1.3. SEO Panel Upgrade

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

1.3.1. 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.

1.3.2. Pre-Upgrade Checklist

Before starting the upgrade, complete these essential steps:

  1. Check Current Version

    Log in to SEO Panel and note your current version from the dashboard.

  2. Review Release Notes

    Visit https://www.seopanel.org/changelog/ to review changes and breaking updates.

  3. Check PHP Compatibility

    Ensure your server meets the requirements for the new version:

    php -v  # Should be PHP 7.4 or higher

  4. Verify Disk Space

    Ensure you have enough disk space (at least 500MB free recommended).

  5. Put Site in Maintenance Mode

    Create a maintenance page or use your hosting control panel to enable maintenance mode.

1.3.3. Complete Backup Procedure

Critical: Never skip this step!

  1. 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

1.3.4. Manual Upgrade Steps

  1. 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.

  2. Download Latest Version

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

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

  3. 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.

  4. 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

  5. Update Configuration Settings

    Edit config/sp-config.php with your existing database credentials:

    <?php
# The web path or url to access seo panel through browser.
define('SP_WEBPATH', 'https://yourdomain.com/seopanel');

# DB settings - Use your existing database credentials
define('DB_NAME', 'seopanel_db');
define('DB_USER', 'seopanel_user');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your_secure_password');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

# Database type (mysqli is recommended for PHP 7+)
define('DB_ENGINE', 'mysqli');
?>

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

  6. 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/

  7. 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/

  8. Run Database Upgrade

    Visit the upgrade script in your web browser:

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

    installation/_static/sp_upgrade1.png

    Follow the upgrade wizard:

    • The system will detect your current version

    • Review the changes to be made

    • Click “Proceed” to start the database upgrade

    installation/_static/sp_upgrade2.png

  9. 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

1.3.5. 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.

1.3.6. 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

1.3.7. 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

1.3.8. 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

1.3.9. 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

1.3.10. Support Resources

If you encounter issues during upgrade:

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