Auto-Linking: Setup & Troubleshooting

Auto-Linking is one of Link Whisper's most powerful time-saving features, allowing you to automate internal link creation based on specific keywords. This comprehensive guide covers everything from basic setup to advanced troubleshooting.

What is Auto-Linking?

Auto-Linking is a feature that allows you to automate internal link creation based on specific keywords. You define a "Trigger Keyword" (e.g., "best running shoes") and a "Target URL" (e.g., yoursite.com/best-running-shoes/).

How It Works:

The Function: Link Whisper scans your site for every instance of that keyword appearing in your content.

The Action: It automatically turns that keyword into a hyperlink pointing to your target URL based on the rules you set.

Retroactive & Future Application:

• Existing Content: Applies to all existing posts immediately when you create the rule

• Future Content: Runs automatically on new content when you hit "Publish"

Example Auto-Link Rule:

Keyword: "WordPress SEO"

Target URL: https://yoursite.com/ultimate-wordpress-seo-guide/

Result: Every time "WordPress SEO" appears in any post on your site, it automatically becomes a link to your SEO guide.

Benefits of Auto-Linking:

✅ Saves Massive Time: Link hundreds of keyword instances across your site instantly

✅ Ensures Consistency: Your key pages always get linked when relevant keywords appear

✅ Builds Topic Authority: Reinforces which pages are your go-to resources for specific topics

✅ Scales Effortlessly: Works automatically on all future content you publish

✅ Improves SEO: Creates a strong internal link structure around important keywords

When to Use Auto-Linking:

🎯 Brand/Product Names: Link your product name to your sales page everywhere it appears

🎯 Service Keywords: Link "WordPress development" to your services page

🎯 Cornerstone Content: Link topic keywords to your comprehensive guides

🎯 Category Hubs: Link category keywords to category overview pages

🎯 Definition Links: Link technical terms to glossary/explanation pages

When NOT to Use Auto-Linking:

⚠️ Ambiguous Keywords: Words with multiple meanings ("Apple" could mean fruit or company)

⚠️ Generic Terms: Very common words like "website" or "business" create too many irrelevant links

⚠️ Competing Content: If you have multiple posts about the same topic, auto-linking may target the wrong one

How to Set Up Auto-Link Rules

You can create rules manually (one at a time) or bulk-import them (dozens or hundreds at once).

Method 1: Manual Rule Creation (Single Keywords)

Step 1: Navigate to Auto-Linking

Go to Link Whisper → Auto-Linking in your WordPress dashboard.

Step 2: Enter Keyword

In the "Keyword" field, enter the specific word or phrase you want to become a link.

Examples:

• "Content marketing strategy"

• "Email automation"

• "Best WordPress themes"

• "SEO checklist"

Tips for Keywords:

• Use exact match phrases for precision

• Lowercase is recommended (matches both uppercase and lowercase)

• Include variations as separate rules if needed ("SEO" and "search engine optimization")

Step 3: Enter Target URL

In the "URL" field, paste the destination URL you want the keyword to link to.

Format Examples:

• https://yoursite.com/content-marketing-guide/

• https://yoursite.com/blog/email-automation/

• /best-wordpress-themes/ (relative URL also works)

Important: Use the full, final URL of the page. Don't use redirects.

Step 4: Configure Rule Settings (Optional)

Expand the "Advanced Options" to configure:

Link Once Per Post: Check this to link the keyword only once per post (recommended)

Select Links Before Inserting: Check this to review before automatic insertion (highly recommended)

Match Case: Check if keyword should be case-sensitive (usually leave unchecked)

Step 5: Create the Rule

Click "Create Auto Link Rule" or "Save".

Result: The rule is now active and will begin processing your content.

Note: If you ran the "One Click Setup" during installation, you may already see a list of pre-generated rules here based on your site's content, which you can edit or delete.

Method 2: Bulk Import (CSV Upload)

If you have a spreadsheet of keywords and URLs, you can use the CSV Import feature to create hundreds of rules at once.

Step 1: Prepare Your CSV File

Create a CSV file with two columns:

Column 1: Keyword

Column 2: Target URL

Example CSV Content:

Keyword,URL
WordPress SEO,https://yoursite.com/wordpress-seo-guide/
email marketing,https://yoursite.com/email-marketing/
Google Analytics,https://yoursite.com/google-analytics-tutorial/

Step 2: Navigate to Bulk Import

Go to Link Whisper → Auto-Linking → Bulk Import (or look for an "Import" button).

Step 3: Upload CSV

1. Click "Choose File"

2. Select your CSV file

3. Click "Upload" or "Import"

Step 4: Review and Confirm

Link Whisper will show a preview of the rules to be created.

Review for accuracy, then click "Confirm Import".

Result: All rules are created instantly.

Time Saved: Creating 100 rules manually = 1+ hours. Bulk import = 2 minutes.

Keywords and Target URLs (Best Practices)

Use Google Search Console Data

The most effective auto-links come from Google Search Console data.

Why This Works:

If a page is already ranking for "keyword X," creating an auto-link rule for "keyword X" pointing to that page:

• Reinforces its authority for that keyword

• Sends internal link signals to Google about what the page is about

• Improves the page's relevance for that search term

How to Find GSC Keywords:

1. Log into Google Search Console

2. Go to Performance → Search Results

3. Click "Pages" tab

4. Select a high-performing page

5. Click "Queries" to see what keywords it ranks for

6. Use the top 5-10 keywords as auto-link triggers for that page

Example:

Your post "Ultimate WordPress Security Guide" ranks for:

• "WordPress security"

• "secure WordPress site"

• "WordPress security plugins"

Create 3 auto-link rules pointing these keywords to that guide.

Focus Keywords from SEO Plugins

If you use Yoast SEO or Rank Math, you've set focus keywords for your posts.

Use these focus keywords as auto-link triggers pointing to their respective posts.

Product/Service Names

For e-commerce or service-based sites, auto-link your:

• Product names → Product pages

• Service names → Service pages

• Brand name → Homepage or About page

Frequency Settings & Safeguards

To prevent over-optimization or "spammy" looking pages, you can configure strict limits inside the rule settings.

"Only Link Once Per Post" (Highly Recommended)

What It Does: Ensures that if the keyword appears 10 times in an article, Link Whisper only links the first instance.

Why This is Important:

❌ Without this setting: "WordPress SEO" appears 15 times → All 15 become links → Looks spammy

✅ With this setting: "WordPress SEO" appears 15 times → Only the first becomes a link → Looks natural

How to Enable:

When creating/editing a rule, check the box: "Only link once per post"

Recommendation: Always enable this for every rule unless you have a specific reason not to.

"Select Links Before Inserting?" (Highly Recommended)

What It Does: If checked, Link Whisper will not insert links automatically. Instead, it generates a report of potential links. You must review and approve them before they go live.

This Gives You Full Control:

✅ Review each suggested link placement

✅ Approve only contextually appropriate links

✅ Skip awkward or irrelevant matches

✅ Prevent auto-linking errors

How It Works:

1. Create an auto-link rule with this option checked

2. Link Whisper scans your site and finds keyword matches

3. It creates a report showing all potential link placements

4. You review the report

5. Click "Insert Selected Links" to apply only the ones you approve

When to Use:

Always use for:

• Broad keywords with multiple contexts

• New rules you're testing

• High-value pages where precision matters

Optional for:

• Very specific, unambiguous keywords (brand names, product names)

• Keywords you've used before and trust

Maximum Links Per Site

Some versions of Link Whisper allow setting a global maximum for how many times a single auto-link rule can create links across your entire site.

Example:

Rule: Link "WordPress security" to Security Guide

Max Links: 20

Result: Even if the keyword appears 100 times across your site, only 20 instances will become links.

Why Use This:

• Prevents over-optimization across your whole site

• Ensures link equity isn't diluted

• Keeps linking natural and balanced

Why Auto-Links Aren't Appearing

If you created a rule but don't see the links on your site, check these common blockers:

Reason 1: "Select Links Before Inserting" is ON

The Issue: If this option is checked, the links are sitting in a queue waiting for your approval. You must go to the Auto-Linking report and click to insert them.

How to Fix:

1. Go to Link Whisper → Auto-Linking

2. Look for a "Pending" or "Review" tab

3. You'll see a list of potential links

4. Check the boxes next to links you approve

5. Click "Insert Selected Links"

Now the links will appear on your site.

Reason 2: Existing Links Prevent Duplication

The Issue: By default, Link Whisper will not add a link if the post already links to that target URL. This prevents double-linking (linking to the same page twice in one post).

Example:

Your post already has a manual link to /wordpress-seo-guide/

You create an auto-link rule: "WordPress SEO" → /wordpress-seo-guide/

Result: Link Whisper skips this post because it already has a link to that URL.

How to Check:

Open the post and search (Ctrl+F) for the target URL. If it's already linked, that's why the auto-link didn't apply.

Solution:

This is actually good behavior (prevents duplicate links). If you want the auto-link anyway:

• Remove the existing manual link

• Let the auto-link rule handle it

Reason 3: Content Ignoring Settings

The Issue: Check Settings → Content Ignoring. If the URL is listed in "Posts to be Ignored for Auto-Linking," the rule will skip it.

How to Fix:

1. Go to Link Whisper → Settings → Content Ignoring

2. Look for "Posts to be Ignored for Auto-Linking"

3. Remove any URLs you want auto-linking to work on

4. Save changes

Reason 4: Page Builder Compatibility

The Issue: If you use unsupported builders (like Bricks), Link Whisper may not be able to "see" or inject links into that specific content area.

Affected Builders:

• Bricks Builder (currently unsupported)

• Some proprietary builders

Workaround:

• Use Link Whisper for regular WordPress posts/pages

• Manually add links within the page builder interface

• Consider switching to a supported builder (Elementor, Divi, Gutenberg)

Reason 5: Keyword Doesn't Exist in Content

The Issue: The keyword you specified doesn't actually appear in your content.

Example:

Rule: Link "email automation"

Your posts use the phrase "automated emails" instead

Result: No matches, no links created

Solution:

Create multiple rules for variations:

• "email automation"

• "automated emails"

• "email autoresponder"

Reason 6: Case Sensitivity Mismatch

The Issue: You set the keyword as "WordPress" (capital W) but your content uses "wordpress" (lowercase).

If "Match Case" is enabled, no links will be created.

Solution:

• Disable "Match Case" (recommended for most rules)

• OR ensure your keyword matches the case used in content

Conflict with Caching & Plugins

Caching Plugin Conflicts

The Issue: If you just created a rule, your caching plugin (e.g., WP Rocket, Cloudflare, W3 Total Cache) might still be showing the old version of the page.

Why This Happens:

Cached pages are static HTML served from memory. They don't reflect real-time database changes.

Solution: Clear Your Page Cache

WP Rocket:

1. Go to Settings → WP Rocket

2. Click "Clear Cache"

W3 Total Cache:

1. Go to Performance → Dashboard

2. Click "Empty All Caches"

Cloudflare:

1. Log into Cloudflare dashboard

2. Go to Caching → Configuration

3. Click "Purge Everything"

LiteSpeed Cache:

1. Go to LiteSpeed Cache → Dashboard

2. Click "Purge All"

After clearing cache, visit your page again. The new links should appear.

Security Plugin Conflicts

The Issue: Aggressive security plugins (like Wordfence) can sometimes block the background process that inserts these links.

Symptoms:

• Auto-links fail to insert

• Error messages in Link Whisper dashboard

• 503 Errors when trying to process rules

Solution: Whitelist Link Whisper REST API

In Wordfence:

1. Go to Wordfence → Firewall → All Firewall Options

2. Scroll to "Whitelisted URLs"

3. Add: /wp-json/link-whisper/*

4. Save changes

In iThemes Security:

1. Go to Security → Settings

2. Find "REST API" section

3. Whitelist Link Whisper's endpoints

Or Temporarily Disable:

1. Deactivate the security plugin

2. Run your auto-link rule

3. Reactivate the security plugin

Firewall Logs:

If links still fail to insert, check your firewall logs:

• Look for blocked requests to /wp-json/link-whisper/

• Whitelist those specific requests

Advanced Auto-Linking Strategies

Strategy 1: Topic Clusters

Create auto-link rules that build topic clusters around cornerstone content.

Example:

Cornerstone: "Ultimate WordPress Security Guide"

Rules:

• "WordPress security" → Ultimate Guide

• "secure WordPress" → Ultimate Guide

• "WordPress hacking" → Ultimate Guide

• "WordPress firewall" → Ultimate Guide

Result: The Ultimate Guide becomes the hub for all security-related terms.

Strategy 2: Product Ecosystem

For e-commerce sites, auto-link product ecosystems.

Example:

Main Product: "Pro Camera Kit"

Rules:

• "camera kit" → Pro Camera Kit page

• "photography bundle" → Pro Camera Kit page

• "camera accessories" → Accessories page

Strategy 3: Seasonal Content

Create seasonal auto-link rules and enable/disable them throughout the year.

Example:

October-November: "holiday marketing" → Holiday Marketing Guide

January: Disable rule

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I have multiple auto-link rules for the same keyword pointing to different URLs?

A: No, Link Whisper will use the first matching rule it finds. Use specific, unique keywords for each page.

Q: Will auto-linking overwrite manual links I've created?

A: No! Auto-linking respects existing links. It won't replace links you've manually added.

Q: Can I disable auto-linking temporarily without deleting rules?

A: Yes! Deactivate individual rules by clicking a toggle or "Pause" button next to each rule.

Q: How do I delete an auto-link rule?

A: Go to Auto-Linking dashboard, find the rule, and click "Delete" or the trash icon.

Q: Do auto-links apply to old posts I published years ago?

A: Yes! Auto-linking is retroactive. It scans all existing content when you create a rule.

Q: Can I preview auto-links before they go live?

A: Yes! Enable "Select links before inserting" to review all suggested placements before approval.

Need Help with Auto-Linking?

If you're experiencing issues with auto-linking:

Email: support@linkwhisper.com

Subject: "Auto-Linking Not Working"

Include:

• The keyword and target URL for your rule

• Whether "Select before inserting" is enabled

• Example post where you expect the link to appear

• Any error messages

Response Time: Usually within 24 hours