craig
6eff12e8ac
SmartCrawl plugin reference (11 docs): - Overview, configuration, titles & meta, schema, sitemaps, social/OG, redirects, breadcrumbs, content analysis, hooks/filters, known issues SEO strategy playbook (6 docs): - Keyword research, per-page-type selection, on-page optimization, local SEO, technical SEO, content strategy Reusable templates (3): - Site audit checklist, keyword research worksheet, page optimization checklist Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
5.2 KiB
Known Issues and Gotchas
Confirmed issues, limitations, and workarounds for SmartCrawl v3.15.0.
Fixed in v3.15.0 (Verify You're Updated)
These were bugs in prior versions — confirm you're on 3.15.0+:
| Issue | Description |
|---|---|
| Editor freezing | Editor got stuck when typing for >2 minutes with SmartCrawl enabled |
| Focus keywords with numbers | SmartCrawl failed to detect focus keywords containing numbers |
| Large content pages | SEO checks failed on very large content pages |
| Social accounts erased | Social accounts wiped from Schema General Settings on save |
| Taxonomy archives | Categories/tags not saving under Taxonomy Archives settings |
| Blog/Posts archive | Global Titles & Meta didn't apply to blog archive when static front page was set |
Current Known Issues
Redirect Ordering
Issue: Redirects cannot be reordered once added.
Workaround: Delete the redirect and recreate it. For complex redirect lists, consider exporting as JSON, editing the order, and re-importing.
Regex Redirects Inconsistency
Issue: Some users report regex patterns not working in SmartCrawl despite being valid on regex101.com.
Workaround: Use simpler patterns. Test thoroughly after creating. For complex regex redirects, consider handling them at the server level (.htaccess or Nginx config).
Sitemap 1,000 Post Limit
Issue: Sitemaps are limited to 1,000 most recent posts per post type to prevent memory errors.
Impact: Older posts on large sites may not appear in the sitemap.
Workaround: For sites with 1,000+ posts, consider supplementing with a manual sitemap or contacting WPMU DEV support.
Noindex + Sitemap Disconnect
Issue: Setting a page to noindex does NOT automatically exclude it from the sitemap.
Workaround: Manually exclude noindexed pages from the sitemap by post ID. Always do both when noindexing a page.
No IndexNow Support
Issue: SmartCrawl does not support the IndexNow protocol (unlike Yoast and Rank Math).
Impact: Bing and Yandex won't get instant notification of content changes. Google does not support IndexNow anyway (they use their own crawl notification).
Workaround: Not critical — SmartCrawl's "Instant Indexing" feature notifies Google directly.
Auto-Linking + WooCommerce Conflict (Pro)
Issue: Auto-linking can cause issues with WooCommerce cart and account page caching.
Workaround: Exclude WooCommerce cart, checkout, and account pages from auto-linking in the settings.
WPML Duplicate Sitemap URLs
Issue: When using WPML (multilingual plugin), duplicate homepage URLs appear in the sitemap.
Workaround: Manually exclude duplicate URLs from the sitemap.
OpenGraph Persistence After Disabling
Issue: OG tags can remain active on the homepage even after deactivating Open Graph in the setup wizard.
Workaround: Manually disable OG for the homepage in SmartCrawl > Social settings, or clear any cached pages.
Auto-Linking Tab in Free Version
Issue: The auto-linking tab appears in the free version UI but the feature does not function without Pro.
Impact: Cosmetic only — confusing but not harmful.
Plugin Update Data Loss (Rare)
Issue: At least one user reported keywords, descriptions, and titles being wiped on plugin update.
Workaround: Always export SmartCrawl settings (JSON backup) before updating the plugin. This is a rare issue but catastrophic when it happens.
Plugin Conflicts
Google Web Stories
Issue: SmartCrawl conflicts with the Google Web Stories editor.
Workaround: Exclude Web Stories post type from SmartCrawl processing, or use a different SEO plugin for Web Stories.
Other SEO Plugins
Issue: Running multiple SEO plugins simultaneously causes duplicate meta tags, conflicting sitemaps, and schema errors.
Fix: Only run one SEO plugin at a time. Use SmartCrawl's import tool when migrating from another plugin.
Caching Plugins
Issue: Page caching can serve stale meta tags after SmartCrawl changes.
Fix: Clear the cache after making SEO changes. On your server with EA-Nginx:
rm -rf /var/cache/ea-nginx/proxy/<account>/*
WP Hummingbird
SmartCrawl and Hummingbird (both WPMU DEV) generally work well together. No known conflicts.
Best Practices to Avoid Issues
- Export settings before every plugin update — JSON backup takes 10 seconds
- Keep SmartCrawl updated — many issues are fixed in recent versions
- Never run two SEO plugins — deactivate the old one after importing
- Manually sync noindex and sitemap exclusions — SmartCrawl doesn't auto-sync these
- Test redirects after creating — especially regex patterns
- Clear cache after SEO changes — especially on sites with server-level caching
- Be patient with Google — title/description changes can take up to a week to reflect in SERPs
- Use the SEO Health Checkup periodically — catches configuration drift
Where to Get Help
- WPMU DEV Documentation
- WPMU DEV Support (Pro members)
- WordPress.org Support Forum (Free version)