v4.0.5 is the last update of The SEO Framework’s v4.0 release cycle. In it, we brought advanced query protection, oEmbed control for improved Discord sharing, Baidu Search Resource Platform code support, and syntax detection for titles and descriptions.

Advanced query protection

We found that Google follows anything that remotely resembles a link. In that, we accidentally linked Google to a broken archive on this website, and Google indexed a few dozen archive pages that shouldn’t exist.

With advanced query protection, these faux archives can no longer be indexed or followed. The protection helps search engine crawlers stay on track and prevents low-quality content from reaching the SERP, improving your website’s ranking.

Discord support

Discord supports a plethora of directives to enhance the markup of your posts shared on their platform. In this update, we added two options that allow more control over this.

1. We added theme-color support to allow styling the border.
2. We added oEmbed control to remove the author name.

Syntax detection

The SEO Framework now warns you of untransformed syntax in your titles and descriptions. For example, when %%sitename%% is displayed in the title, you’ll receive a warning via the SEO Bar. This warning helps you move from SEOPress or Yoast SEO with confidence, so you can correct your input before Google spots them.

There’s more!

We also improved third-support for Easy Digital Downloads and Polylang. You now have control over indexing feeds, which some podcast services require.

Lastly, grabbing images from your content is now done intelligently so that you won’t see unwanted images (like pixels) shared via Facebook.

Stay tuned for the next major release. You can track the proposed improvements and features.