Ghost Update is a simple but powerful plugin that makes your WordPress site look alive again by systematically updating post\/page timestamps and alerting Google Search to come check it out.<\/p>\n\n
This is perfect for older blogs, abandoned content, or static websites that haven\u2019t changed in a while and are now suffering in search rankings.<\/p>\n\n
Ghost Update offers:<\/p>\n\n
GhostUpdate uses WordPress' built-in \"pseudo-cron\" system, which means scheduled tasks only run when someone visits your site. This includes both automatic post updates and Google Search Console pings.\nIf DISABLE_WP_CRON is enabled in wp-config.php, you must run WordPress cron via a real server cron job.<\/p>\n\n
\ud83d\udd01 WordPress cron is visitor-based\nNo visitors = no cron runs. It only triggers when a page is loaded by a real user or bot.<\/p>\n\n
\ud83d\udd53 Missed runs = delayed schedules\nCron tasks won\u2019t fire in the background unless triggered by activity. This can cause delays in updates on low-traffic sites.<\/p>\n\n
\ud83e\udde0 One run = one reschedule\nA cron job must fire before WordPress will schedule the next one. They don\u2019t \u201cqueue up\u201d in advance.<\/p>\n\n
\u2705 Keep the plugin\u2019s settings page open in your browser\nThis keeps cron alive by generating regular page loads.<\/p>\n\n
\u2705 Use the \u201cForce Update + Recrawl Now\u201d button\nInstant update and ping, no waiting or cooldown.<\/p>\n\n
This behavior is core to how WordPress works. GhostUpdate doesn\u2019t change or override it \u2014 it works with it.<\/p>\n\n
This plugin connects to multiple endpoints from Google\u2019s Indexing API to notify Google that a post or page has been updated. This functionality is required to trigger recrawls in Google's search index.<\/p>\n\n
The plugin sends the URL of the updated post or page to the following Google API endpoints. No personal data is transmitted.<\/p>\n\n
Data is sent only when a post\/page is programmatically republished by the plugin or when triggered manually by the admin.<\/p>\n\n
https:\/\/oauth2.googleapis.com\/token<\/code> \u2014 used to obtain an OAuth 2.0 token with a service account<\/li>\nhttps:\/\/indexing.googleapis.com\/v3\/urlNotifications:publish<\/code> \u2014 used to send the updated URL to Google for recrawling<\/li>\nhttps:\/\/www.googleapis.com\/auth\/indexing<\/code> \u2014 used as the OAuth scope to limit access to Indexing API only<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nService Provider<\/h3>\n\n\n- Google LLC<\/li>\n
- Terms of Service<\/a><\/li>\n
- Privacy Policy<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
By using this plugin, you agree to Google's API terms and policies. The authentication is performed using a Google Cloud service account which you manually upload to the plugin.<\/p>\n\n
Notes<\/h3>\n\n\n- Posts\/pages skipped due to cooldown are still updated<\/strong>, just not pinged.<\/li>\n
- Google will still crawl updated content eventually even if not directly pinged.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
License<\/h3>\n\n
GPL v2 \u2014 use, modify, share freely.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n- Upload the plugin folder to
\/wp-content\/plugins\/<\/code> or install via the Plugins > Add New screen<\/li>\n- Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu<\/li>\n
Visit Settings \u2192 Ghost Update<\/strong> to configure:<\/p>\n\n\n- Upload your Google
.json<\/code> service account file<\/li>\n- Enable automatic updating<\/li>\n
- Set your desired interval (in seconds)<\/li>\n
- Exclude posts\/pages (optional)<\/li>\n
- View logs of all update and ping activity<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
\nWhat does this plugin actually do?<\/h3><\/dt>\nGhost Update refreshes your post\/page post_date<\/code> and post_modified<\/code> fields on a schedule (e.g. every 8 hours). Optionally, it will also notify Google using the Indexing API to request a recrawl.<\/p><\/dd>\nDoes it change content?<\/h3><\/dt>\nNo. It does not<\/strong> alter content, metadata, taxonomy, SEO fields, or anything else. It only updates timestamps and optionally triggers a Google ping.<\/p><\/dd>\nWhat\u2019s the cooldown logic for Google API pings?<\/h3><\/dt>\nGhost Update enforces 1 request every 10 minutes<\/strong>. This is to protect your quota and avoid abuse detection.<\/p>\n\nIf an update is triggered while in cooldown, the post is still refreshed \u2014 but the Google ping is skipped and logged as:<\/p>\n\n
\ud83d\udd12 Cooldown active. Skipping GSC for post ID 1234.\n<\/code><\/pre><\/dd>\nCan I control which posts\/pages get updated?<\/h3><\/dt>\nYes \u2014 exclude any number of posts or pages via ID in the plugin settings.<\/p><\/dd>\n
How do I authenticate with Google?<\/h3><\/dt>\n\n- Create a Google Cloud project<\/li>\n
- Enable the Indexing API<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Create a service account<\/strong>, and download the
.json<\/code> key<\/li>\n- Upload it in the plugin settings<\/li>\n
- Add the
client_email<\/code> from the .json<\/code> file as an Owner<\/strong> in your Google Search Console property<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/dd>\nHow do I add the service account as an Owner in GSC?<\/h3><\/dt>\n\n- Open your
.json<\/code> file and find:\n \"client_email\": \"your-service-account@project.iam.gserviceaccount.com\"<\/li>\n- Go to Google Search Console \u2192 Settings \u2192 Users and Permissions<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Click Add User<\/strong> and paste the service account email<\/li>\n
- Set permission to Owner<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol><\/dd>\n
Google gave me an HTML file for verification \u2014 what do I do?<\/h3><\/dt>\nYou don\u2019t need it.<\/p>\n\n
Just uploaded securely via the plugin settings. \nthis will add the file to \"your-site\"\/uploads\/ghostupdate<\/p><\/dd>\n\n<\/dl>\n\n\n
1.1.0<\/h4>\n\n
Tested and updated to work with wp 6.9<\/p>\n\n
1.0<\/h4>\n\n\n- Initial release<\/li>\n
- Scheduled updates with interval + randomization<\/li>\n
- Google Indexing API ping integration<\/li>\n
- Rate-limited GSC API calls (1 per 10 min)<\/li>\n
- Service account JSON file support<\/li>\n
- Logging system with viewer + cleaner<\/li>\n
- Admin UI with force button and exclusion filter<\/li>\n
- Enable\/Disable toggle for plugin scheduler<\/li>\n
- Works with pages and posts (not WooCommerce)<\/li>\n<\/ul>","raw_excerpt":"Auto-refresh post\/page, encourage recrawls by refreshing timestamps and optionally notifying Google. Boost SEO visibility without changing your conten …","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pcd.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin\/231200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pcd.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pcd.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/plugin"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pcd.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231200"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pcd.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wporg\/v1\/users\/ipodguy79"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pcd.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"plugin_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pcd.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_section?post=231200"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pcd.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_tags?post=231200"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pcd.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_category?post=231200"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_contributors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pcd.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_contributors?post=231200"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_business_model","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pcd.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_business_model?post=231200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}