Onboarding & Settings, step by step
Onboarding and Settings: the step-by-step guide
This guide takes you from a freshly activated plugin to a perfectly configured one: first the onboarding (the Guided Setup in 9 steps), then every single item on the Settings page with the recommended value for your situation, and finally the closing verification checklist.
Part A — Onboarding: the Guided Setup in 9 steps
The Guided Setup (AEO Orchestra → Guided Setup) is organized into three phases: Discovery (the plugin learns your site), Knowledge (you teach the plugin your business), Activation (you turn on the engines). Each step can be resumed whenever you want, marked “✓ Completed” or “✗ Mark to redo”, and the bar in the Dashboard shows your progress (e.g. 8/9). Recommended order: the one proposed.
PHASE 1 — Discovery
Step 1 · Define your scope
What you do: you tell Orchestra which content exists and matters: the post types to consider (posts, pages, products, custom) and the page discovery source. Why it matters: everything else (analysis, sitemap, llms.txt) works within this scope. Tip: include all public content intended for visitors; exclude utility content (thank-you pages, temporary landing pages).
Step 2 · Site Compatibility
What you do: you run the environment detection (page builder, headless) and check the per-action capability map. Why it matters: it determines which AI actions will be automatic on your site. What to check: that the detected builder is the real one and that the headless status is correct; if it isn’t, set the Manual override (see Part B, section 6) and re-scan. On a headless site: complete the Headless Mode section of the Settings FIRST (Part B, section 7), then come back here.
Step 3 · Analyze the site (1st page free)
What you do: the first homepage analysis, offered by AEO Orchestra (subsequent ones: 5 credits/page for single analysis, 10/page in the full Orchestrator analysis). What you get: Health Score, prioritized list of SEO+AEO issues, action plan with “Fix with AI” buttons. Tip: don’t stop at the score — open 2-3 of the detected issues to understand the action format before launching massive analyses.
PHASE 2 — Knowledge
Step 4 · Business Profile
What you do: you fill in (or generate from the site, 30 credits) the 19 fields that give the AI your business’s identity, across three levels: exposed to AI engines / site context / private internal use. The 4 critical fields to complete right away: company name, industry, business description, value proposition. Don’t overlook: the verifiable facts (they give substance to AI citations) and the ambiguous terms to disambiguate (they prevent AI engines from confusing your brand with namesakes). Final check: open the AI Context Preview and read what the engines will receive — if it sounds vague or wrong, fix it now: this block accompanies EVERY future operation.
Step 5 · Keyword Research
What you do: your first research (15 credits): describe your niche as specifically as possible, choose the language and the number of keywords (20/30/50). What you get: semantic clusters with intent, difficulty and article idea — which remain “pullable” from all the other tools (Meta Tags, Content, Auto-Pilot, Local SEO). Tip: “window films for offices and commercial buildings in Italy” beats “films” — specificity pays off.
Step 6 · Teach the AI your voice (Brand Voice)
What you do: you create your first voice profile (25 credits): choose the sources (posts, products, pages — or “Front pages” via sitemap for builder/headless sites), the AI analyzes the 15 most recent pieces of content with at least 200 characters. What you get: tone, vocabulary, structure, anti-clichés — applied to every future generation. Tip: if your best content is old, that’s fine: what counts is quality and representativeness, not the date.
Step 7 · AI Copy Coach
What you do: you try the rewriting assistant on an existing text. Why it’s in the flow: it lets you experience first-hand how the Brand Voice guides rewrites before using it at scale.
PHASE 3 — Activation
Step 8 · Configure SEO + AEO Output
What you do: you turn on the native stack: <head> output, Sitemap.xml, llms.txt, Schema.org (and the Redirect Manager if you need it). Warning: if you still have Yoast/RankMath/AIOSEO active, FIRST complete the SEO Migration (6-step wizard, reversible) or disable the other plugin’s output — never two simultaneous heads. Verify: CTRL+U on a page → look for <!-- AEO Orchestra · Native Output --> and a single meta description. Then submit /seo-aeo-sitemap.xml to Google Search Console.
Step 9 · Plan content production
What you do: you set up the Content calendar and/or your first Auto-Pilot job (keywords from step 5, frequency, draft vs direct publication). Tip: always start with “Draft (manual review)” — switch to auto-publish once the quality consistently convinces you.
🏁 End of onboarding. From here the typical operational flow is: full analysis from the Orchestrator → work through the worklist (free preview → Apply) → measure with Verify-Live and Analytics.
Part B — Settings, item by item
Everything you’ll find in AEO Orchestra → Settings, in the order it appears, with the recommended value.
1. AEO Orchestra Service
| Item | What it does | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Service API Key | Your license key: it enables all AI features. | Paste the key you received → Verify Service → Test Connection. Treat it like a password. |
| Consent | Authorizes the service (api.aeo-orchestra.com) to receive your domain and Business Profile data. Without consent, zero network calls. | Read the Privacy Policy and Terms, then consent. Consent is timestamped and revocable. |
2. Interface language
Italiano / English / Español / Français / Deutsch — changes the plugin’s menus, titles and CTAs (not the generated content). Save and reload the page to apply.
3. Auto Meta Tags
What it does: automatically generates meta tags for NEW posts on publication. Recommended: ON for active blogs (every new post is born already optimized); OFF if you prefer to control every meta tag by hand from the generator.
4. Score Widget
| Item | Options | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Widget | ON/OFF — SEO+AEO badge at the bottom right of the site with the current page’s score. | ON while you’re working on the site. |
| Visibility | Admins only (logged in) / All visitors. | Admins only: you monitor without showing scores to the public. “All” only if you want the score as a transparency element. |
| Branding | Automatic (plan-based): on Starter the “Powered by AEO Orchestra” is always visible; Professional/Team can hide it. | — |
5. Content calendar — defaults
| Item | Options | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Generate draft N days before | Same day / 1 / 2 / 3 / 7 | 2-3 days: time for human review without piling up drafts. |
| Default publication time | 00:00 → 23:00 | The window when your audience reads (for B2B typically 8:00-10:00). |
| Default auto-publish | Yes auto-publish / No leave as draft | No (draft) until the quality consistently convinces you. |
| Default category | Your categories | Set your blog’s category; inherits from the AI article Layout if empty. |
6. Site Compatibility
What it shows: the detected page builder (with confidence), headless status, effective environment, and the Per-action capabilities table (which AI actions will be automatic, automatic+verification or manual on your site). What to do:
- If the detection is correct: nothing, it’s informational.
- If it’s wrong: Manual override → Page builder (Auto / Classic / Gutenberg / Elementor / Divi / WPBakery / Beaver Builder / Bricks / Oxygen / Other), Headless site (Auto / No / Yes), Headless mode (Auto / REST API / WPGraphQL / SSG-ISR) → Save override. The per-action modes recalculate on their own.
- After structural changes to the site (new theme, new builder, switch to headless): Re-scan site.
7. Headless Mode
Only for those whose frontend is separate from WordPress (Next.js on Vercel, Astro on Netlify, Gatsby…). If your site is “regular” WordPress, skip this section and leave everything off.
| Item | What it does | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Headless mode | The analyzer downloads the HTML from the frontend instead of reading the raw post_content. If OFF or URL empty: legacy behavior unchanged. | ON for headless sites: the analysis judges what users and engines actually see. |
| Frontend base URL | The frontend’s address (HTTPS only). 1h fetch cache. Check reachability button. | E.g. https://yoursite.vercel.app in staging, the final domain at cutover. Always verify after changing it. |
| Deploy Hook URL | After every applied change, Orchestra calls this hook and the frontend rebuilds. The URL contains a token: it’s a password. | Create it in Vercel (Settings → Git → Deploy Hooks) or Netlify (Build hooks) and paste it. Test with Send test. |
| Anti-burst window | 1-60 min. Max 1 rebuild per window: consecutive applies are batched, with a queued trigger at the end of the window. | 5 min for normal use; 10-15 min if you expect large batches (dozens of applies in a row). The panel shows the latest triggers. |
| Page discovery | Where Orchestra discovers pages from: wp_posts (legacy default) / Frontend sitemap / Manual URL list / Auto-Crawl. | Headless WITH a sitemap on the frontend: Frontend sitemap. Headless WITHOUT a sitemap: Auto-Crawl (recommended). Traditional site: wp_posts. |
8. AI article Layout
| Item | What it does | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Content type | Which post type AI articles are created in (Post, Page, Product, or your CPTs). | Post for the blog; a dedicated CPT if your architecture calls for it. |
| Template | The theme template used for rendering. | Default; change it only if your theme offers dedicated editorial layouts. |
| Category | Default category (Post type only). | Your blog’s category. |
| Default author | The author assigned to generated articles. | A real user with a well-maintained author page (it counts for E-E-A-T and llms.txt), not a technical user. |
| Publication status | Draft (manual review) / Published directly. | Draft at the beginning, always. |
| Preview with fake article | Renders a test article with the chosen layout. | Use it before saving: you’ll avoid layout surprises. |
9. Credit history
The last 50 wallet transactions (top-ups, usage, bonuses). For the operation-by-operation detail, use the Credit Usage page.
Part C — Final checklist (10 checks in 5 minutes)
- ☐ License active and Test Connection green (Settings → Service).
- ☐ Guided Setup 9/9 (or deliberately partial).
- ☐ Business Profile: 4 critical fields + AI Context Preview read and approved.
- ☐ Compatibility: builder and headless detected correctly (or override saved).
- ☐ CTRL+U on a page:
AEO Orchestra · Native Outputcomment present, ONE single meta description. - ☐
/seo-aeo-sitemap.xmlreachable and submitted to Google Search Console. - ☐
/llms.txtand/llms-full.txtreachable from the public domain. - ☐ (Headless) Check reachability green + deploy hook Send test successful.
- ☐ Brand Voice active (“VOICE ACTIVE” badge in the generators).
- ☐ First Orchestrator analysis launched and worklist explored.
Domande frequenti
1. Cos'è il Direttore AI in AEO Orchestra?
Il Direttore AI è l'intelligenza centrale del plugin AEO Orchestra, responsabile di coordinare e orchestrare le operazioni dei 10 agenti AI specializzati per l'ottimizzazione dei contenuti.
2. Come si acquistano o ricaricano i crediti per AEO Orchestra?
I crediti si acquistano direttamente dalla tua area utente sul sito web di AEO Orchestra. Una volta acquistati, vengono automaticamente sincronizzati con il plugin sul tuo sito WordPress tramite la Chiave API.
3. Posso impostare limiti di spesa per i crediti?
Sì, nelle impostazioni di gestione dei crediti puoi definire limiti di spesa giornalieri o mensili per controllare il consumo e il budget delle operazioni AI.
4. A cosa serve il file llms.txt e come si configura?
Il file llms.txt è un protocollo che permette di controllare come i Large Language Models (LLM) possono interagire con i tuoi contenuti. Si configura tramite le impostazioni avanzate di AEO Orchestra, specificando direttive per l'indicizzazione e l'uso da parte delle AI.
5. Come influisce la Brand Voice sull'ottimizzazione AI?
La Brand Voice, configurabile nelle impostazioni, assicura che i contenuti ottimizzati dal plugin mantengano il tono e lo stile del tuo brand, influenzando come le AI rielaborano e presentano le informazioni del tuo sito.
6. Qual è la differenza tra Health Score e AEO Score?
L'AEO Score misura la qualità dell'ottimizzazione di un contenuto specifico per le AI, mentre il Health Score valuta la salute generale del sito dal punto di vista dell'Answer Engine Optimization, considerando fattori strutturali e di configurazione.
7. Quanto tempo richiede l'onboarding iniziale di AEO Orchestra?
L'onboarding iniziale, inclusa l'installazione e la configurazione delle impostazioni di base, può essere completato in circa 15-30 minuti, a seconda della familiarità dell'utente con WordPress e le configurazioni.