Common problems and fixes

Most RankKit SEO problems come from a handful of causes: a setting in WordPress itself, a second SEO plugin, caching, or a feature that's switched off. Find your symptom below. Each section has the cause and the fix.

Before anything else, two quick checks solve a lot:

1. Open RankKit SEO → Dashboard and click Re-run to refresh the audit. Many problems show up there with a Fix it button.
2. Clear your page cache and CDN cache, then check again in a private browser window.

Search engines and indexing

Problem	Cause	Fix
The Dashboard shows Search engines are blocked on this site.	Settings → Reading → Discourage search engines from indexing this site is ticked, often left over from development.	Click Fix, untick the box and save.
/wp-sitemap.xml is missing or empty.	The same "Discourage search engines" setting turns sitemaps off, or the XML sitemaps module is off.	Untick the setting above. Check the XML sitemaps module on the Dashboard.
A post or page isn't in the sitemap.	Noindexed content is left out of sitemaps automatically.	Check No index under Robots Meta Override in the Advanced section of the post's RankKit SEO panel (Hide from search engines (noindex) in the Classic Editor), and the content type's setting in Settings → Content types. See XML sitemaps.
/sitemap.xml redirects somewhere else.	This is expected. /sitemap.xml and /sitemap_index.xml redirect to /wp-sitemap.xml.	Submit /wp-sitemap.xml to Google and Bing.
robots.txt changes don't show.	A physical robots.txt file in your site's root folder overrides the virtual one RankKit SEO edits.	Delete or rename the physical file. See Edit robots.txt.
A post shows as noindex though you didn't set it.	The whole content type or archive is set to noindex, or the post isn't published.	Check Settings → Content types and Settings → General → Archives & thin pages. See Noindex, nofollow and canonical URLs.

Titles, meta and social previews

Problem	Cause	Fix
Duplicate title or meta description tags in the page source.	Another SEO plugin is still active.	Import its data, then deactivate it, for example with Deactivate in the Other SEO plugins are running alongside RankKit SEO warning. See Running RankKit SEO alongside another SEO plugin.
An SEO title change doesn't appear on the site.	A page cache is serving the old page, or the Titles & meta module is off.	Clear the cache. Check the module on the Dashboard.
Facebook, LinkedIn or X show an old preview.	Networks cache previews.	Re-scrape the URL in the network's sharing debugger. See Social sharing.
A shared link has no image.	The page has no social image, featured image or image in the content, and there's no default share image.	Set a Default share image in Settings → Social.
The RankKit SEO button is missing from the block editor toolbar.	Your role doesn't have the SEO fields permission, or the screen is too narrow to show the button.	Ask an administrator to check Settings → Roles (Role manager). On a narrow screen, open the ⋮ options menu and choose RankKit SEO.
Elementor shows Unsaved SEO changes.	SEO changes made in the Elementor drawer are saved with the page.	Update the page, or click Save SEO to save them now.

llms.txt, Markdown pages and other files

Problem	Cause	Fix
/llms.txt, .md pages, /locations.kml or the IndexNow key file return a 404.	Plain permalinks, or the rewrite rules need refreshing.	Set Settings → Permalinks to anything except Plain and click Save Changes, which also refreshes the rules.
/llms.txt returns a 404 with pretty permalinks on.	The llms.txt & Markdown module is off.	Turn it on from the Dashboard. See llms.txt and Markdown.
/llms-full.txt returns a 404.	llms-full.txt is a Pro feature and is off by default.	With RankKit SEO Pro, turn on Publish /llms-full.txt in Settings → llms.txt.
A page has no .md version.	Markdown versions aren't served for noindexed, unpublished or password-protected posts, or Serve Markdown versions is off.	Check the post's status and the switch in RankKit SEO → Settings → Markdown.

AI features

Problem	Cause	Fix
Connect an AI provider first or Set up AI prompts.	No AI key is saved.	Add one in Settings → AI provider and click Save and test connection. See Add your AI provider key.
"Daily AI request limit reached. Raise it in settings or try tomorrow."	You've used today's Daily request limit.	Raise the limit in Settings → AI provider, or wait until tomorrow.
AI does nothing at all.	Pause all AI is on, or the AI assistant module is off.	Turn off Pause all AI in Settings → AI provider, and check the module on the Dashboard.
Suggest with AI says Save the post first.	AI suggestions need a saved post.	Save a draft, then try again.

AI agents and MCP

Problem	Cause	Fix
"AI agent access is turned off. Enable it in RankKit SEO → AI Agents."	The Allow AI agents to connect switch is off.	Turn it on in RankKit SEO → AI Agents.
"Invalid or expired RankKit SEO agent token."	The token was revoked, has expired or was copied incorrectly.	Create a new token and update your client's config. See Agent tokens.
An agent says its changes are done but nothing changed on the site.	Approval mode is on, so agent edits wait for you. Site-wide changes, such as settings and redirects, always wait.	Approve them in RankKit SEO → Change Log under Needs approval. See Approval mode.
"This token does not have write access to …"	The token's scopes don't allow that area.	Create a token with the right permissions.
claude.ai or ChatGPT can't connect.	The site isn't public over HTTPS, pretty permalinks are off, or OAuth sign-in is turned off.	See Fix MCP connection problems.

Google Search Console and Analytics

Problem	Cause	Fix
"Google did not return a refresh token. Check the client secret and the redirect URI, then try again."	The client secret or the authorised redirect URI in Google Cloud doesn't match.	Copy the redirect URI shown in RankKit SEO exactly into your OAuth client, check the secret and sign in again. See Connect Google.
The last two days are missing from Search Console reports.	Search Console data arrives about two days late.	Nothing to fix. This is how Google reports it.
GA4 counts every visit twice.	GA4 is added both by RankKit SEO and by another plugin or your theme.	Use one. Leave GA4 Measurement ID empty in Settings → Webmaster tools if something else adds the tag. See Add the GA4 tag.

Change Log and undo

Problem	Cause	Fix
"This field changed again after this edit. Revert the newer change first, or force it."	A later change touched the same field.	Revert the newer change first, or force the revert if you're sure. See The Change Log.
You can't approve or revert changes.	Your role doesn't have Change Log approval, which is for administrators by default.	Ask an administrator, or change it in Settings → Roles.

Pro features and licensing

Problem	Cause	Fix
Pro features are still locked after buying.	The free plugin is active instead of RankKit SEO Pro, or the license isn't activated.	Install and activate RankKit SEO Pro and enter your license key. See Activate Pro.
The 404 monitor is empty.	The 404 monitor module is off by default.	Turn it on from the Dashboard. See 404 monitor.

Tracking numbers look low

Problem	Cause	Fix
AI crawler tracking shows fewer visits than expected.	Only visits that WordPress handles are counted. Visits served entirely by a page cache or CDN are not seen.	Nothing to fix in RankKit SEO. Treat the numbers as a minimum. See AI crawlers.
IndexNow doesn't ping on your test site.	IndexNow is skipped on local and development environment types, and is off by default.	Expected on test sites. On a live site, turn on the IndexNow module.

Still stuck? See the FAQ or get support.