- Essential Pre-Installation Checklist
- ⚠️ Critical Pre-Installation Steps
- 🔍 Pre-Installation Decision Matrix
- 📊 What to Expect: First 24 Hours
- ⚙️ Compatibility Configuration Guide
- 🚨 Common Pre-Installation Mistakes to Avoid
- ✅ Pre-Installation Checklist (Print This!)
- 🎯 Pre-Installation Strategy Questions
- 🛡️ Safety Precautions
- 🆘 Emergency Rollback Plan
- 📞 Pre-Installation Support
- 🎓 Recommended Reading Before Installation
- ✨ You're Ready to Install!
- 🎯 Final Thoughts
Essential Pre-Installation Checklist #
Read this BEFORE installing AISEOmatic AI to ensure a smooth, risk-free setup.
This guide helps you prepare your WordPress site properly, avoid common pitfalls, and maximize the benefits of AISEOmatic AI from day one.
⚠️ Critical Pre-Installation Steps #
1. Create a Complete Backup #
MANDATORY – Do this FIRST, before anything else:
✅ Full database backup
✅ All WordPress files backup
✅ Uploads folder backup
✅ Test your backup restoration process
Recommended Backup Tools:
- UpdraftPlus (Free & Pro)
- BackWPup (Free)
- Duplicator (Free & Pro)
- Your hosting panel (cPanel, Plesk, etc.)
Why it matters: While AISEOmatic AI is thoroughly tested, having a backup ensures you can restore your site instantly if anything unexpected happens during installation.
2. Verify System Requirements #
Minimum Requirements:
WordPress: 5.0 or higher
PHP: 7.4 or higher
MySQL: 5.6 or higher
Disk Space: 10MB free
Memory Limit: 128MB minimum
Recommended Configuration:
WordPress: 6.0+
PHP: 8.1+
MySQL: 8.0+
Memory Limit: 256MB or higher
Max Execution Time: 300 seconds
How to Check Your Configuration:
- Go to Tools → Site Health in WordPress
- Click Info tab
- Review Server section
- Note any warnings or recommendations
If your server doesn’t meet requirements: Contact your hosting provider to upgrade PHP/MySQL versions or increase memory limits.
3. Review Your Current SEO Setup #
Check What You Already Have:
| Current Setup | Action Required |
|---|---|
| ❌ No SEO plugin | ✅ Perfect – Install AISEOmatic directly |
| ✅ Yoast SEO installed | ⚠️ Can coexist – See compatibility section below |
| ✅ Rank Math installed | ⚠️ Can coexist – See compatibility section below |
| ✅ All in One SEO | ⚠️ Can coexist – See compatibility section below |
| ✅ SEOPress installed | ⚠️ Can coexist – See compatibility section below |
| ✅ Multiple SEO plugins | ❌ STOP – Deactivate all but ONE before installing |
Important Notes:
- AISEOmatic can work alongside one traditional SEO plugin
- AISEOmatic adds an AI-first layer on top of traditional SEO
- If you have multiple SEO plugins active, deactivate all but one
- Never run 2+ traditional SEO plugins simultaneously
4. Check Plugin Compatibility #
Known Compatible Plugins:
✅ WooCommerce (all versions)
✅ Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder
✅ Gutenberg (native WordPress)
✅ WPML, Polylang (multilingual)
✅ W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache
✅ Cloudflare, LiteSpeed Cache
Plugins That May Need Configuration:
⚠️ Minification plugins → May need to exclude /wp-json/aiseoai/*
⚠️ Security plugins → May need to whitelist AISEOmatic
⚠️ Firewall plugins → May need to allow REST API access
Incompatible or Problematic:
❌ Very old caching plugins (pre-2020)
❌ Heavily modified WordPress core
❌ Outdated PHP versions (below 7.4)
5. Prepare Your Site Settings #
Before Installation, Configure These:
A. Permalink Structure
- Go to Settings → Permalinks
- Use Post name (recommended) or Custom Structure
- ❌ Avoid Plain permalinks (breaks AI Sitemap)
- Click Save Changes to flush rewrite rules
B. Clear All Caches
- Clear WordPress cache
- Clear browser cache
- Clear CDN cache (Cloudflare, etc.)
- Clear server cache (if applicable)
C. Disable Maintenance Mode
- If your site is in maintenance mode, disable it temporarily
- AISEOmatic needs to access live content for initial optimization
🔍 Pre-Installation Decision Matrix #
Should You Install Lite or Pro First? #
Install Lite First If:
- ✅ You want to test AISEOmatic risk-free
- ✅ You have a small site (< 50 pages)
- ✅ You’re new to AI-first SEO
- ✅ You want to see results before upgrading
- ✅ Budget is a concern
Install Pro Directly If:
- ✅ You’ve already tested Lite and loved it
- ✅ You have a large site (50+ pages)
- ✅ You need advanced features immediately
- ✅ You want AI summaries and bot analytics
- ✅ You’re managing multiple sites or clients
Good News: You can upgrade from Lite to Pro anytime without losing data or settings.
📊 What to Expect: First 24 Hours #
Phase 1: Installation (Minutes 0-5) #
⏱️ 0-2 min: Upload and activate plugin
⏱️ 2-3 min: License activation (Pro only)
⏱️ 3-5 min: Quick Setup Wizard
Immediate Changes:
- AI Sitemap becomes available at
/ai-sitemap.xml - Robots.txt updated with AI-friendly directives
- LLM attributes start appearing in HTML
- Bot detection begins logging visits
Phase 2: Initial Optimization (Hours 1-6) #
⏱️ Hour 1: First AI Score calculations begin
⏱️ Hour 2-3: Schema markup added to all pages
⏱️ Hour 4-6: Content analysis completes
What Happens:
- AISEOmatic analyzes all published content
- AI Scores are calculated for each post/page
- Internal linking recommendations generated
- Optimization queue is created
Phase 3: Full Optimization (Hours 6-24) #
⏱️ Hour 6-12: Deep content optimization
⏱️ Hour 12-18: Cross-linking implementation
⏱️ Hour 18-24: Final polish and verification
What You’ll See:
- Dashboard shows increasing optimization percentage
- AI Score averages stabilize
- Bot detection logs start populating (Pro)
- All features fully operational
⚙️ Compatibility Configuration Guide #
Running AISEOmatic Alongside Yoast SEO #
Required Configuration:
- In Yoast Settings:
- Go to SEO → General → Features
- Keep XML sitemaps enabled (Yoast sitemap)
- AISEOmatic will create separate AI sitemap
- In AISEOmatic Settings:
- Enable AI Sitemap (separate from Yoast)
- ⚠️ Disable Schema if Yoast Schema is active
- Enable LLM HTML Tags
- Enable Bot Detection
- In Your SEO Plugin (if applicable):
- Exclude
/wp-json/aiseoai/*from HTML rewrites - Whitelist AISEOmatic REST API routes
- Exclude
Division of Labor:
Yoast handles:
- Meta titles & descriptions
- Traditional XML sitemap
- Focus keywords
- Readability scores
AISEOmatic handles:
- AI Sitemap (/ai-sitemap.xml)
- AI Score calculation
- LLM-friendly attributes
- Bot detection & logging
- AI-first optimization
Running AISEOmatic with WooCommerce #
Automatic Protection:
- AISEOmatic automatically protects:
- Cart page
- Checkout page
- My Account page
- All WooCommerce REST endpoints
No configuration needed – WooCommerce Safe Lanes are built-in!
Best Practices:
- Keep WooCommerce updated
- Test checkout flow after installation
- Monitor WooCommerce analytics for any anomalies
🚨 Common Pre-Installation Mistakes to Avoid #
❌ Mistake #1: Installing Without Backup #
Problem: No recovery option if something goes wrong Solution: Always create full backup first
❌ Mistake #2: Multiple SEO Plugins Active #
Problem: Conflicts, duplicate meta tags, performance issues Solution: Deactivate all SEO plugins except one before installing
❌ Mistake #3: Outdated WordPress/PHP #
Problem: Plugin may not activate or work properly Solution: Update WordPress and PHP to recommended versions
❌ Mistake #4: Aggressive Caching Active #
Problem: Changes not visible, REST API blocked Solution: Clear all caches before and after installation
❌ Mistake #5: Firewall Blocking REST API #
Problem: AISEOmatic can’t generate sitemap or calculate scores Solution: Whitelist /wp-json/aiseoai/* in security plugins
❌ Mistake #6: Installing on Staging Without Plan #
Problem: Forgetting to install on live site later Solution: Test on staging, then install on production with backup
❌ Mistake #7: Not Reading Documentation #
Problem: Missing features, incorrect configuration Solution: You’re doing it right by reading this! 👍
✅ Pre-Installation Checklist (Print This!) #
Before Installation:
☐ Full site backup created and tested
☐ WordPress version 5.0+ confirmed
☐ PHP 7.4+ confirmed (8.1+ recommended)
☐ Current SEO setup documented
☐ All caches cleared
☐ Permalink structure set to "Post name"
☐ Site not in maintenance mode
☐ No conflicting SEO plugins (or ready to configure)
☐ Disk space available (10MB+)
☐ Memory limit adequate (128MB+)
After Installation:
☐ Plugin activated successfully
☐ License activated (Pro only)
☐ Quick Setup Wizard completed
☐ AI Sitemap accessible at /ai-sitemap.xml
☐ Settings configured properly
☐ Schema disabled if using another SEO plugin
☐ Test page published to verify optimization
☐ Dashboard showing AI Score calculations
☐ No PHP errors in debug log
☐ Site speed unchanged or improved
🎯 Pre-Installation Strategy Questions #
Answer these to plan your installation:
Q1: What’s your primary goal? #
- ☐ Improve AI search visibility (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude)
- ☐ Automate traditional SEO tasks
- ☐ Both AI-first + traditional SEO
- ☐ Better local SEO performance
- ☐ E-commerce product optimization
Q2: What’s your site size? #
- ☐ Small (< 50 pages) → Lite is fine, upgrade later
- ☐ Medium (50-500 pages) → Consider Pro
- ☐ Large (500+ pages) → Pro recommended
- ☐ Enterprise (1000+ pages) → Pro essential
Q3: What’s your technical level? #
- ☐ Beginner → Use Quick Setup Wizard
- ☐ Intermediate → Configure settings manually
- ☐ Advanced → Use filters/hooks for customization
- ☐ Developer → Read technical documentation first
Q4: What’s your timeline? #
- ☐ Need results ASAP → Install Pro, full automation
- ☐ Can test gradually → Start with Lite
- ☐ Long-term strategy → Either works, upgrade when ready
🛡️ Safety Precautions #
During Installation #
DO:
- ✅ Install during low-traffic hours
- ✅ Monitor error logs during installation
- ✅ Keep dashboard open to watch initialization
- ✅ Test one page before optimizing entire site
- ✅ Have your hosting provider’s contact info ready
DON’T:
- ❌ Install during peak traffic hours
- ❌ Close browser during Quick Setup Wizard
- ❌ Activate multiple SEO plugins simultaneously
- ❌ Modify plugin files directly
- ❌ Ignore PHP warnings or errors
After Installation #
Monitoring Plan (First 48 Hours):
Hour 1:
- Check homepage loads correctly
- Verify /ai-sitemap.xml is accessible
- Confirm no PHP errors
Hour 6:
- Review AI Score calculations
- Check 5-10 random pages for optimization
- Verify schema markup (if enabled)
Hour 24:
- Full site audit
- Compare performance before/after
- Review bot detection logs (Pro)
Hour 48:
- Final verification
- Document any observations
- Celebrate successful installation! 🎉
🆘 Emergency Rollback Plan #
If Something Goes Wrong:
Step 1: Don’t Panic #
- Most issues are minor and fixable
- Site data is safe in database
- Backup is ready if needed
Step 2: Quick Fixes First #
php
// Disable AISEOmatic temporarily
1. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins
2. Click "Deactivate" under AISEOmatic
3. Clear all caches
4. Reactivate and test
Step 3: Contact Support #
- Email: support@aiseomatic.com
- Community: community.aiseomatic.com
- Include: WordPress version, PHP version, error messages
Step 4: Restore Backup (Last Resort) #
- Only if critical issue persists
- Restore from backup created in Step 1
- Contact support with details for future installation
📞 Pre-Installation Support #
Need Help Before Installing?
Free Resources:
- 📖 Documentation: aiseomatic.com/docs
- 💬 Community Forum: community.aiseomatic.com
- ❓ FAQ: aiseomatic.com/faq
Direct Support:
- ✉️ Email: support@aiseomatic.com
- 🎫 Submit Ticket: aiseomatic.com/support
Pre-Sales Questions:
- 📧 Sales Team: sales@aiseomatic.com
🎓 Recommended Reading Before Installation #
Must-Read Documentation:
- ✅ This preparation guide (you’re reading it!)
- ✅ Installation & Activation Guide
- ✅ Quick Setup Guide
- ✅ Compatibility Guide
Optional But Helpful:
✨ You’re Ready to Install! #
If you’ve completed this checklist:
- ✅ Backup created
- ✅ System requirements verified
- ✅ Current setup documented
- ✅ Compatibility checked
- ✅ Caches cleared
- ✅ Installation plan ready
Then you’re ready to proceed to: → Installation & Activation Guide
🎯 Final Thoughts #
Installing AISEOmatic AI is:
- ✅ Safe (with proper backup)
- ✅ Quick (5-10 minutes)
- ✅ Reversible (can deactivate anytime)
- ✅ Non-destructive (doesn’t modify core files)
- ✅ Well-supported (documentation + support team)
The preparation you’ve done here will ensure:
- 🚀 Smooth installation process
- 📈 Faster optimization results
- 🛡️ Risk mitigation
- 💡 Better understanding of the plugin
- 🎯 Optimized configuration from day one
Good luck with your installation!
Questions? Contact us at support@aiseomatic.com
AISEOmatic AI – Preparation & Precautions Guide v1.0
Last Updated: December 13, 2025