO for WordPress Pro SEO features. Free.
News sitemaps, video schema, a schema builder, redirects, internal link ideas and Search Console. Yoast sells these in Premium for $118.80 a year. Anansi includes them free. More of your pages found, shown and clicked.
- Pro features included free
- Imports your Rank Math or Yoast setup
What you get
What each feature does for your rankings.
Google News sitemap
Helps Google find your new stories within minutes. Helps you show up in Top Stories and Google News.
Video schema
Tells Google about the YouTube and Vimeo videos in your posts, so pages can show a video preview in search.
Schema builder
Add Product, Recipe, Event, Job posting, Review, Local business and Software app schema to any post. Live checks show what Google still needs before a page can earn stars, prices or dates in search.
Redirects and 404 log
Old links keep their value. Broken pages get caught and sent to the right place, so you don't lose traffic you already earned.
Internal link ideas
Suggests related posts to link while you write. Good internal links help Google understand and rank your pages.
Google Search Console inside WordPress
Clicks, impressions, position and top queries, with a daily chart. URL Inspection and one-click sitemap submit. See what to fix without leaving WordPress.
IndexNow and AI crawler controls
Tells Bing and other engines the moment a page changes. Choose which AI bots may read your site, and publish an llms.txt file.
Compare
Free here. Paid elsewhere.
| Feature | Yoast free | Rank Math free | Anansi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google News sitemap | Premium | PRO | Free |
| Video schema | Premium | Free | Free |
| Redirects + 404 log | Premium | Free | Free |
| Internal link ideas | Premium | Free | Free |
| Social previews (Facebook and X) | Premium | Free | Free |
| Multiple focus keywords | Premium | Free | Free |
| Search Console data in WordPress | Via Site Kit | Free | Free |
| Preview before going live | — | — | Free |
Screenshots
See it before you install it.
Everything included
The full list.
- Titles and meta
- Social cards
- Schema graph and breadcrumbs
- Schema builder
- FAQ and HowTo blocks
- XML, image, News and HTML sitemaps
- Redirects and 404 log
- Editor checks and focus keywords
- Internal link ideas (with Ariadne Related Posts or Voyage AI)
- Google Search Console
- Robots.txt and AI crawler controls
- llms.txt
- IndexNow
- Lock modified date
- Last updated line
- Bulk import and export of settings
Building on Anansi? The developer docs cover its hooks, functions, WP-CLI commands, REST routes and theme integration.
Questions
Common questions, answered directly.
Is it really free? What's the catch?
Yes. Every feature on this page is in the free download. No ads in your dashboard, no review nags.
Will Anansi improve my rankings?
No plugin can promise that. Anansi gives you the tools that help: News and video results, fewer broken links, faster indexing and clearer data. Your content still does the heavy lifting.
Will I lose rankings when I switch?
Anansi copies your setup, so Google sees the same tags and addresses. Preview mode lets you check first.
Can I go back?
Yes. One click restores what your site printed before.
Can I add Product or Recipe schema?
Yes. Open the Schema tab in the editor, press Add schema and pick a type. Schema you made in Rank Math carries over, and editing it never changes Rank Math's data.
Will switching change my old SEO plugin's data?
No. Anansi reads your Rank Math, Yoast SEO, All in One SEO, SEOPress, The SEO Framework or Redirection data and copies it. The old plugin's data stays as it was.
Does Anansi send my data anywhere?
No visitor data is sent anywhere. To read video details, your server contacts YouTube or Vimeo when you save a post with a video. If you add a Voyage AI key for internal links, post text goes to Voyage AI. IndexNow sends changed addresses to participating search engines.
Do I need a YouTube API key?
No. Without one, video schema uses the video's title and thumbnail and your post's date. A key adds the real upload date, length and view count. The setup guide shows how to get one.
How do I update to a new version?
Download the new zip from this page and upload it under Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin. WordPress asks whether to replace the installed version. Choose Replace current with uploaded. Your settings stay.
Get Anansi SEO
Free. Version 0.6.4.
Needs WordPress 6.2 or newer and PHP 7.4 or newer.
- Download the zip with the button below. Keep it zipped.
- In your dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin and click Upload Plugin.
- Choose the zip, click Install Now, then Activate.
- Open Anansi SEO in the admin menu. It starts in preview mode.
New in 0.6.1: an optional "Last updated" line in posts, off by default, that keeps the date when Lock modified date is on.
Changelog
Recent versions.
- 0.6.4 While another SEO plugin is active, Anansi hides its own editor fields, and saving no longer stores empty SEO values.
- 0.6.3 The settings backup file holds only real settings, and importing it also restores the AI abilities, block and video settings.
- 0.6.2 Example text in empty admin fields is a lighter grey, and the page preview field says "e.g.".
- 0.6.1 An optional "Last updated" line in posts, off by default. Fix: turning Lock modified date on in the same save keeps the date.
- 0.6.0 A schema editor in the Schema tab: Product, Recipe, Event, Job posting, Review, Local business, Software app, Dataset, Person, Service or custom JSON-LD, with live checks.
- 0.5.11 A switch to let AI tools read and edit SEO fields, on by default.
- 0.5.10 Lock modified date sits next to Publish in both editors.
- 0.5.9 A rearranged dashboard with a Google Search card, a date switch and a daily clicks chart.
- 0.5.8 Fix: sitemap submit to Google works again. A simpler Google screen once connected.
- 0.5.7 Cards and boxes are separated by shading instead of thin outlines.
- 0.5.6 Dashboard feature tiles in up to four columns on wide screens.
- 0.5.5 Each dashboard feature tile links to its settings.
- 0.5.4 The dashboard shows features as a grid of tiles.
- 0.5.3 A CSV backup of Rank Math redirects, and clearer sitemap links.
- 0.5.2 Plainer IndexNow settings, with a switch to make a new key.
- 0.5.1 The Google screen keeps its layout after connecting. Clearer robots help text.
- 0.5.0 A new light and dark look, and a save bar with a Discard button.
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