How to Connect Upgrid to WordPress

Connecting Upgrid to your WordPress site enables you to automatically publish AI-generated articles directly to your blog. This integration uses WordPress Application Passwords for secure authentication and supports featured images, SEO metadata, and automatic URL generation.

Requirements

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• WordPress 5.6 or later
• Administrator or Editor access
• REST API enabled (it's on by default)

Connecting Your Site

1. Go to Settings → Integrations in your Upgrid dashboard
2. Click Connect WordPress
3. Enter your information:
   • WordPress Site URL - Your full site address with https:// (example: https://yourblog.com)
   • WordPress Username - Your admin username
   • Application Password - A special API password (see below)

Creating an Application Password

Application Passwords let Upgrid access your site securely without using your main login password:

1. Log into your WordPress dashboard as an admin
2. Go to Users → Your Profile
3. Scroll to the Application Passwords section
4. Type a name like "Upgrid API Access"
5. Click Add New Application Password
6. Copy the password that appears (looks like: xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx)

⚠️ Important: You'll only see this password once. If you lose it, you'll need to create a new one.

Before saving, click Test Connection to make sure everything works. Once connected, Upgrid can automatically publish articles, upload images, set SEO data, and update existing posts.

Updating Published Articles

After publishing an article to WordPress, you can edit it directly from Upgrid. Just make your changes in the Upgrid editor and click Update Article. Your changes will be pushed to WordPress automatically.

Setting Up Clean URLs

WordPress's default URL structure often includes dates or post IDs, which aren't great for SEO. For clean, optimized URLs:

1. Go to Settings → Permalinks in WordPress
2. Select Custom Structure
3. Use one of these recommended formats:
   • /%postname%/ for URLs like yoursite.com/how-to-rank-higher/
   • /blog/%postname%/ for URLs like yoursite.com/blog/how-to-rank-higher/

This changes your URLs from yoursite.com/?p=123 to something clean and readable.

Customizing Your Content

Changing the Default Category

All articles published by Upgrid use WordPress's default category (usually "Uncategorized"). To customize this:

1. Go to Posts → Categories in WordPress
2. Find "Uncategorized" and click Edit
3. Rename it to something that fits your site (like "Blog", "News", or "Articles")
4. Click Update

From now on, all Upgrid articles will use your renamed category. You can also manually change categories for individual posts after publishing.

💡 Pro Tip: Categories don't really help with SEO. Consider hiding them from your posts for a cleaner look. Most WordPress themes let you disable category display in the theme settings. Focus on quality content and clean URLs instead—search engines don't care about category labels.

Changing the Author Name

Upgrid publishes articles using the WordPress user account you connected. To change the author name that appears on articles:

1. Go to Users → Your Profile in WordPress
2. Update your Display Name to what you want shown on articles
3. Optionally update your First Name and Last Name
4. Scroll down and click Update Profile

Your display name will now appear on all Upgrid-published articles (both new and existing ones).

Troubleshooting

Connection Failed

• Double-check your WordPress site URL includes https://
• Verify your username and Application Password are correct
• Make sure your WordPress site is accessible and REST API is enabled

Publishing Errors

• Confirm your WordPress user has Editor or Administrator permissions
• Check that your Application Password hasn't been revoked
• Verify WordPress isn't blocking REST API requests

SEO Metadata Issues

• Install a compatible SEO plugin (Yoast SEO, RankMath, or All in One SEO)
• Make sure the plugin is properly configured and active

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why are my articles showing "Uncategorized"?
A: Upgrid uses WordPress's default category when publishing. Simply rename the "Uncategorized" category to something that fits your business (like "Blog" or "News"). See the "Changing the Default Category" section above for instructions.

Q: How do I change the author name on published articles?
A: The author is the WordPress user who connected Upgrid. Update your display name in Users → Your Profile in WordPress, and it will appear on all Upgrid-published articles. See the "Changing the Author Name" section above for details.

Q: Will this slow down my WordPress site?
A: No. Publishing happens via the REST API, which is designed for efficient data transfer and doesn't impact your site's performance.

Q: Can I publish to multiple WordPress sites?
A: Currently, each Upgrid account can connect to one WordPress site. Contact support if you need to manage multiple sites.

Q: What happens if my WordPress site is down when an article is scheduled?
A: Upgrid will retry publishing failed articles on the next scheduled run. Articles remain in "scheduled" status until successfully published.

Q: Are Application Passwords secure?
A: Yes. They're separate from your main WordPress password, can be revoked anytime without affecting your main account, and provide limited API-only access. Regularly review and revoke unused passwords in your WordPress profile.

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For additional support, contact our team through the in-app support chat.