How to Add an SEO Editor Role in WordPress

Want to let your SEO specialist optimize your WordPress site without giving them full admin access in WordPress? That’s exactly where a dedicated SEO Editor or SEO Manager user role comes in.

By default, WordPress doesn’t come with these roles, but you can easily add them using a plugin and customize their permissions based on your needs.

In this article, we’ll show you how to add an SEO Editor role in WordPress, step by step.

Why Add an SEO Editor Role in WordPress?

WordPress comes with a built-in user role system that controls what each user can and cannot do on your website. Sometimes, you may want to give an SEO specialist access to the tools they need to optimize your site without giving them full administrator privileges.

For example:

• An SEO Editor can access the SEO settings for individual posts and pages, allowing them to optimize your content for SEO.
• An SEO Manager can access sitewide SEO settings, including sitemaps, redirects, local SEO, and more.

By limiting their permissions to only the tools they need, you can let your SEO team optimize your website while keeping sensitive settings and other administrative features out of reach.

Add SEO Editor and Manager Roles With Yoast SEO

If you are using the free Yoast SEO plugin on your website, then you can easily create ready-made SEO Editor and SEO Manager roles.

Once the plugin is active, you don’t need to configure anything. Simply go to the Users » All Users page, click ‘Edit’ under the user you want to change.

This will open the User profile editing page.

Now scroll down to the Role section and select ‘SEO Editor’ or ‘SEO Manager’ from the ‘Role’ dropdown menu.

Don’t forget to click the ‘Update User’ button to save your changes.

Just keep in mind that Yoast’s redirect manager is a Premium feature, so an SEO Editor can only use it on the paid plan.

Restrict SEO Access by Role With Rank Math

Rank Math, another popular WordPress SEO plugin, takes a different approach. Its Role Manager option, which comes with the free plugin, doesn’t create a new SEO Editor role. Instead, it controls which of Rank Math’s SEO features your existing roles can use.

First, open the Rank Math SEO » Dashboard page and check that the ‘Role Manager’ module toggle is on. Then, head over to Rank Math SEO » Role Manager from your WordPress dashboard.

You will see a checklist for each role. Simply check the features you want that role to access, such as on-page analysis, redirections, or the 404 monitor, and then click ‘Update Capabilities’.

This screen also decides who can use the plugin’s AI features.

For example, you can switch Content AI on for your editors while keeping it off for authors and contributors.

Customize SEO Roles With AIOSEO Access Control

All in One SEO (AIOSEO) also comes with ready-made SEO Editor and SEO Manager roles. Plus, you can customize which SEO controls are available to WordPress’s default roles, such as Editor, Author, and Contributor.

You will need a paid plan to use them, starting at $49.50 per year. With it, you get precise control over what each SEO user can see and change.

After setting up the plugin, you will find these settings on the All in One SEO » General Settings » Access Control tab. You can see two additional roles: ‘SEO Manager’ and ‘SEO Editor’, along with the default WordPress user roles.

Each role has a ‘Use Default Settings’ toggle next to it, with a short description of what those defaults include.

To fine-tune a role, switch off its ‘Use Default Settings’ toggle on the Access Control tab. That way, you will find options to enable certain AIOSEO features for each role.

Once you’ve configured the permissions for each role, you can assign the appropriate role to your users.

AIOSEO also lets you see what SEO settings your users have changed in the post editor.

Simply open any post or page and expand the ‘Meta Boxes’ panel at the bottom of the editor to find the ‘AIOSEO Settings’ section. From there, click the ‘SEO Revisions’ tab.

You will see every SEO change in chronological order, along with the user who made it. Just note that SEO Revisions requires the Plus plan or higher.

You can also compare two revisions, add notes, and restore a previous version in one click.

Create a Custom SEO Role With the Members Plugin

Sometimes, you may want to create a custom role that gives certain members of your editorial team additional SEO permissions without changing access for everyone else.

This is where the free Members plugin comes in. It lets you build a custom role with exactly the capabilities you choose, including the ones your SEO plugin adds.

This method works no matter which SEO plugin you use.

First, you need to install and activate the Members plugin. For more details, please see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, navigate to Members » Add New Role. Then, specify the name for your new role at the top of the screen. We will call ours ‘SEO Specialist’.

You will also see the full list of WordPress capabilities, organized into tabs. Each capability has a ‘Grant’ box to allow access and a ‘Deny’ box to block it.

Next, switch to the ‘Posts’ tab and grant the capabilities your SEO specialist needs to manage content. In our example, we granted ‘Edit Posts’, ‘Edit Others’ Posts’, ‘Edit Published Posts’, and ‘Publish Posts’, along with ‘Read’.

The Members plugin automatically detects the capabilities your SEO plugin registers.

If you are using the free version of All in One SEO, you’ll find its capabilities under the ‘Custom’ tab in the left column. For example, it lets you manage who can view or edit page analysis and general SEO settings.

Once you’ve configured the custom capabilities, click the ‘Add Role’ button to create the new role.

You can now assign the role to any existing members by going to Users » All Users and clicking ‘Edit’ under any user. Alternatively, you can add a new user if your SEO person doesn’t have an account yet.

The Members plugin replaces the standard Role dropdown with checkboxes. This means a user can hold several roles at once, so they can stay an Author and get a new SEO Specialist role on top.

Check the box next to your new role, and then click ‘Update User’ to finish.

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FAQs About SEO Editor and Manager Roles in WordPress

Here are some of the questions we hear most often about SEO user roles in WordPress.

What is an SEO editor in WordPress?

An SEO editor is a user role that can change the SEO settings of individual posts and pages, such as titles, meta descriptions, and focus keywords. It cannot change sitewide settings, install plugins, or manage other users.

WordPress doesn’t include this role by default. SEO plugins like Yoast SEO (free) or AIOSEO (Pro) add it for you.

What can an Editor role do in WordPress?

The default WordPress Editor role can write, edit, publish, and delete any posts and pages, including posts by other users. However, it cannot change themes, plugins, or site settings.

What are the user roles for the SEO Manager in WordPress?

An SEO Manager is a step above an SEO Editor. In both Yoast SEO and AIOSEO, this role can edit the SEO settings of all posts and pages, plus sitewide features like sitemaps, redirects, and the plugin’s general settings.

How do I add a new role in WordPress?

WordPress has no built-in screen for creating roles, so you will need a plugin. The free Members plugin is the easiest option.

Go to Members » Add New Role, name your role, grant the capabilities it needs, and click ‘Add Role’.

We hope this article helped you learn how to add an SEO editor role in WordPress. You may also want to see our ultimate WordPress SEO guide for beginners and our complete beginner’s guide to WordPress user roles and permissions.

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