About this plugin
When managing keyword strategy across multiple WordPress sites, every tool gives you a spreadsheet. Run a few campaigns and you end up with dozens of files — no way to track which keywords belong to which topic, and no visibility into which pages are actually targeting them.
Darkstar Keyword Manager fixes that. Import from any keyword tool, organise keywords into named lists, and see exactly which page targets each keyword — free, inside WordPress.
The free version includes what most SEO plugins charge for: direct integration with Yoast, RankMath, SEOPress, and AIOSEO.
Key Features
- Import from any tool — Upload CSV or XLSX files from Ahrefs, SEMrush, Google Keyword Planner, Moz, Ubersuggest, and more
- Column mapping — After upload, choose which columns map to Keyword, Volume, and Difficulty — no reformatting required
- Smart auto-detection — Common column names (Volume, KD, Keyword Difficulty, etc.) are detected automatically
- Sortable table — Click any column header to sort ascending or descending
- AJAX search — Filter keywords instantly with a live search field
- Pagination — Configurable per-page count (10–500) with smart page number controls
- SEO plugin integration — See which published page targets each keyword. Supports Yoast SEO, RankMath, SEOPress, and All in One SEO (single DB query, no performance hit)
- Favourite keywords — Star any keyword to mark it; filter to view only favourites
- Bulk actions — Select multiple keywords to delete, favourite, or unfavourite in one click
- Duplicate detection — Keywords targeted by more than one page are highlighted and filterable with a “Duplicates only” toggle
- Unattached keywords — Instantly surface focus keywords set in your active SEO plugin that haven’t been imported into any list yet, with a single checkbox
- Difficulty badges — Easy / Medium / Hard colour-coded badges (0–30 / 31–60 / 61–100)
- List names — Each import is saved under a named list for organisation
- Filter by list — Select any named list from a dropdown to narrow your view
- Volume & difficulty filters — Filter by min/max volume or a difficulty range (0–100)
- Add keywords manually — Enter a keyword with optional volume and difficulty, no import required
- Delete a list — Remove an entire keyword list and all its keywords in one click
- Secure upload handling — Magic byte validation, MIME checking, size limits, randomised temp filenames, protected temp directory, automatic cleanup
Supported File Formats
- CSV — Comma, tab, or semicolon delimited. Auto-detected.
- XLSX — Excel 2007+ format. Parsed natively via ZipArchive + SimpleXML (no library required).
How It Works
- Go to Keyword Manager → Import Keywords
- Enter a list name and upload your file
- Map the columns: which column is the Keyword? Volume? Difficulty?
- Click Import Keywords
- View and manage your keywords at Keyword Manager → All Keywords
SEO Plugin Integration
When Yoast SEO, RankMath, SEOPress, or All in One SEO is active, a Targeted Page(s) column appears in the keyword list. If a keyword is set as the focus keyword on multiple pages, all pages are listed — and the row is highlighted as a duplicate. A Duplicates only filter lets you see all conflicting keywords at a glance.
RankMath’s comma-separated multi-keyword fields and AIOSEO’s JSON keyphrase format are fully supported. The lookup uses a single database query regardless of how many keywords are displayed.
An Unattached keywords checkbox in the toolbar shows all focus keywords currently set in your active SEO plugin that have not yet been imported into any list — so you always have a full picture of your site’s keyword coverage without running a separate audit.
Requirements
- PHP ZipArchive extension (required for XLSX — enabled by default on most hosts)
- Yoast SEO, RankMath, SEOPress, or All in One SEO (optional, for the Targeted Page column)
Additional Information
Privacy
This plugin stores keyword data in the WordPress database. No data is sent to external servers.
Support
For support, visit Darkstar Media.