Audit While You Edit
The Promptless WP editor checks the page while you work on it. It audits your unsaved sections a moment after each edit, puts a badge on any section with a problem, and lists every finding in the SEO panel, linked to its section when the check records one. The checks come from the same engine that site validation runs across the whole site.
When to use it
Section titled “When to use it”- Before you save or publish, to catch missing alt text, placeholder content, links to unpublished pages and similar problems.
- After restoring an older version, to see whether it brings back a problem that was fixed since.
- To check the whole site at once rather than one page, use Site validation. For what each SEO check covers, see SEO Panel & Schema.
How the audit runs
Section titled “How the audit runs”The audit runs when the page loads and again about a second and a half after you stop editing. Typing, adding, deleting or reordering a section, and restoring a version all trigger it. It checks what is in the editor now, not the last saved page, so a problem you just fixed clears without saving.
You do not need to open anything for it to run. The badges appear on the canvas whether or not the SEO panel is open.
How to find and fix a finding
Section titled “How to find and fix a finding”- Look for a small number badge on a section in the canvas. It counts that section’s defects. Its tooltip reads, for example, “2 audit defects — click to see them”.
- Select the badge. The SEO panel opens with that section’s findings scrolled into view and highlighted.
- Read the finding. If the row can expand, select it to see How to fix: and Detail:.
- Select the location under the finding, for example “Section 3 · Features · cards[1].image”. The editor selects that section and scrolls the canvas to it.
- Fix the field. The badge and the finding clear on the next run.
To open the panel without a badge, select SEO in the toolbar, then the Audit tab. Select Refresh audit to run the checks immediately.
What the panel shows
Section titled “What the panel shows”The top of the Audit tab counts Errors, Warnings and Passes. Findings are grouped below:
| Group | What it holds | Open by default |
|---|---|---|
| Errors | Problems to fix, including some marked “needs a person”. | Yes |
| Warnings | Lesser problems, including some marked “needs a person”. | Yes |
| Excused | Findings a site-wide exception covers, each with its reason. | No |
| Passes | Checks the page passed. | No |
Defects and “needs a person”
Section titled “Defects and “needs a person””Each finding is one of two kinds:
- A defect is something a check can decide on its own, such as a link to an unpublished page or alt text that is just a file name. Only defects produce a badge.
- A finding marked “needs a person” is worth a look but a machine cannot judge it. Alt text that reads “Logo” may be exactly right. These appear in the panel and never produce a badge.
Excused findings
Section titled “Excused findings”A site can record an exception for a finding that is correct on purpose, for example a staging site that is set to noindex. An exception is recorded once for the site, with a reason, through site validation. Findings it covers move to the Excused group, labelled with that reason. They do not produce badges and do not count toward the save warning.
Saving with defects
Section titled “Saving with defects”The audit never stops you saving. If defects remain when you select Update or Publish, the page saves and a warning appears, for example “2 audit defects remain on this page. Open SEO to see them.” Open SEO to review them, or leave them if you have checked and they do not apply.
Limits and common problems
Section titled “Limits and common problems”- A finding has no location and no badge. Some checks do not record which section a finding belongs to: missing alt text, placeholder content, meta tags, indexability and schema validity. Their findings appear in the panel only, with no location to select, but a defect among them still counts toward the save warning.
- The badge opens the panel on another tab. If the SEO panel was already open on Schema or Page type, choose Audit.
- The panel shows “Audit failed”. The check could not run. Select Retry.
- It does not measure colour contrast or check external links. Those need a browser or the network, which the in-editor audit does not use.
- It does not fix anything for you. Each finding says what to change; you make the change in the section.
Available since Promptless WP 1.8.1.