Staging And Backup Guidance

Running SEO operations on a live WordPress site carries inherent risk. This page covers staging workflows, backup strategies, and rollback procedures.

Staging Workflow

Option 1: Local Staging Clone

Create a staging copy of the production site on the same server:

# Clone production to staging directory
wp db export /tmp/prod-backup.sql --path=/var/www/production
wp db create --path=/var/www/staging
wp db import /tmp/prod-backup.sql --path=/var/www/staging

Then run wp-seo-ops against the staging path:

seo-ops audit full --path=/var/www/staging --format=md --output=staging-audit.md
seo-ops meta bulk updates.csv --path=/var/www/staging --dry-run
seo-ops meta bulk updates.csv --path=/var/www/staging

Validate on staging, then export the changes:

seo-ops meta export --path=/var/www/staging --output=staging-changes.csv

Apply the same CSV to production:

seo-ops meta import staging-changes.csv --path=/var/www/production --dry-run
seo-ops meta import staging-changes.csv --path=/var/www/production

Option 2: Separate Staging Server

If you have a separate staging server:

# On staging
seo-ops meta bulk updates.csv --path=/var/www/staging

# After validation, copy the same CSV to production
scp updates.csv user@prod-server:/tmp/
ssh user@prod-server
seo-ops meta import /tmp/updates.csv --path=/var/www/production --dry-run
seo-ops meta import /tmp/updates.csv --path=/var/www/production

Backup Before Production Changes

Full Database Backup

Before any destructive operation, dump the relevant database:

# Full database (use with WP-CLI)
wp db export seo-before-$(date +%Y-%m-%d-%H%M).sql --path=/var/www/html

# Or just the relevant tables (postmeta + plugin tables)
wp db export \
  --tables=$(wp db tables --path=/var/www/html --all-tables-with-prefix \
    | tr '\n' ',' \
    | grep -oP 'wp_postmeta,wp_redirection_items|wp_posts' \
    | tr '\n' ',') \
  seo-tables-before.sql \
  --path=/var/www/html

Metadata Export

Always export current SEO metadata before batch changes:

seo-ops meta export --path=/var/www/html --output=meta-backup-$(date +%Y-%m-%d).csv

Redirect Export

seo-ops redirect export --path=/var/www/html --output=redirects-backup-$(date +%Y-%m-%d).csv

Rollback Procedures

Rollback Single Meta Change

If meta set wrote the wrong value, restore from the backup CSV:

# Find the original value in the backup
grep "^123," meta-backup-2024-12-15.csv

# Restore it
seo-ops meta set 123 title "Original Title" --path=/var/www/html --dry-run
seo-ops meta set 123 title "Original Title" --path=/var/www/html

Rollback Bulk Meta Change

Restore from the pre-change export:

# The pre-change export IS the rollback file
seo-ops meta import meta-backup-2024-12-15.csv --path=/var/www/html --dry-run
seo-ops meta import meta-backup-2024-12-15.csv --path=/var/www/html

Rollback Redirect Import

If a redirect import creates bad rules:

# List all redirects to identify the new ones
seo-ops redirect list --path=/var/www/html

# Delete problematic rules
seo-ops redirect delete 47 --path=/var/www/html --yes
seo-ops redirect delete 48 --path=/var/www/html --yes

# Or restore from backup export
seo-ops redirect import redirects-backup-2024-12-15.csv --path=/var/www/html --overwrite

Rollback With Full Database Restore

If things go seriously wrong:

# Restore the full database dump
wp db import seo-before-2024-12-15-1430.sql --path=/var/www/html

danger

A full database restore overwrites ALL changes made since the backup, not just SEO changes. Use only when absolutely necessary.

Automated Backup Script

Save this as scripts/backup-before-seo.sh:

#!/bin/bash
PATH=/var/www/html
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d-%H%M)
BACKUP_DIR=~/seo-backups
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

echo "=== SEO Backup $DATE ==="

# 1. Database dump (wp_postmeta + redirect tables)
echo "Backing up database..."
wp db export "$BACKUP_DIR/full-$DATE.sql" --path=$PATH 2>/dev/null

# 2. Meta export
echo "Backing up SEO metadata..."
seo-ops meta export --path=$PATH --output="$BACKUP_DIR/meta-$DATE.csv"

# 3. Redirect export
echo "Backing up redirects..."
seo-ops redirect export --path=$PATH --output="$BACKUP_DIR/redirects-$DATE.csv"

# 4. Current audit snapshot
echo "Backing up audit state..."
seo-ops audit full --path=$PATH --format=json --output="$BACKUP_DIR/audit-$DATE.json"

echo "Backup complete: $BACKUP_DIR"

Run before any SEO operation:

bash scripts/backup-before-seo.sh

Environment Strategy

Environment	wp-seo-ops Usage	Backup Needed?
Local dev	Full read/write	No (throwaway)
Staging	Full read/write	Recommended
Production	Dry-run first, write after review	Always
CI/CD pipeline	Automation scripts	Yes, as pipeline step

Checklist Before Production Writes

• Test commands on staging first
• Run --dry-run and review output
• Export current metadata (meta export)
• Export current redirects (redirect export)
• Dump relevant database tables
• Confirm --path is correct (not pointing to staging)
• Confirm SEO plugin detection is correct (inventory)
• Apply in small batches
• Validate after each batch