--- title: "Getting Started with Waggle" url: "https://plugpress.co/docs/waggle-getting-started.md" canonical: "https://plugpress.co/docs/waggle-getting-started/" published: "2026-07-28" modified: "2026-07-28" author: "Fahim" tags: - "Waggle" --- # Getting Started with Waggle **Waggle starts working the moment you activate it.** There is no setup wizard and no required configuration: meta tags, the XML sitemap, JSON-LD schema, `llms.txt`, Markdown versions of every page, AI bot tracking and the full site audit all run immediately, with no API key and no AI provider. You can close this page and Waggle is already doing its job. What the next ten minutes buy you is *direction* — knowing which of the 100 readiness points you're missing, and which two settings can silently cancel everything else. This guide walks the first-run path in order. ## What works immediately, with no configuration? Everything on this list is live as soon as the plugin is active. None of it calls an AI provider, and none of it costs you anything per use: - **Search-engine output** — SEO titles and meta descriptions, Open Graph and X/Twitter cards, canonical URLs, per-post robots meta. - **XML sitemap** at `/sitemap.xml`, covering every public post type with paginated sub-sitemaps. - **JSON-LD schema** — `Article` on posts, `WebSite` on the homepage, plus FAQPage detected from question-style headings. - **Machine files** — `/llms.txt`, `/llms-full.txt`, and a Markdown version of every page at its URL plus `.md`. - **AI bot tracking** — every visit from GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot and 16 other crawlers, logged with 90-day retention. - **Redirects and the 404 log.** - **Scores** — the per-page AEO score and the site-wide readiness audit. That last point is worth emphasising because it surprises people: **the site audit runs entirely locally and never calls an AI provider.** It is a deterministic rubric, so it is safe to run on a site with no API key configured at all. ## Check the two settings that block everything else Before you tune anything, rule these out. Both are common, both are silent, and either one makes the rest of your work invisible. ### Is WordPress telling search engines to go away? WordPress has a single checkbox — **Settings → Reading → "Discourage search engines from indexing this site"** — that switches off indexing for your entire site. When it is on, WordPress itself adds `noindex, nofollow` to every page and serves `Disallow: /` in robots.txt. Nothing Waggle does can override it. It is usually on by accident. WordPress offers it during installation, and most staging and "coming soon" tools set it automatically, so it frequently survives a launch. Check it in one command: ``` curl -s https://example.com/ | grep -i "name=['"]robots" ``` An affected site returns ``. If yours does, Waggle also paints a warning banner across every one of its screens. See [nothing on your site is getting indexed or cited](/docs/waggle-troubleshooting-site-not-indexed/) for the full fix and what to expect afterwards. ### Do you have an AI provider connected? Look at the pill in the top-right of any Waggle screen. It reads **"AI ready"**, **"No AI provider"**, or **"AI unavailable"** (which means you're below WordPress 7.0). Most of Waggle does not care. Only the generative features do — see [connecting an AI provider](/docs/waggle-connecting-an-ai-provider/) for exactly which ones and why WordPress 7.0 ships an AI Client with no providers in it. ## The first ten minutes, in order 1. **Open Waggle → Dashboard and run the audit.** You get one score out of 100 and a ranked list of fixes. Each fix shows how many points it is worth, so you always know what to do next. See [reading your Dashboard and readiness score](/docs/waggle-dashboard-and-readiness-score/). 2. **Work the Top fixes list.** Every finding opens a preview-first drawer — nothing is written to your site until you approve it. See [running the site audit](/docs/waggle-running-the-site-audit/). 3. **Import from your old SEO plugin**, if you have one. **Settings → Import** handles Yoast, Rank Math and All in One SEO, shows you exactly what would change before it changes anything, and never overwrites data you have already set. See [moving to Waggle from another SEO plugin](/docs/waggle-migrating-from-another-seo-plugin/). 4. **Fill in SEO → Homepage.** Your front page's title and description are the two fields most likely to be wrong out of the box. 5. **Set SEO → Social defaults** so shared links have a fallback image and the right card type. 6. **Paste your verification tokens** under **SEO → Verification** — Google Search Console, Bing, Yandex, Pinterest and Baidu, with a live preview of the tags emitted. 7. **Review AI → Crawlers.** Every known AI crawler is allowed by default. Blocking one means that engine can no longer read — or cite — you. 8. **Glance at AI → Machine files** to confirm the Markdown channel is on for the post types you care about. See [machine files](/docs/waggle-machine-files/). ## Where does Waggle live in wp-admin? ![The Waggle Dashboard showing the site readiness score, stat tiles and a ranked Top fixes list](https://plugpress.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/waggle-dashboard-scaled.png) One top-level **Waggle** menu, with six sections and Settings pinned at the bottom: | Section | What it's for | | --- | --- | | **Dashboard** | One score, your top fixes, recent activity | | **Audit** | The full readiness audit and its fix drawers | | **AI** | Answers, Visibility, Crawlers, Machine files, Agents, Connection | | **SEO** | Homepage, Social, Content types, Archives, Verification | | **Content** | Bulk-generate SEO for posts | | **Redirects** | Redirect rules and the 404 log | | **Settings** | Features, Notifications, Import, License | There is also a **Waggle panel in the block editor** for per-post work, and an **SEO** column plus a **Markdown** column in the posts list. See [the Waggle panel in the editor](/docs/waggle-editor-sidebar/). ![Waggle's Features screen with per-module on/off toggles, AEO features listed first](https://plugpress.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/waggle-settings-features-scaled.png) ## Do I need a license to use the features? No. Waggle's license unlocks **updates and support only — it never gates features**. An expired or missing license means you stop receiving automatic updates; every feature keeps working exactly as before. Activate yours under **Settings → License**. ## FAQ ### Does Waggle replace Yoast or Rank Math? Yes. Waggle produces the same on-page SEO output — titles, descriptions, Open Graph, canonicals, robots meta, sitemap and schema — and adds the AI-visibility layer on top. Run both at once only briefly during migration, since two plugins emitting meta tags will conflict. ### Do I need an API key to use Waggle? No. Every feature listed under "What works immediately" runs without one. An AI provider is only needed for generation, brand citation checks and prompt research. ### Which WordPress version do I need? WordPress 7.0 or later. Waggle's AI features and its agent-facing abilities are built on the AI Client SDK and Abilities API that ship in WordPress 7.0, so that is the floor. PHP 7.4 or later is required. ### Does Waggle send my content anywhere? Only to services you choose. Waggle talks to exactly two kinds of external endpoint: the AI provider *you* configured in WordPress, and `api.freemius.com` for license activation and update checks. There is no tracking, analytics or telemetry. ### Why is my readiness score stuck around 50? Almost always the "Discourage search engines" checkbox described above — it costs 10 points directly and makes several other checks moot. Rule that out first. ## Key sources - [WordPress — Settings → Reading and search-engine visibility](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/settings-reading-screen/) - [Google Search Central — how Google crawls and indexes](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works) ## Related guides - [Moving to Waggle from Yoast, Rank Math, or All in One SEO](/docs/waggle-migrating-from-another-seo-plugin/) - [Connecting an AI provider](/docs/waggle-connecting-an-ai-provider/) - [Reading your Dashboard and readiness score](/docs/waggle-dashboard-and-readiness-score/) - [How Waggle scores content for AI answer engines](/docs/waggle-aeo-score/)