The General Settings in Rank Math are the main options that control how your site works with search engines. Setting them up the right way helps your site rank better.
For example, you can turn on the option that adds ALT text to images automatically. This makes your pictures more search-friendly, even if you forget to add descriptions yourself.
You can also manage breadcrumbs, verify your site with Google or Bing, and control how links work. All these settings make your site easier for both users and search engines to understand.
How General Settings Work in Rank Math
I’m going to show you how General Settings work in Rank Math at a glance, so you can see how each option helps improve your site’s SEO and overall performance.
- Links: Manage how links work, clean up URLs, and set external links to open in a new tab or use nofollow.
- Breadcrumbs: Show a navigation path so visitors and search engines can understand your site structure.
- Webmaster Tools: Verify your site with Google, Bing, and other platforms to track performance.
- Others: Enable extra features like SEO score badges, usage tracking, and RSS feed content.
- Edit robots.txt: Control which pages search engines can or cannot access.
- Edit llms.txt: Share information about posts, pages, and categories for learning platforms.
- Blocks: Customize Table of Contents and exclude headings you don’t want to show.
- Edit .htaccess: Safely manage redirects, security rules, and server settings with backup.
- Content AI: Get keyword ideas, topics, and tips to optimize content while writing.
- Analytics: Track traffic, rankings, and indexing using Google Analytics and Search Console.
Now that you have a quick overview of how it works. in the next section, Next I’m going to explain each General Settings option in depth.
Explained Every Option of General Settings in Rank Math
I am going to walk you through every option available under the General Settings in Rank Math, so you can see what each one does.
1. Links
The Links option in Rank Math lets you control how links behave on your website. It helps you create cleaner URLs, manage attachments, and customize how external links function.
For example, if an image has its own page, you can redirect it back to the main post or even to your homepage. This keeps users from landing on thin pages with little content.
You can also make all external links open in a new tab or add nofollow automatically. This improves the browsing experience and helps protect your site’s SEO value.
2. Breadcrumbs
The Breadcrumbs option in Rank Math helps show a clear navigation path on your site, like Home > Blog > Post. This makes it easier for visitors and search engines to understand your site structure.
For example, if a user lands on a blog post, breadcrumbs can show them the path back to the main blog or homepage, making navigation smoother.
You can also turn breadcrumbs on or off and reset options if needed. Disabling them will remove breadcrumbs from your site completely.
3. Webmaster Tools
The Webmaster Tools option in Rank Math helps you verify your website with different search engines and services. This is important because verification lets them know you own the site and helps track its performance.
For example, you can add your Google Search Console ID so Google can monitor your site’s traffic and indexing. Similarly, you can verify with Bing, Baidu, Yandex, Pinterest, or Norton to get insights and tools from each platform.
You can also add custom webmaster tags if needed. These tags help other services recognize your site and give you control over how your site is tracked and analyzed.
4. Others
The other option in Rank Math lets you tweak extra settings to make your site work smoothly and show SEO info in helpful ways for your visitors.
For example, you can display an SEO score badge on your posts so you and your readers can see how well your content is optimized. You can also add messages or images before or after posts in your RSS feeds to make them more engaging.
You can turn on headless CMS support, share anonymous usage data to help improve Rank Math, and use handy variables like author link or post link to automatically add useful content in feeds or templates.
5. Edit robots.txt
The Edit robots.txt option in Rank Math lets you control which parts of your website search engines can or cannot access. This helps protect sensitive pages and guides search engines to focus on the most important content.
For example, you can block search engines from crawling admin pages or private sections, while allowing them to index your blog posts and main pages.
You can easily edit and update this file directly from WordPress, so you don’t need to handle server files manually, keeping it simple and safe for your site.
6. Edit llms.txt
The Edit llms.txt option in Rank Math helps you create a special file that shares information about your site’s content, mostly used with large language models (LLMs).
For example, you can include your posts, pages, categories, and tags in the llms.txt file so LLMs tools can understand and display your content properly.
You can also set limits on how many links to include and add extra text or links manually, giving you full control over what information is shared.
7. Blocks
The Blocks option in Rank Math helps you manage the Table of Contents (TOC) on your posts and pages. It makes it easier for your readers to navigate long content.
For example, you can set a default title like “Table of Contents” and choose a numbered or bulleted list style to match your post layout.
You can also exclude specific headings, such as H1 or H2, so only the important sections appear in the TOC, keeping it clean and focused for your readers.
8. Edit .htaccess
The Edit .htaccess option in Rank Math lets you modify your site’s .htaccess file directly from WordPress. This file controls important settings like redirects, security rules, and server-level configurations.
For example, you can add a redirect to send visitors from an old page to a new one, helping both users and search engines find the right content.
Be careful while editing, because mistakes can break your site. Rank Math automatically creates a backup, so you can restore the previous version if something goes wrong (Pro Plan).
9. Content AI
The Content AI option in Rank Math helps you create better content by giving suggestions, keywords, and optimization tips while you write. It makes SEO easier, even if you’re new to it.
For example, if you’re writing a blog post, Content AI can suggest relevant keywords and topics to include so your post has a higher chance of ranking in search engines.
You can also get tips on improving readability, word count, and structure, helping you write content that’s both user-friendly and SEO-friendly.
10. Analytics
The Analytics option in Rank Math connects your site with Google Analytics and Search Console so you can track traffic, rankings, and performance directly in WordPress.
For example, you can see how many visitors your posts get and which pages are indexed, helping you understand what’s working and what needs improvement.
You can also enable features like frontend stats, email reports, and control how long analytics data is stored, giving you a clear picture of your site’s SEO performance without leaving your dashboard.
Conclusion
Setting up the General Settings in Rank Math properly gives your website a solid SEO foundation. It helps search engines understand your site and improves the overall user experience.
Each option, from Links to Analytics, helps optimize your content, manage URLs, and track performance, making your site more organized and efficient.
Features like Content AI and Webmaster Tools make it easier to optimize your content and verify your site with search engines. This helps improve your site’s ranking without extra hassle.
By configuring these settings correctly, you make your site more professional and search-friendly. Using Rank Math simplifies SEO and helps you manage everything from one dashboard.
** FAQs **
1. How can I stop search engines from indexing private pages?
- Using the Edit robots.txt option, you can easily block search engines from crawling private or sensitive pages on your website. This ensures that confidential content stays hidden from the public and only your intended pages are visible in search results, keeping your site secure and professional.
2. How do I make my URLs cleaner and easier to read?
- The Links option allows you to remove unnecessary parts like
/category/from your URLs, making them shorter and more user-friendly. Clean URLs are easier for visitors to remember, look better in search results, and help search engines understand your content more clearly.
3. How can I track my website’s performance in search engines?
- With the Analytics and Webmaster Tools options, you can connect your site with Google Search Console and Analytics. This lets you track your traffic, see which pages are indexed, monitor visitor behavior, and get clear insights to improve your site’s overall performance.
4. How do I help visitors navigate long posts more easily?
- The Blocks and Breadcrumbs options let you add a Table of Contents and navigation paths on your posts and pages. This helps readers quickly find the sections they are looking for, improves the user experience, and keeps them engaged with your content for longer periods.
5. How can I improve my content while writing?
- Content AI gives you keyword suggestions, topic ideas, and optimization tips while you create content. It helps you write posts that are not only SEO-friendly but also easy for your readers to understand, making your content more effective and engaging.
