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FreshRank AI - Settings Reference ​

FreshRank AI is a WordPress plugin that combines traditional SEO with Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to optimize your content for both search engines and AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. You can find the plugin settings in the WordPress admin sidebar under FreshRank AI > Settings.

Settings ​

This is the main settings tab, visible in both the free and Pro versions of the plugin. It contains AI configuration, content update filters, and system status information.

AI Configuration ​

Select AI Provider ​

Choose which AI service processes your content analysis and draft generation. Three options are available:

  • OpenAI — The default provider, using GPT-5. This is always available and is the only provider in the free version.
  • OpenRouter — Gives you access to over 450 models including Gemini, Claude, and Llama. When you select this provider, the OpenAI settings section is replaced with OpenRouter-specific settings. This is a Pro-only option.
  • FreshRank Agent — A managed service that requires no API key. This option is visible but not yet selectable; it is marked as "Coming Soon."

OpenAI API Key ​

Enter your OpenAI API key to connect the plugin to the OpenAI service. If a key is already saved, the field displays masked dots and you can leave it empty to keep the current key or enter a new one to replace it. Once a key is saved, a Test Connection button appears so you can verify the connection works. You need this key before the plugin can analyze content or generate drafts. Get a key from platform.openai.com if you do not have one.

Analysis Model ​

Select which OpenAI model the plugin uses when analyzing your content for SEO and GEO issues. In the free version this is locked to GPT-5 and cannot be changed. In the Pro version, you can choose from the full list of OpenAI models including GPT-5 Pro, GPT-5 Mini, GPT-5 Nano, o3-mini, o3-pro, and GPT-4o variants. The Pro version with OpenRouter selected offers access to 450+ models instead. Choosing a more powerful model may produce more thorough analysis but costs more in API usage.

Content Rewrite Model ​

Select which model the plugin uses when generating updated content drafts. In the free version this is locked to GPT-5 and limited to fixing only Factual Updates issues at High severity. In the Pro version you can choose any available model and apply it to all issue categories and severity levels. This setting is Pro-only.

When enabled, GPT-5 models can access real-time information from the web during analysis and content generation. This is useful for fact-checking statistics, verifying that referenced tools and services still exist, and catching outdated information. This setting is Pro-only.

Enable Custom Instructions (Optional) ​

Turn this on to add your own guidance to the AI prompts used during analysis and draft creation. Custom instructions let you enforce brand voice, terminology preferences, and content guidelines across all AI operations. When this checkbox is enabled, two additional text fields appear. This setting is Pro-only.

Analysis Prompt Append ​

Add custom text that gets appended to every analysis request the plugin sends to the AI. Use this to tell the AI to focus on specific issues, ignore certain patterns, or follow your style guide during analysis. For example, you might write "Please ignore heading hierarchy issues. Focus only on content quality and keyword optimization." Maximum 1000 characters. This field only appears when Enable Custom Instructions is checked. This setting is Pro-only. The field only appears when Enable Custom Instructions (Optional) is selected.

Content Rewrite Prompt Append ​

Add custom text that gets appended to every draft creation request. Use this to control how the AI rewrites your content — for instance, preserving your existing tone, using specific terminology, or avoiding changes to headings. For example, you might write "Do not modify the title or headings. Keep the existing tone and writing style." Maximum 1000 characters. This field only appears when Enable Custom Instructions is checked. This setting is Pro-only. The field only appears when Enable Custom Instructions (Optional) is selected.

The following OpenRouter settings appear in place of the OpenAI settings when you select OpenRouter as your AI provider. They are only available in the Pro version.

OpenRouter API Key ​

Enter your OpenRouter API key to connect to the OpenRouter service. The field behaves the same way as the OpenAI API Key field — masked when saved, with a Test Connection button available once a key exists. There is also a Refresh Model List button that fetches the latest available models from OpenRouter. Get a key from openrouter.ai/keys.

Analysis Model (OpenRouter) ​

Choose which OpenRouter model to use for content analysis. A searchable dropdown is populated with models fetched from OpenRouter, ordered by current usage popularity. The description recommends o3-mini, gemini-2.5-pro, and claude-4 as strong choices for analysis. Cost estimates are shown as approximate guidance based on current OpenRouter pricing.

Or Enter Custom Model ID for Analysis ​

If the model you want is not listed in the dropdown above, type its OpenRouter model ID here (for example, google/gemini-2.5-pro). A custom ID entered here takes precedence over the dropdown selection.

Content Rewrite Model (OpenRouter) ​

Choose which OpenRouter model to use for generating content drafts. A searchable dropdown lists available models. The description recommends gemini-2.5-pro for creative writing, claude-4 for high quality, and gpt-5 as a reliable option. Cost estimates for draft generation depend on output length and are shown as approximate guidance.

Or Enter Custom Model ID for Writing ​

If the model you want is not listed in the Content Rewrite Model dropdown, type its OpenRouter model ID here. This works the same way as the custom analysis model field.

Content Update Filters ​

This section controls which types of issues get fixed when the plugin generates content drafts. Analysis always identifies all issues regardless of these settings — these filters only affect what ends up in the generated drafts. In the free version, this entire section is locked to Factual Updates at High severity only. All filter customization is Pro-only.

The section is divided into two steps:

Step 1: Choose Categories to Fix

  • Factual Updates — Outdated statistics, broken links, factual errors, and discontinued tools or services. This is the only category enabled in the free version.
  • User Experience — Poor navigation, intent mismatch, slow value delivery, and accessibility problems.
  • Search Optimization — Meta descriptions, keywords, image alt text, and technical SEO structure.
  • AI Visibility — Optimization for citation by ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity.
  • Growth Opportunities — Featured snippets, FAQ schema markup, internal linking strategies, and keyword clustering.

Step 2: Choose Severity Levels

  • High Severity — Critical problems with direct revenue impact such as broken navigation, missing meta tags, and intent mismatches.
  • Medium Severity — Important improvements with growing value such as weak keywords, AI comprehension issues, and schema opportunities.
  • Low Severity — Minor tweaks and incremental gains such as readability improvements, style consistency, and formatting polish.

Enabling more categories and higher severity levels means longer AI prompts and higher API costs per draft.

System Status ​

This section is read-only and displays your current environment: plugin version, WordPress version, PHP version, total articles tracked, number of analyzed articles, and pending drafts.

A Token Usage & Costs panel shows your cumulative API usage including total tokens consumed, estimated cost, request count, and breakdowns by operation (analysis vs. content updates) and by model.

A Documentation button links to the plugin's official documentation. In the free version, an additional panel lists Pro features with an upgrade link.

Debug ​

This tab contains a single setting for troubleshooting.

Debug Mode ​

When enabled, the plugin writes detailed operation logs to the WordPress debug log file (wp-content/debug.log). Only turn this on when you are actively troubleshooting an issue, as it increases the amount of data written to disk. Turn it off when you are done investigating. When Debug Mode is enabled, a Debug Log submenu item also appears under FreshRank AI in the sidebar, giving you a log viewer directly in the WordPress admin.

Google Search Console ​

This tab only appears in the Pro version of the plugin.

This tab lets you connect the plugin to Google Search Console so it can prioritize which articles need attention based on real search performance data.

Article Prioritization ​

When enabled, articles in the dashboard are scored and ranked based on Google Search Console performance data combined with content age. This helps you focus your optimization efforts on the posts that will benefit most. The plugin calculates a priority score using content age, traffic decline, and traffic potential. You must authenticate with Google Search Console below for this to work.

Date for Age Calculation ​

Choose which date the plugin uses when calculating how old your content is for priority scoring:

  • Published Date — Prioritizes your oldest posts, which are more likely to contain outdated information.
  • Modified Date — Prioritizes posts that have not been updated recently, regardless of when they were originally published.

Connection Status ​

Displays whether you are currently connected to Google Search Console. When connected, you see Test Connection, Run Diagnostics, and Disconnect buttons. When disconnected, only the Run Diagnostics button appears. The diagnostics tool checks your OAuth configuration and server environment to help identify connection problems.

OAuth Client ID ​

Enter your Google OAuth 2.0 Client ID. You create this in the Google Cloud Console by setting up an OAuth consent screen and credentials for a web application.

OAuth Client Secret ​

Enter your Google OAuth 2.0 Client Secret. This is provided alongside the Client ID when you create OAuth credentials in Google Cloud Console. The value is stored encrypted.

Redirect URI ​

A read-only field showing the exact URL you must add to your Google OAuth 2.0 configuration as an authorized redirect URI. Copy this value into your Google Cloud Console credentials settings.

Authentication ​

Once you have saved your OAuth Client ID and Client Secret, a Connect to Google Search Console button appears. Clicking it takes you through the Google OAuth flow to grant the plugin read access to your Search Console data. If you are already authenticated, a message tells you to disconnect first if you want to re-authenticate. If credentials have not been saved yet, a message prompts you to save them first.

White-Label ​

This tab only appears in the Pro version of the plugin.

This tab lets agencies and developers rebrand the plugin with their own identity. All white-label settings are Pro-only.

Enable White-Label ​

Turn this on to activate custom branding throughout the plugin interface. When disabled, all branding fields below are ignored and the default FreshRank AI branding is used. A preview panel appears at the bottom of the page when this is enabled, showing how your custom branding will look.

Plugin Name ​

Enter a custom name that replaces "FreshRank AI" in the WordPress admin menu, page titles, and throughout the plugin interface. Leave empty to keep the default name.

Custom Logo URL ​

Enter the URL to your agency logo image. The recommended size is 200x50 pixels, PNG format with a transparent background. When a URL is provided, a preview of the logo appears below the field. This logo replaces the FreshRank AI branding in the plugin header.

Primary Color ​

Pick a color using the color picker or enter a hex value. This color is used for buttons, links, and accent elements throughout the plugin, replacing the default blue. Choose a color that matches your agency brand and provides good contrast for readability.

Support Email ​

Enter a support email address that appears in help text and error messages throughout the plugin, replacing the default FreshRank AI support contact.

Documentation URL ​

Enter a URL to your own documentation or help center. This replaces the default FreshRank AI documentation link, so your clients see your resources instead.

Hide FreshRank Branding ​

When checked, the "Powered by FreshRank AI" footer text is completely removed from the plugin interface. Use this for a fully white-labeled experience where no trace of the original branding remains.