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Creator disclosure: Empire Publishing Tools is our product portfolio. This guide introduces our WP Term Hierarchy Review plugin.
After a category import, unexpected nesting is a reason to inspect stored relationships before making further changes. Start with your import specification and a backup. Record the affected taxonomy identifier and term IDs so you can compare the stored structure with the intended hierarchy.
WP Term Hierarchy Review provides a read-only view of these parent relationships. Open Tools > Term Hierarchy Review and enter a hierarchical taxonomy identifier, such as category. The report shows term IDs, immediate parent IDs, outcomes and followed-edge counts. It omits names, slugs and descriptions. Access requires both administrator manage_options and the selected taxonomy's manage_terms permission.
A root has no stored parent. A root-reached result means the bounded walk reached a root in the snapshot. A cycle means the walk repeated a term ID. A missing ancestor means an ID was absent from the returned snapshot; it is not proof of database deletion. When the snapshot is partial, an outside parent remains unknown. A depth-limit result means the walk stopped before resolving the chain.
The reviewer examines the first 100 terms in ID order and follows up to 32 edges per term. It is therefore not a complete audit of a large taxonomy. WordPress filters and concurrent edits can affect the returned snapshot. Compare unexpected findings with the ordinary WordPress taxonomy screens and your migration records before acting.
The plugin makes no term edits and does not recount, repair or delete relationships. It does not certify SEO quality, archive visibility or safe deletion. A chain that reaches a root can still be wrong for your editorial structure. Use the findings as investigation notes, not an automatic repair instruction.
Pro costs $19 USD per year for one website, plus applicable tax, and supports WordPress 6.2+ with PHP 8.0+. Freemius handles licensing, updates and downloads. Review the scope and conditional 14-day refund policy before purchasing.
Explore WP Term Hierarchy Review and purchase options
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