Skip to content
Getting Started

Install Citelayer® — WordPress AI Visibility Plugin Setup

5 min read

Why This Matters

Every minute your site runs without AI-readable signals, AI assistants answer questions about your topic without citing you. Installation takes less than two minutes, and Citelayer® starts working immediately — no API keys, no setup wizard, no per-page configuration.

System Requirements

Before you install, verify your environment meets these minimums:

  • PHP 8.1 or higher — Citelayer® uses modern PHP features including enums and readonly properties. Check your PHP version in Tools → Site Health → Info → Server.
  • WordPress 6.4 or higher — Required for full block editor compatibility and REST API features Citelayer® relies on.
  • Pretty permalinks enabled — Any permalink structure other than “Plain” works. Go to Settings → Permalinks and confirm you are using Post name, Day and name, or any custom structure.

Most modern WordPress hosts meet all three requirements out of the box. If you are unsure about your setup, check the full Requirements page.

Method 1: Install from the WordPress Plugin Directory

This is the fastest path. Use it if your site has outbound internet access (most sites do).

  1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Plugins → Add New.
  3. Type citelayer in the search box.
  4. Find Citelayer® — AI Visibility in the results and click Install Now.
  5. After installation completes, click Activate.

That’s it. Citelayer® is now active and generating AI-readable output for your entire site.

Method 2: Upload ZIP File

Use this method if your host restricts outbound connections, or if you received a ZIP file directly.

  1. Download the latest Citelayer® ZIP file from wordpress.org/plugins/citelayer or from your purchase confirmation email.
  2. In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
  3. Click Choose File, select the downloaded ZIP, and click Install Now.
  4. Once the upload finishes, click Activate Plugin.

Method 3: Manual Upload via FTP/SFTP

For developers or restricted environments where the admin uploader is not available:

  1. Download and unzip the plugin file on your local machine.
  2. Connect to your server via FTP or SFTP.
  3. Upload the citelayer folder to /wp-content/plugins/.
  4. In WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Installed Plugins, find Citelayer®, and click Activate.

What Happens on Activation

The moment you activate Citelayer®, four things go live — no additional setup required:

1. Schema.org JSON-LD Markup

Every published post and page receives structured Schema.org markup, injected as a <script type="application/ld+json"> block in the page source. This markup declares content type, author, publication date, and other metadata that AI systems use to understand your content. You can identify Citelayer®’s output by the <!-- Citelayer® Schema.org Markup --> comment that precedes it.

2. llms.txt Generated

Your site immediately serves a structured text file at yoursite.com/llms.txt. This file contains your site name, description, content statistics, available API endpoints, and a list of recent posts — everything an LLM needs to understand what your site offers. The file regenerates automatically as you publish or update content.

3. Markdown Endpoints Live

Every post and page becomes available as clean Markdown. Append .md to any post URL to retrieve a Markdown version with YAML frontmatter containing the title, canonical URL, and publication date. AI agents receive this content with proper headers: Content-Type: text/markdown, X-Citelayer-Version, and token count metadata.

4. WebMCP context.json Available

A machine-readable capabilities file appears at yoursite.com/.well-known/mcp/context.json. This JSON file follows the Model Context Protocol specification and advertises your site’s name, description, platform, content type, and available endpoints. AI agents that support MCP use this file to discover what your site can provide.

All four features activate with sensible defaults. You do not need to configure anything for them to work correctly.

Your First Dashboard Visit

After activation, navigate to the Citelayer® menu item in your WordPress admin sidebar. The Dashboard shows you:

  • Active Features — A list of all enabled AI Visibility protocols with their current status (active/inactive).
  • Content Statistics — How many posts and pages are currently AI-visible.
  • Quick Links — Direct links to your live llms.txt, a sample Markdown endpoint, and your context.json file.

If everything shows as active, your site is already AI-visible. To verify each feature hands-on, follow the Quick Start Guide — a five-minute walkthrough that confirms every protocol is working.

Updating Citelayer®

Citelayer® follows standard WordPress update practices:

  • When a new version is available, you see the update notification in Dashboard → Updates and on the Plugins page.
  • Click Update Now to apply the update. Your settings and configuration persist across updates.
  • If you installed via ZIP, download the new version and repeat the upload process — WordPress handles the overwrite.

Updates ship protocol compliance improvements, new AI format support, and WordPress compatibility fixes. Keeping Citelayer® current ensures your site speaks the latest version of each AI protocol.

Troubleshooting Installation

If installation does not go smoothly, check these common issues:

  • “Plugin requires PHP 8.1” — Your host runs an older PHP version. Contact your hosting provider to upgrade, or switch the PHP version in your hosting control panel.
  • “Plugin requires WordPress 6.4” — Update WordPress core before installing Citelayer®. Go to Dashboard → Updates.
  • llms.txt returns a 404 — Your permalink settings use the “Plain” structure. Switch to any other structure in Settings → Permalinks and save. Then flush rewrite rules by visiting Settings → Permalinks again and clicking Save Changes.
  • Markdown endpoints return HTML — A caching plugin may serve stale responses. Clear your site cache and test again. If the issue persists, add .md extensions to your cache plugin’s exclusion list.

For additional help, see the FAQ or visit the WordPress support forum.

Next Steps

Citelayer® is installed and running. Now verify that everything works:

  • Quick Start Guide — Confirm all AI Visibility features in five minutes.
  • Requirements — Full compatibility details and edge cases.
  • Dashboard — Learn what each section of the Citelayer® admin shows you.