Many years ago, I used the HeadSpace2 plugin to manage SEO on a now-dormant site. I’ve left the plugin installed there to retain the data it holds, but recently decided to explore alternatives.
I did so in part because HeadSpace2 is no longer maintained, but also because it generates a considerable volume of warnings, especially under PHP 7. The plugin served its purpose in its time, but I needed to move on.
I could’ve installed an SEO plugin that’s actively maintained, but with no new content published on that site and no need for such a plugin on my network, I chose instead to write a simple solution to meet my needs.
ETH Escape HeadSpace2
“Cleverly” named ETH Escape HeadSpace2, the plugin takes the place of its namesake, but only when HeadSpace2 is absent. It has no effect if the original plugin is installed and enabled.
When functioning, ETH Escape HeadSpace2 outputs the following data entered via the original plugin:
- custom post/page titles
- meta keywords
- meta descriptions
- custom
robots.txtdeclarations - JavaScript includes
- Stylesheet includes
- Raw header and footer content
There are many other bits of data that HeadSpace2 accepted, but my plugin doesn’t currently support them. I left out certain items largely because I didn’t have good examples of their use. Others were omitted as they seemed less crucial than what I’ve included. If I’ve missed something important, do let me know.
Notably, the plugin doesn’t provide any way to edit existing data. It’s simply meant to preserve HeadSpace2‘s output for search engine consumption.
Get the plugin
The plugin is available from the WordPress.org repository at https://wordpress.org/plugins/eth-escape-headspace2/, or via your friendly, native plugin installer.
Development is on GitHub at https://github.com/ethitter/eth-escape-headspace2. Please contribute support for additional HeadSpace2 data if I’ve missed something important.
Respect is due
Many thanks to John Godley, who authored the HeadSpace2 plugin and maintained it for many years. It ably served my needs at the time, and my creation of this plugin was purely to satisfy a particular need.