Automate SEO Title & Description Updates for WordPress with Yoast SEO API

This workflow automates the update of Yoast SEO metadata for a specific post or product on a WordPress or WooCommerce site.

It sends a POST request to a custom API endpoint exposed by the Yoast SEO API Manager plugin, allowing for programmatic changes to the SEO title and meta description.

Bulk version available here.

Prerequisites

• A WordPress site with administrator access.
• The Yoast SEO plugin installed and activated.
• The Yoast SEO API Manager companion plugin installed and activated to expose the required API endpoint.
• WordPress credentials configured within your n8n instance.

Setup Steps

1. Configure the Settings Node : In the Settings node, replace the value of the wordpress URL variable with the full URL of your WordPress site (eg, https://your-domain.com/ ).
2. Set Credentials : In the HTTP Request - Update Yoast Meta node, select your pre-configured WordPress credentials from the Credential for WordPress API dropdown menu.
3. Define Target and Content : In the same HTTP Request node, navigate to the Body Parameters section and update the following values:
   • post_id : The ID of the WordPress post or WooCommerce product you wish to update.
   • yoast_title : The new SEO title.
   • yoast_description : The new meta description.

How It Works

1. Manual Trigger : The workflow is initiated manually. This can be replaced by any trigger node for full automation.
2. Settings Node : This node defines the base URL of the target WordPress instance. This centralizes the configuration, making it easier to manage.
3. HTTP Request Node : This is the core component. It constructs and sends a POST request to the /wp-json/yoast-api/v1/update-meta endpoint. The request body contains the post_id and the new metadata, and it authenticates using the selected n8n WordPress credentials.

Customization Guide

• Dynamic Inputs : To update posts dynamically, replace the static values ​​in the HTTP Request node with n8n expressions. For example, you can use data from a Google Sheets node by setting the post_id value to an expression like {{ $json.column_name }} .
• Update Additional Fields : The underlying API may support updating other Yoast fields. Consult the Yoast SEO API Manager plugin's documentation to identify other available parameters (eg, yoast_canonical_url ) and add them to the Body Parameters section of the HTTP Request node.
• Change the Trigger : Replace the When clicking 'Test workflow' node with any other trigger node to fit your use case, such as:
  • Schedule : To run the update on a recurring basis.
  • Webhook : To trigger the update from an external service.
  • Google Sheets : To trigger the workflow whenever a row is added or updated in a specific sheet.

Yoast SEO API Manager Plugin for WordPress

 // ATTENTION: Replace the line below with <?php - This is necessary due to display constraints in web interfaces.

 <?php
 /**
 * Plugin Name: Yoast SEO API Manager v1.2
 * Description: Manages the update of Yoast metadata (SEO Title, Meta Description) via a dedicated REST API endpoint.
 * Version: 1.2
 * Author: Phil - https://inforeole.fr (Adapted by Expert n8n)
 */

 if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) {
 exit; // Exit if accessed directly.
 }

 class Yoast_API_Manager {

 public function __construct() {
 add_action('rest_api_init', [$this, 'register_api_routes']);
 }

 /**
 * Registers the REST API route to update Yoast meta fields.
 */
 public function register_api_routes() {
 register_rest_route( 'yoast-api/v1', '/update-meta', [
 'methods' => 'POST', 
'callback' => [$this, 'update_yoast_meta'],
 'permission_callback' => [$this, 'check_route_permission'],
 'args' => [
 'post_id' => [
 'required' => true,
 'validate_callback' => function( $param ) {
 $post = get_post( (int) $param );
 if ( ! $post ) {
 return false;
 }
 $allowed_post_types = class_exists('WooCommerce') ? ['post', 'product'] : ['post'];
 return in_array($post->post_type, $allowed_post_types, true);
 },
 'sanitize_callback' => 'absint',
 ],
 'yoast_title' => [
 'type' => 'string',
 'sanitize_callback' => 'sanitize_text_field',
 ], 
'yoast_description' => [
 'type' => 'string',
 'sanitize_callback' => 'sanitize_text_field',
 ],
 ],
 ] );
 }

 /**
 * Updates the Yoast meta fields for a specific post.
 *
 * @param WP_REST_Request $request The REST API request instance.
 * @return WP_REST_Response|WP_Error Response object on success, or WP_Error on failure.
 */
 public function update_yoast_meta( WP_REST_Request $request ) {
 $post_id = $request->get_param('post_id');

 if ( ! current_user_can('edit_post', $post_id) ) {
 return new WP_Error(
 'rest_forbidden',
 'You do not have permission to edit this post.',
 ['status' => 403]
 );
 }

 // Map API parameters to Yoast database meta keys
 $fields_map = [
 'yoast_title' => '_yoast_wpseo_title', 
'yoast_description' => '_yoast_wpseo_metadesc',
 ];

 $results = [];
 $updated = false;

 foreach ( $fields_map as $param_name => $meta_key ) {
 if ( $request->has_param( $param_name ) ) {
 $value = $request->get_param( $param_name );
 update_post_meta( $post_id, $meta_key, $value );
 $results[$param_name] = 'updated';
 $updated = true;
 }
 }

 if ( ! $updated ) {
 return new WP_Error(
 'no_fields_provided',
 'No Yoast fields were provided for update.',
 ['status' => 400]
 );
 }

 return new WP_REST_Response( $results, 200 );
 }

 /**
 * Checks if the current user has permission to access the REST API route.
 *
 * @return bool
 */
 public function check_route_permission() {
 return current_user_can( 'edit_posts' );
 }
 }

 new Yoast_API_Manager();

Bulk version available here : this bulk version, provided with a dedicated WordPress plugin, allows you to generate and bulk-update meta titles and descriptions for multiple articles simultaneously using artificial intelligence. It automates the entire process, from article selection to the final update in Yoast, offering considerable time savings.

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Phil | Inforeole