Terms of Service

Acceptance of Terms

By accessing seomerlin.com, purchasing a license, or installing the SEO Merlin WordPress plugin, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, do not use our services. These terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and CARPEBO Devs ("SEO Merlin", "we", "us", "our"), a business registered in Xanthi, Greece.

Description of Service

SEO Merlin is a WordPress plugin that scans websites for SEO issues and applies automated fixes. The plugin:

• Runs entirely on your WordPress server
• Modifies your WordPress database, post content, post metadata, and site options
• Creates and modifies files in your wp-content/ directory (including mu-plugins and uploads)
• Makes HTTP requests to third-party APIs on your behalf
• Generates and injects structured data (JSON-LD) into your pages at runtime

You acknowledge that SEO Merlin actively modifies your website's database, content, and files. While every modification includes rollback capability, you accept full responsibility for the consequences of applying fixes to your website.

3.1 Backups

Maintaining regular, complete backups of your WordPress database and files BEFORE running scans or applying fixes. We strongly recommend creating a full backup before each scan session. Failure to maintain backups may result in irreversible data loss.

3.2 Reviewing Changes

Reviewing all AI-generated content (meta descriptions, alt text, product descriptions, schema markup, author bios, FAQ content, HowTo steps, summaries, and citations) before publishing or leaving them active on your site. AI-generated content may contain inaccuracies, hallucinations, inappropriate language, or factual errors.

3.3 Content Compliance

Ensuring that all content on your website — including content generated or modified by SEO Merlin's AI features — complies with applicable laws, regulations, and third-party rights (including copyright, trademark, privacy, and defamation laws).

3.4 API Key Security

Keeping your API keys (Claude AI, DataForSEO, Google OAuth) secure. If you believe your keys have been compromised, revoke and regenerate them immediately through the respective provider. We encrypt keys at rest but cannot protect them from compromise of your WordPress installation itself.

3.5 Server Environment

Ensuring your hosting environment meets the minimum requirements (PHP 8.1+, WordPress 6.0+) and has adequate resources (memory, execution time, disk space) for scanning and fix operations. Plugin malfunctions caused by insufficient server resources, incompatible PHP versions, or hosting restrictions are not our responsibility.

3.6 Plugin Conflicts

Testing SEO Merlin in a staging environment before applying fixes on a production site, particularly if you use other plugins that modify the same data (SEO plugins, schema plugins, caching plugins, security plugins). While SEO Merlin detects Yoast SEO and RankMath to avoid duplicate schema output, we cannot guarantee compatibility with every plugin combination.

3.7 WooCommerce Stores

If you operate a WooCommerce store, you acknowledge that SEO Merlin may modify product data, product descriptions, and product schema. Changes to product information on a live e-commerce store may affect customer purchasing decisions, search engine rich results, and compliance with consumer protection laws. Review all product-related changes before leaving them active.

3.8 Data Sent to AI

When using AI-powered fixes, content from your posts, pages, and products is sent to the Anthropic (Claude) API via YOUR API key. You are responsible for ensuring you have the right to send this content to a third-party AI service and that doing so does not violate any confidentiality obligations, privacy laws (including GDPR), or contractual restrictions.

Accounts, Licensing & Payments

4.1 Free Tier

• No account required
• Limited to 1 site, 3 full scans/month, 3 fixes/month
• No AI fixes, no GSC/GA4, no CSV import, no PDF reports

4.2 Paid Tiers (Solo, Business, Agency)

• Require purchase through Freemius
• Licenses are per-site as defined by your plan
• Subscription auto-renews annually unless cancelled
• License keys are personal and non-transferable. Sharing, redistributing, or reselling license keys is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate license revocation without refund.

4.3 Pricing Changes

We reserve the right to modify pricing for future subscription periods. Current subscribers will be notified at least 30 days before any price increase takes effect on their renewal.

4.4 API Costs

AI-powered fixes use the Claude API through YOUR API key. You are responsible for all API usage costs charged by Anthropic. We do not mark up, subsidise, or control these costs. Monitor your Anthropic usage dashboard to avoid unexpected charges. Similarly, DataForSEO API costs are your responsibility for Business and Agency plans.

Intellectual Property

5.1 Plugin Code

The SEO Merlin plugin is licensed under GPLv2 or later. You may use, modify, and distribute the plugin code under the terms of the GPL. The GPL does not grant rights to use the "SEO Merlin" trademark.

5.2 Trademarks

"SEO Merlin", the SEO Merlin logo, and associated branding are trademarks of CARPEBO Devs. You may not use these marks to endorse or promote derived products without written permission.

5.3 Your Content

You retain all rights to your website content. We claim no ownership of content scanned, modified, or generated on your site by the plugin.

5.4 AI-Generated Content

Content generated by the Claude API through SEO Merlin (meta descriptions, alt text, bios, etc.) is generated using your API key. Ownership and usage rights of AI-generated content are governed by Anthropic's Terms of Service, not ours.

Refunds & Cancellation

• 14-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans for initial purchases only
• Refund requests must be submitted to hello@seomerlin.com within 14 days of purchase
• Refunds do not apply to renewals — cancel before your renewal date to avoid charges
• Upon cancellation, your license remains active until the end of the current billing period
• After expiration, the plugin continues to function in free-tier mode (no paid features)
• Refunds are not available if your license has been revoked due to Terms of Service violations

Prohibited Uses

You agree NOT to:

• Use SEO Merlin for any unlawful purpose
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or extract proprietary server-side components (note: the plugin itself is GPL)
• Use the plugin to generate spam, cloaked content, or doorway pages
• Circumvent license restrictions or feature gates
• Use automated tools to abuse our API endpoints
• Redistribute license keys or share access credentials
• Use AI fixes to generate misleading, deceptive, or legally non-compliant content (including fake reviews, false health/medical/legal claims, or content that violates consumer protection laws)

Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SEO MERLIN PLUGIN AND SEOMERLIN.COM ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE.

We specifically disclaim:

• Any warranty that the plugin will improve your search engine rankings
• Any warranty that AI-generated content will be accurate, appropriate, or error-free
• Any warranty that the plugin will be compatible with your specific hosting environment, theme, or plugin combination
• Any warranty that fixes will not cause unintended side effects on your website
• Any warranty of uninterrupted or error-free operation

Search engine algorithms change frequently. SEO improvements are never guaranteed. Past performance on other sites does not predict results on your site.

• Loss of rankings, traffic, or search engine visibility
• Loss of revenue, profits, or business opportunities
• Loss of data or database corruption
• Website downtime or performance degradation
• Costs of substitute services or remediation
• Any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
• Damages arising from AI-generated content published on your site
• Damages arising from third-party API failures or changes (Google, Anthropic, DataForSEO)
• Damages arising from plugin conflicts with other WordPress plugins or themes
• Damages arising from server or hosting environment issues

In no event shall our total aggregate liability exceed the amount you paid to us in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

You acknowledge that the plugin modifies your website's database, content, and files. While rollback capability is provided, rollbacks may not restore your site to its exact previous state in all circumstances (e.g., if third-party caches, CDNs, or search engine indexes have already processed the changes).

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless CARPEBO Devs from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

• Your use of the plugin
• Content generated, modified, or published on your website through the plugin
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any law or third-party rights
• Claims by your website visitors, customers, or clients related to content modified by the plugin
• Your failure to maintain adequate backups
• Your failure to review AI-generated content

Service Modifications & Discontinuation

We reserve the right to:

• Modify, update, or discontinue features at any time
• Change third-party service providers
• Modify API endpoints and data structures
• Release updates that may require you to re-apply certain fixes

We will make reasonable efforts to communicate significant changes in advance. Continued use of the plugin after updates constitutes acceptance of any modified functionality.

Third-Party Services

SEO Merlin integrates with third-party services (Anthropic, Google, DataForSEO, Freemius, IndexNow). Your use of these services is governed by their respective terms of service and privacy policies, not ours. We are not responsible for changes to, outages of, or data handling by third-party services.

Termination

We may suspend or terminate your license immediately and without prior notice if you:

• Violate these Terms of Service
• Engage in fraudulent activity
• Abuse our support channels
• Circumvent license restrictions

Upon termination:

• Your license key will be deactivated
• Paid features will revert to free-tier functionality
• Data in your WordPress database remains yours
• No refund will be provided for termination due to Terms violations

Force Majeure

We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to: natural disasters, war, terrorism, pandemics, government actions, power failures, internet disruptions, or third-party service outages.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full effect.

Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and CARPEBO Devs regarding the use of SEO Merlin.

Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of Greece. Any disputes shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Xanthi, Greece.

For EU consumers: nothing in these terms affects your rights under mandatory consumer protection laws of your country of residence.

Contact

For questions about these Terms:
Email: hello@seomerlin.com
CARPEBO Devs, Xanthi, Greece