KakoSEO is a free WordPress SEO plugin built to give site owners everything a modern SEO toolkit needs — on-page optimization, schema markup, an AI article writer, Google Search Console rank monitoring, internal linking automation, and WooCommerce SEO — without a paid tier, license key, or feature paywall.
Where most SEO plugins in this category (like Rank Math) split their toolset between a free version and a paid “Pro” upgrade, KakoSEO ships every feature unlocked from installation. AI writing (via your own Anthropic or Gemini API key) and Search Console rank tracking (via your own Google Cloud OAuth credentials) are both included at no extra cost beyond what you’d pay the API provider directly for actual usage.
It’s aimed at bloggers, agencies, and WooCommerce store owners who want a complete SEO + content workflow inside WordPress without recurring subscription costs.
Key Features
On-Page SEO & Real-Time Score: A right-hand sidebar in the Block Editor (and a metabox in Classic Editor) scores your content against 21 weighted checks — keyword placement in title/description/URL/content, title and meta length, keyword density, internal/external links, readability signals like short paragraphs and a Table of Contents — updating live as you type.
AI Article Writer: Generate full articles using either Anthropic’s Claude models or Google’s Gemini models — your choice, per generation. Features include:
- 12 selectable tones (Professional, Casual, Informative, Technical, and more)
- Preset lengths or an exact custom word count
- A dedicated Product Review mode: set your number of pros/cons, upload a product image, add an affiliate link, and pick a button color — KakoSEO writes the review and wraps it with a ready-to-publish comparison table and call-to-action button
- Three ways to generate: a standalone AI Writer page, a tab inside the post editor, or an in-content block you can insert anywhere in your article via the block inserter
Rank Monitor connects to your own Google Search Console (using your own OAuth credentials — nothing is proxied through a third-party server). It checks weekly, compares performance across periods, and flags posts losing clicks, impressions, or ranking position.
Analytics Dashboard: One screen for Google Analytics 4 traffic, Search Console keyword tracking, PageSpeed Insights (Core Web Vitals), and live indexing status via the URL Inspection API.
Internal Linking Suite
- Keyword Maps: auto-inserts internal links the first time a mapped keyword appears in content
- Bulk Link Update: site-wide find/replace with a preview step
- Link Audit: crawls posts for broken and redirected links
- Related Posts: a block/shortcode powered by a built-in content-similarity engine
- Full operation history with one-click rollback
Table of Contents: A block and shortcode that auto-builds a linked, nested list from your post’s headings. You choose where to place it; the list always stays in sync with your content automatically.
Also included: JSON-LD schema (Article, Product, FAQ), auto-generated XML sitemap, per-post noindex/nofollow, Open Graph/Twitter Card tags, a 404 monitor, a robots.txt editor, WooCommerce product SEO fields with a GTIN migration tool, automatic image alt-text, and a competitor comparison tool right inside the editor.
Live Check:
Recent Activity
| AI Writer generated “Best Budget Smartphones in Pakistan 2026” | 2 hours ago |
| Rank Monitor flagged 2 posts for declining clicks | Yesterday |
| Link Audit completed — 3 broken links found | 2 days ago |
| Keyword Map added: “winter skincare routine” → /winter-skincare-routine/ | 3 days ago |
| Bulk Link Update applied across 14 posts | 5 days ago |
Generate an Article
Top Pages
| Page | Sessions | Avg. Position |
|---|---|---|
| /best-budget-smartphones-pakistan/ | 4,812 | 6.4 |
| /winter-skincare-routine/ | 3,204 | 9.1 |
| /best-online-grocery-stores-pakistan/ | 2,650 | 11.7 |
Tracked Queries
| Query | Clicks | Impressions | Position | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| best budget smartphone pakistan | 412 | 8,920 | 6.4 | ▲ 2.1 |
| skincare routine winter | 289 | 6,140 | 9.1 | ▼ 0.6 |
| online grocery pakistan | 201 | 5,330 | 11.7 | ▲ 0.9 |
| ptcl internet packages 2026 | 158 | 4,012 | 14.3 | ▼ 1.4 |
Core Web Vitals — /best-budget-smartphones-pakistan/
URL Inspection
Posts Losing Visibility
Compared across the two most recent 28-day periods.
| Post | Clicks | Impressions | Position | Severity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 Best Winter Skin Care Tips Top query: “winter skincare routine” |
▼ 34% | ▼ 12% | ▼ 3.1 | Critical | |
How to Choose a Laptop in 2026 Top query: “best laptop pakistan 2026” |
▼ 18% | ▼ 6% | ▼ 1.4 | Serious | |
Best Online Grocery Stores in Pakistan Top query: “online grocery pakistan” |
▼ 9% | ▲ 2% | ▼ 0.6 | Watch |
Keyword → URL Maps
| Keyword | Target URL | Max Links | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| winter skincare routine | /winter-skincare-routine/ | 3 | |
| budget smartphones pakistan | /best-budget-smartphones-pakistan/ | 2 | |
| online grocery pakistan | /best-online-grocery-stores-pakistan/ | 3 |
Last Scan — 168 posts checked
| URL | Status | Type | Last Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| /old-promo-page/ | 404 | Internal | Today |
| partner-store.example.com/deal | 301 | External | Today |
| /discontinued-product/ | 404 | Internal | Today |
| /best-budget-smartphones-pakistan/ | 200 | Internal | Today |
Find & Replace Across All Posts
| Post | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Summer Sale Roundup 2025 | 3 |
| Top 10 Deals This Week | 1 |
| Editor’s Picks: Home Essentials | 2 |
Recent 404 Hits
| Hit URL | Referrer | Hits | Last Seen | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| /old-promo-page/ | google.com | 18 | 2 hours ago | |
| /discontinued-product/ | facebook.com | 9 | 5 hours ago | |
| /2024/spring-lookbook/ | direct | 4 | Yesterday |
Robots.txt Editor
Anthropic (Claude)
Google (Gemini)
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 100% free every feature unlocked, no Pro tier or upsells | Newer plugin, so a smaller community and track record compared to established players |
| AI writing uses your own API key — you pay the provider directly for actual usage, no markup | Requires getting your own Anthropic/Gemini API key before AI features work |
| Search Console connects with your own OAuth credentials — your data never routes through a third-party server | Setting up Google OAuth credentials is a slightly more technical one-time step than a one-click connect |
| Two AI providers (Claude and Gemini) with full model selection | No official paid support tier community/self-support only |
| Built-in Product Review content mode with pros/cons table and CTA button generation | Fewer years of real-world testing across large, complex sites |
| In-content AI Writer block generates directly where you place it | Smaller plugin marketplace/add-on ecosystem than long-established competitors |
| Real-time SEO scoring, internal linking, and TOC are all built in without add-ons |
KakoSEO vs Rank Math Pro
| KakoSEO | Rank Math Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — no paid tier | Free version + paid subscription for Pro features |
| AI Content Writer | Included free; bring your own Claude or Gemini API key, pay the provider directly | Included in paid plans via Rank Math’s own bundled AI credit system |
| Search Console / Rank Tracking | Free; connect with your own Google OAuth credentials | Available, typically tied to paid plan limits/quotas |
| Product Review Content Mode | Built-in (pros/cons table, image, affiliate CTA button) | Not a native built-in mode |
| Internal Linking Automation | Included free (auto-linker, bulk update, link audit, rollback) | Available on paid plans |
| Table of Contents | Included free, block + shortcode | Available |
| WooCommerce SEO | Included free | Available on paid plans |
| Setup for advanced features | You configure your own API keys/OAuth — a few extra minutes upfront | Faster initial setup since AI/rank tracking is pre-integrated |
| Track record | Newer, actively developed | Long-established, widely used, large ecosystem |
| Support | Community-based | Priority support included with paid plans |
Bottom line: Rank Math Pro is a mature, polished product with a large ecosystem and bundled convenience — you’re paying for that integration and support. KakoSEO trades a few extra minutes of setup (your own API key, your own OAuth credentials) for a zero-subscription cost and full data ownership, while covering the same core feature set, including AI writing and rank monitoring.
How to Use KakoSEO
- Install: Download the plugin zip, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin in your WordPress dashboard, upload it, then click Activate. (Or extract it and upload the folder via FTP into
/wp-content/plugins/.) - Configure Settings: Go to KakoSEO → Settings. Under the AI Writer tab, paste your Anthropic and/or Gemini API key (get a free Gemini key from Google AI Studio or an Anthropic key from the Anthropic Console). Under the Search Console tab, add your own Google OAuth Client ID/Secret if you want Rank Monitor.
- Optimize a post: Open any post/page. In the Block Editor, click the KakoSEO icon in the top toolbar to open the sidebar — set your focus keyword, SEO title, and meta description, and watch your score update live.
- Generate an article: Use KakoSEO → AI Writer for a standalone draft, the AI Writer tab in the post editor, or insert the “KakoSEO AI Writer” block directly into your content. Pick a provider, model, tone (try Product Review mode for affiliate content), and length, then generate.
- Add a Table of Contents: In the block editor, click + and insert the Table of Contents block anywhere in your article — it builds itself from your headings automatically.
- Set up internal linking: Go to KakoSEO → Keyword Maps to map keywords to URLs for automatic internal linking, or run a Link Audit to catch broken links.
- Monitor rankings: Once Search Console is connected, check KakoSEO → Rank Monitor weekly for posts that are losing visibility, and use the built-in link to jump straight into refreshing that content with the AI Writer.
That’s a full loop — write, optimize, link, publish, and monitor — without leaving WordPress or paying for a subscription.
KakoSEO is a 100% free WordPress SEO plugin with an AI article writer, Search Console rank monitoring, and more see features, pros & cons, and setup.
FAQs
Is KakoSEO really 100% free?
Yes. Every feature AI Article Writer, Rank Monitor, Analytics, internal linking, WooCommerce SEO, Table of Contents is unlocked from installation. There’s no Pro tier, no license key, and no feature paywall. The only cost is your own usage of the Anthropic/Gemini API if you use the AI writer, billed directly by that provider.
Do I need to pay for the AI Article Writer separately?
No subscription to KakoSEO itself. You just need your own free or paid API key from Anthropic (Claude) or Google (Gemini) — Gemini has a free tier available from Google AI Studio. You pay the provider only for what you actually generate, with no markup from KakoSEO.
Is KakoSEO better than Rank Math Pro?
It depends on what you value. KakoSEO gives you the same core toolset on-page scoring, AI writing, rank tracking, internal linking, WooCommerce SEO for free, in exchange for a bit more setup (your own API key and OAuth credentials). Rank Math Pro is more established, has a larger ecosystem, and bundles everything with paid support. If budget matters more than plug-and-play convenience, KakoSEO covers the same ground for $0.
Does KakoSEO work with WooCommerce?
Yes. It adds Brand, GTIN, and Condition fields to the product editor, enriches the Product schema with live price/stock data, and includes a GTIN Migration Tool to pull barcode data from other plugins into WooCommerce’s native field.
Do I need coding knowledge to set it up?
No. Getting an API key and pasting it into Settings takes a few minutes, and Google OAuth setup is a guided one-time step with the exact redirect URL shown on the Settings screen. Everything after that is point-and-click inside WordPress.
Which AI models does KakoSEO support?
On the Anthropic side: the full Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku lineup. On the Gemini side: Google’s current Flash and Pro model lineup. You pick a provider and exact model per generation so that you can use a cheaper/faster model for drafts and a stronger one for final content.
Does KakoSEO send my content or API keys to KakoSEO’s own servers?
No. AI requests go directly from your site to Anthropic or Google using your own key, and Search Console data is fetched using your own OAuth credentials — nothing is proxied through a third-party server in between.
Can I use KakoSEO alongside Rank Math or Yoast?
Running two full SEO plugins together isn’t recommended — they’ll conflict on things like meta tags, sitemaps, and schema output (duplicate or overridden data). Deactivate the other SEO plugin first, then activate KakoSEO.
Does KakoSEO work with the Classic Editor?
Yes. The Classic Editor gets a full metabox with all SEO fields, an AI Writer tab, and a Competitor Analysis tab. Block Editor users get the same tools via a dedicated sidebar plus an insert-anywhere AI Writer block.
What are the minimum requirements?
WordPress 5.8+ and PHP 7.4+. It’s tested up to the latest stable WordPress release.
Can the AI Writer generate content in languages other than English?
Yes — there’s a language field on the generation form so that you can request articles in Urdu or any other language the selected model supports.
Will KakoSEO slow down my site?
The heavier features (AI generation, link audits, image bulk-processing) run in the admin dashboard, not on the front end, and long-running jobs are queued in batches rather than run all at once. Front-end output (meta tags, schema, sitemap) is lightweight.
Is there support if I run into an issue?
Support is community-based rather than a paid priority line, since there’s no subscription funding a dedicated support team.
Disclaimer:
KakoSEO is developed and maintained by the Pakistanibano team and is provided completely free of charge, with no paid tier. KakoSEO is released under the GPLv2 (or later) license, which legally permits modification and redistribution; however, we kindly ask that you do not resell, rebrand, or redistribute this plugin as your own work. If you’d like to report a bug, request a feature, or contribute, please reach out to the Pakistanibano team directly.