SEO Panel Upgrade Guide | Step-by-Step Update Instructions — SEO Panel Documentation

SEO Panel Upgrade

SEO Panel Latest Free

Download the latest stable release and get started in minutes.

Download

Critical - Read Before Upgrading

Always backup your database and files before upgrading
Test the upgrade on a staging environment first if possible
Plan for maintenance window - put site in maintenance mode
Keep the old version until you confirm the upgrade is successful
Document your current version and target version

Upgrade Methods

Method 1: Quick Upgrade (Recommended for Beginners)

Use Bitnami / Softaculous / Installatron / Webuzo / AMPPS one-click upgrade tools.

Method 2: Manual Upgrade

Follow the detailed steps below for manual upgrade with full control.

Method 3: Docker Upgrade

See Docker Upgrade section for containerized deployments.

Pre-Upgrade Checklist

Before starting the upgrade, complete these essential steps:

Check Current Version
Log in to SEO Panel and note your current version from the dashboard.
Review Release Notes
Visit https://www.seopanel.org/changelog/ to review changes and breaking updates.
Check PHP Compatibility
Ensure your server meets the requirements for the new version:
```
php -v  # Should be PHP 7.4 or higher
```
Verify Disk Space
Ensure you have enough disk space (at least 500MB free recommended).
Put Site in Maintenance Mode
Create a maintenance page or use your hosting control panel to enable maintenance mode.

Complete Backup Procedure

Critical: Never skip this step!

Backup Database

# Using mysqldump
mysqldump -u seopanel_user -p seopanel_db > seopanel_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).sql

Or using MySQL Workbench / phpMyAdmin export feature


2. **Backup Files**

Create complete backup of SEO Panel directory

tar -czf seopanel_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).tar.gz /path/to/seopanel/

Or using FTP client, download the entire seopanel folder


3. **Verify Backups**

Check backup file exists and has content

ls -lh seopanel_backup_*.sql ls -lh seopanel_backup_*.tar.gz


4. **Store Backups Safely**  
- Copy backups to a different server or local machine
- Do not store backups in the same directory as SEO Panel

## Manual Upgrade Steps

01. **Rename Current Installation**

Via SSH/Terminal

cd /var/www/html # or your web root mv seopanel seopanel_old_$(date +%Y%m%d)

Or via FTP: Rename seopanel to seopanel_old


This preserves your old installation for quick rollback if needed.

02. **Download Latest Version**

Download latest version

wget https://www.seopanel.org/download/seo-panel-latest.zip

Or download from: https://www.seopanel.org/download/


03. **Extract New Version**

Extract the package

unzip seo-panel-latest.zip

Rename to your desired directory name

mv seopanel-x.x.x seopanel


Or extract locally and upload via FTP to your web server.

04. **Copy Configuration File**

Copy your old config to new installation

cp seopanel_old_*/config/sp-config.php seopanel/config/

If that file doesn't exist, copy from sample

cp seopanel/config/sp-config-sample.php seopanel/config/sp-config.php


05. **Update Configuration Settings**  
Edit **config/sp-config.php** with your existing database credentials:


**Important:** Update SP_WEBPATH to use HTTPS if you have SSL enabled.

06. **Copy Custom Files and Plugins**

Copy custom plugins

cp -r seopanel_old_*/plugins/custom_* seopanel/plugins/

Copy custom themes (if any)

cp -r seopanel_old_*/themes/custom_* seopanel/themes/

Copy any custom uploads or data

cp -r seopanel_old_*/uploads/* seopanel/uploads/


07. **Set File Permissions**

Set proper ownership (replace www-data with your web server user)

chown -R www-data:www-data seopanel/

Set directory permissions

find seopanel/ -type d -exec chmod 755 {} ;

Set file permissions

find seopanel/ -type f -exec chmod 644 {} ;

Set tmp directory writable

chmod 755 seopanel/tmp/


08. **Run Database Upgrade**  
Visit the upgrade script in your web browser:

`https://yourdomain.com/seopanel/install/upgrade.php`

**Follow the upgrade wizard:**

- The system will detect your current version
- Review the changes to be made
- Click “Proceed” to start the database upgrade

09. **Complete Upgrade**  
After successful database upgrade:

Remove install directory (Critical for security!)

rm -rf seopanel/install/

Or via FTP: Delete the install folder


10. **Verify Upgrade**  
- Log in to SEO Panel admin panel
- Check the version number in the dashboard
- Test key functionality:
  \- Check websites are listed correctly
  \- Run a quick rank check
  \- Verify reports are accessible
  \- Test user permissions

## Post-Upgrade Tasks

1. **Clear Cache**

Clear application cache

rm -rf seopanel/tmp/cache/*


2. **Test All Features**  
- Verify all plugins are working
- Check scheduled tasks/cron jobs
- Test API integrations (MOZ, Google, etc.)
- Verify email notifications

3. **Update Cron Jobs**  
Check if cron job paths need updating:

Edit crontab

crontab -e

Ensure paths point to new installation

*/30 * * * * php /var/www/html/seopanel/cron.php


4. **Disable Maintenance Mode**  
Remove maintenance page and restore normal operation.

5. **Monitor for Issues**  
- Check error logs: `seopanel/tmp/logs/`
- Monitor server logs for any PHP errors
- Watch for user-reported issues

6. **Keep Old Version Temporarily**  
Keep `seopanel_old_*` directory for 7-14 days before deleting, in case rollback is needed.

## Docker Upgrade

For Docker-based installations:

1. **Backup Database**

Backup database from Docker container

docker exec seopanel_mysql mysqldump -u seopanel_user -pYOUR_PASSWORD seopanel_db > backup.sql


2. **Update docker-compose.yml**  
Update the SEO Panel image version or rebuild with new code:

services: seopanel: image: php:8.1-apache # Update PHP version if needed # ... rest of configuration


3. **Pull New Images**

docker-compose pull


4. **Stop Containers**

docker-compose down


5. **Update Application Files**

Download and extract new version to mounted volume

cd /path/to/docker/volumes/seopanel wget https://www.seopanel.org/download/seo-panel-latest.zip unzip seo-panel-latest.zip

Copy files to mounted directory


6. **Start Containers**

docker-compose up -d


7. **Run Upgrade Script**  
Access upgrade.php through your browser and follow the wizard.

8. **Remove Install Directory**

docker exec seopanel rm -rf /var/www/html/install


## Rollback Procedure

If the upgrade fails or causes issues:

1. **Stop Web Server** (if possible)

sudo systemctl stop apache2 # or nginx


2. **Restore Database**

Drop current database and restore backup

mysql -u root -p -e "DROP DATABASE seopanel_db;" mysql -u root -p -e "CREATE DATABASE seopanel_db CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;" mysql -u seopanel_user -p seopanel_db < seopanel_backup_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.sql


3. **Restore Files**

Remove failed upgrade

rm -rf seopanel/

Restore old version

mv seopanel_old_YYYYMMDD seopanel


4. **Restart Web Server**

sudo systemctl start apache2 # or nginx


5. **Verify Rollback**  
- Access SEO Panel and confirm it’s working
- Check that you’re back to the previous version

## Troubleshooting Upgrade Issues

**Issue: Database upgrade fails**

- Check database user has ALTER, CREATE, DROP privileges
- Verify database connection settings in sp-config.php
- Check MySQL/PHP error logs for specific errors
- Try running upgrade.php again (it should be safe to re-run)

**Issue: White screen after upgrade**

- Enable PHP error display temporarily
- Check file permissions (644 for files, 755 for directories)
- Verify PHP version compatibility
- Check Apache/Nginx error logs

**Issue: Plugins not working**

- Deactivate and reactivate plugins
- Check plugin compatibility with new version
- Update plugins to latest versions
- Check plugin directory permissions

**Issue: Missing data after upgrade**

- This should not happen if upgrade completed successfully
- Restore from backup and try upgrade again
- Check database tables are present: `SHOW TABLES LIKE 'seopanel_%';`

**Issue: Performance degraded after upgrade**

- Clear all caches: `rm -rf seopanel/tmp/cache/*`
- Optimize database tables
- Check PHP memory_limit and max_execution_time
- Review new version’s system requirements

## Version-Specific Upgrade Notes

**Upgrading from very old versions (3.x to 4.x)**

- Major version upgrades may require intermediate upgrades
- Review all changelogs between versions
- Expect longer upgrade time for database migrations
- Consider fresh install + data migration for very old versions

**PHP Version Upgrades**

If upgrading PHP version alongside SEO Panel:

- Test compatibility thoroughly
- Update PHP extensions as needed
- Review deprecated PHP functions in custom code
- Update configuration files if needed

## Support Resources

If you encounter issues during upgrade:

- Official Documentation: [https://www.seopanel.org/docs/](/content/docs/index.html)
- GitHub Issues: [https://github.com/seopanel/seopanel](https://github.com/seopanel/seopanel)
- Support System: Open a ticket through the official website

**Before contacting support, gather:**

- Current SEO Panel version
- Target upgrade version
- PHP version (`php -v`)
- MySQL version (`mysql -V`)
- Error messages from logs
- Steps you’ve already tried