[Core Features & Tools] URL Changer Tool Update Links Site Wide

[Core Features & Tools] URL Changer Tool: Update Links Site-Wide

URL Changer Tool: Update Links Site-Wide

The URL Changer is a powerful bulk-update tool that saves hours of manual work by finding and replacing URLs across your entire WordPress site instantly. This comprehensive guide covers everything from basic usage to advanced troubleshooting.

What is the URL Changer?

The URL Changer is a bulk-update tool designed to find every instance of a specific link on your site and replace it with a new one in one action.

How It Works:

You Provide:

  • Old URL: The URL currently in your content that you want to replace
  • New URL: The destination URL you want to replace it with

Link Whisper:

  • Scans your entire WordPress database
  • Finds every post/page containing the old URL
  • Replaces it with the new URL
  • Updates all posts automatically

Time Saved:

Manual Method: Open each post individually → Find and replace URL → Update → Repeat for 100+ posts = Hours

URL Changer: Enter old and new URLs → Click "Run" → 30 seconds

When to Use the URL Changer

The URL Changer is essential for several common scenarios:

1. Site Migrations (HTTP to HTTPS)

Scenario: You've added an SSL certificate to your site and changed from:

Now all your internal links still point to the http:// version.

Solution:

Result: Every internal link on your site updates to https:// instantly.

Why This Matters:

  • Mixed content warnings disappear
  • SEO improves (HTTPS is a ranking factor)
  • Security warnings eliminated

2. Domain Migrations

Scenario: You're moving from:

Your content has internal links to oldsite.com that need updating.

Solution:

Result: All internal references update to the new domain.

3. Permalink Structure Updates

Scenario: You changed your permalink structure in WordPress:

Old structure: yoursite.com/2024/01/15/post-title/ (includes date)

New structure: yoursite.com/post-title/ (no date)

Your internal links still use the old structure.

Solution: Use URL Changer to update each individual URL pattern.

Example:

Note: This must be done individually for each post (no bulk pattern replacement).

4. Fixing Typos in URLs

Scenario: You discovered a misspelled URL that has been linked to multiple times across your site.

Example:

Typo: yoursite.com/wordpres-guide/ (missing 's')

Solution:

Result: All instances of the misspelled link are corrected.

5. Redirecting to Updated Content

Scenario: You've consolidated multiple old posts into one comprehensive guide and want all links pointing to old posts to redirect to the new guide.

Example:

Old posts:

New comprehensive guide:

Solution: Run URL Changer twice (once for each old URL):

First:

Second:

6. Affiliate Link Updates

Scenario: Your affiliate program changed domains or you switched to a different affiliate.

Old affiliate link: affiliate1.com/product?ref=yourID

New affiliate link: affiliate2.com/product?ref=yourID

Solution: Use URL Changer to update all affiliate links at once.

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Navigate to URL Changer

Go to Link Whisper → URL Changer in your WordPress dashboard.

Step 2: Enter Old URL

In the "Old URL" field, enter the exact URL you want to find.

Important: Exact Match Required

The tool looks for an exact string match in the database. This means:

Protocol Matters:

  • Make sure you include the correct http:// or https://

Trailing Slashes Matter:

  • Check your actual links to see if they include the trailing slash

www vs non-www:

  • Use whichever version exists in your content

How to Find the Exact URL:

  1. Open a post that contains the link
  1. Click "Edit" on the link in the WordPress editor
  1. Copy the exact URL shown
  1. Paste it into the "Old URL" field

This ensures perfect matching.

Step 3: Enter New URL

In the "New URL" field, enter the destination URL you want to replace it with.

Format Requirements:

  • Include http:// or https://
  • Double-check for typos (mistakes here propagate across your site)

Pro Tip: Test the new URL in a browser before running the tool to ensure it's correct.

Step 4: Add URL to Queue

Click the "Add URL" button to add this rule to the queue.

What Happens:

  • The URL pair is added to a processing queue
  • You'll see it listed below with Old URL and New URL
  • You can add multiple URL pairs before running

Bulk Changes:

You can add multiple rules at once if you need to update several URLs:

Example Queue:

All will process together when you click "Run."

Step 5: Run the URL Changer

Click the "Run" or "Process" button.

What Happens Next:

  1. Scanning: Link Whisper scans your post content database
  1. Finding: It identifies every post containing the old URL
  1. Replacing: It replaces the old URL with the new URL
  1. Updating: All posts are automatically updated

Processing Time:

  • Small sites (< 100 posts): 5-15 seconds
  • Medium sites (100-500 posts): 30 seconds - 1 minute
  • Large sites (500-1,000 posts): 1-2 minutes
  • Very large sites (1,000+ posts): 2-5 minutes

Progress Indicator:

You'll see a progress bar or status message showing:

  • "Processing..."
  • "X posts updated"
  • "Complete!"

Step 6: Verify the Changes

Important: Always verify that changes worked correctly.

How to Verify:

  1. Open a post that you know contained the old URL
  1. Check that the link now points to the new URL
  1. Click the link to ensure it works
  1. Check 2-3 different posts to confirm consistency

Result Summary:

Link Whisper will display:

  • "X links updated in Y posts"
  • Example: "45 links updated in 23 posts"

This tells you how many instances were found and replaced.

Troubleshooting: URL Changer Not Working / Links Didn't Update

If you run the tool but the links do not change, check these common issues:

Issue 1: Exact Match Required

Problem: The "Old URL" you entered doesn't exactly match what's in your database.

Common Mismatches:

Protocol Mismatch:

  • Result: No matches found

Trailing Slash Mismatch:

  • Result: No matches found

Case Sensitivity (Rare):

  • Usually not an issue but worth checking

Fix:

  1. Open a post in WordPress editor
  1. Find an instance of the link you're trying to change
  1. Click "Edit" on the link
  1. Copy the exact URL shown (including all characters)
  1. Use that exact string in the URL Changer

Pro Tip: Try running the URL Changer twice with both variations:

This catches both formats if they exist.

Issue 2: Scope Limitations (Where It Scans)

Problem: The URL Changer only scans post content. It does not update links located in:

❌ Menus or Navigation bars

  • Managed in Appearance → Menus
  • Must be updated manually there

❌ Widgets or Sidebars

  • Managed in Appearance → Widgets
  • Update each widget individually

❌ Headers or Footers

  • Usually part of theme files
  • Update in Appearance → Customize or theme settings

❌ Theme files (hard-coded PHP links)

  • Example: Links in header.php, footer.php
  • Requires editing theme files via FTP or theme editor

❌ Custom fields / ACF (Advanced Custom Fields)

  • Stored separately from main content
  • Must be updated via ACF interface

What IS Scanned:

✅ Post content (the main WYSIWYG editor)

✅ Page content

✅ Custom post type content (if supported)

Fix:

For links in menus, widgets, or theme areas, you must update them manually in their respective locations.

Issue 3: Unsupported Page Builders

Problem: If you use builders that store content in non-standard database formats, Link Whisper cannot "see" or change those links.

Explicitly Not Supported:

  • Bricks Builder (stores content in proprietary format)
  • BricksExtras (extension of Bricks)

Partially Supported:

  • Elementor (some content formats work, complex layouts may not)
  • Divi (basic content works, complex modules may not)

Fix:

You must update links in these builders manually or using the builder's own tools.

For Bricks:

  1. Open the page in Bricks Builder
  1. Use Bricks' find and replace feature (if available)
  1. OR manually update each link

For Elementor:

  1. Some links will update via URL Changer
  1. Complex widgets may need manual updates
  1. Test thoroughly after running URL Changer

Issue 4: Caching

Problem: Links were updated in the database, but your caching plugin is showing the old cached version of pages.

Fix: Clear Your Cache

WP Rocket:

  1. Go to Settings → WP Rocket
  1. Click "Clear Cache"

W3 Total Cache:

  1. Go to Performance → Dashboard
  1. Click "Empty All Caches"

Cloudflare:

  1. Log into Cloudflare
  1. Caching → Configuration
  1. Click "Purge Everything"

After clearing cache, reload pages to see updated links.

Reverting Changes (Undo)

Important: There is no global "Undo" button for the URL Changer.

If you make a mistake (e.g., pasting the wrong New URL), you must run the tool again in reverse.

How to Revert:

Step 1: Swap the URLs

Old URL: Enter the "wrong" URL you just created (what is now in your posts)

New URL: Enter the original URL to revert the change

Example:

You accidentally changed:

To revert:

Step 2: Run the Tool

Click "Run" and the changes will be reversed.

Prevention Tip:

Before running URL Changer on your live site:

  1. Test on a staging site first
  1. Verify the results
  1. Only then run on production

Excluding Specific Posts

If there are specific pages where you do not want the URL Changer to run (e.g., a historical archive where old URLs should remain), you can exclude them.

How to Exclude Posts:

Step 1: Navigate to Settings

Go to Link Whisper → Settings → Content Ignoring

Step 2: Find the Exclusion Field

Look for "Posts to be Ignored for Auto-Linking and URL Changer" field

Step 3: Add URLs or Post IDs

Add the URLs or Post IDs of posts you want to exclude.

Format:

  • By Post ID: 123, 456, 789 (separate with commas)

Step 4: Save

Click "Save Changes"

Result: URL Changer will skip these posts when processing.

Best Practices

1. Backup Before Major Changes

Always backup your database before running URL Changer on a large scale.

How:

  • Use UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, or your host's backup feature
  • Create a manual backup right before the change
  • This allows you to restore if something goes wrong

2. Test on Staging First

If you have a staging site, test URL Changer there first:

  1. Run the change on staging
  1. Verify results thoroughly
  1. Only then run on live site

3. Document Your Changes

Keep a spreadsheet of URL changes:

Old URL | New URL | Date | Notes

This helps you:

  • Track what you've changed
  • Revert if needed
  • Avoid duplicate changes

4. Clear Cache After Changes

Always clear all caches after running URL Changer:

  • Plugin cache (WP Rocket, W3TC)
  • Server cache
  • CDN cache (Cloudflare)

This ensures visitors see updated links immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use wildcards or patterns?

A: No, URL Changer requires exact URL matches. No regex or wildcard support currently.

Q: Will this affect my SEO?

A: If you're updating internal links, there's no negative SEO impact. If you're changing page URLs themselves, set up 301 redirects to preserve SEO.

Q: Can I undo changes after clearing my browser cache?

A: Yes, undo by running URL Changer in reverse (swap old and new URLs).

Q: Does this update links in comments?

A: Typically no. URL Changer focuses on post content, not comment content.

Q: Can I run multiple URL changes simultaneously?

A: Yes! Add multiple URL pairs to the queue before clicking "Run."

Q: What if I have 10,000+ posts?

A: URL Changer handles large sites but may take 5-10 minutes. Be patient and don't close the browser tab.

Q: Will this change external links too?

A: Yes, if you specify an external URL as the "Old URL," it will update all instances of that external link.

Need Help with URL Changer?

If you're experiencing issues:

Subject: "URL Changer Not Working"

Include:

  • Old URL you tried to change
  • New URL you wanted
  • Number of posts you expected to be affected
  • Whether you received any error messages

Response Time: Usually within 24 hours

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