Creating Links

TL;DR: Go to Link Manager → Pretty Links and click New Pretty Link. Enter a destination URL, set a custom slug, choose a redirect type (default: 301), and configure attributes. You can also add password protection, scheduling, parameter forwarding, and conditional routing rules.

Create, configure, and manage redirect links with full control over behavior, scheduling, attributes, and conditional routing.

Link Components

Every link supports the following fields:

Field	Type	Description
Destination URL	URL, required	The full URL visitors redirect to. Max 2,048 characters
Slug	Text, optional	Short URL path (e.g., running-shoes). Auto-generated if you leave it blank. Max 64 characters, must be unique
Redirect Type	Select, default 301	301 = permanent (default), 302 = temporary, 307 = temporary preserving HTTP method
Link Attributes	Toggles	nofollow, noopener, noreferrer, and sponsored
Keywords	Text list	Keywords used for auto-linking in post content
Enable Auto-Linking	Toggle	Turn auto-linking on or off for this link
Auto-Link Priority	Number, default 10	Range 0–100. Lower number = higher priority when keywords conflict across links
Forward URL Parameters	Toggle	Forward query parameters from the redirect URL to the destination
Password Protection	Text, optional	Restrict access with a password prompt. Max 128 characters
UTM Campaign Parameters	Text fields	utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, utm_content. Max 255 characters each
Active From	Date and time, optional	Link activates after this date. Before this date, the link shows as "scheduled"
Expires At	Date and time, optional	Link stops working after this date. After expiry, the link shows as "expired"
Categories	Taxonomy	Assign to link categories (each category supports a color label)
Tags	Taxonomy	Assign to link tags
Conditional Routing Rules	Rule list	Condition-based alternate redirects (see Conditional Routing Rules)

Creating a Link

1. Go to Link Manager → Pretty Links.
2. Click New Pretty Link.
3. Enter the Destination URL — the full URL where visitors redirect to.
4. Enter a Slug or leave it blank for an auto-generated code. The slug becomes part of your masked URL: yoursite.com/go/your-slug.
5. Select a Redirect Type:
   • 301 (default) — permanent redirect. Use for links that never change. Search engines cache this.
   • 302 — temporary redirect. Use for links you may change later.
   • 307 — temporary redirect that preserves the original HTTP method (POST stays POST).
6. Configure Link Attributes — toggle nofollow, noopener, noreferrer, or sponsored as needed.
7. Add Keywords and enable Auto-Linking if you want this link inserted automatically into post content.
8. Set Auto-Link Priority if multiple links share overlapping keywords.
9. Toggle Forward URL Parameters to pass query strings from the masked URL through to the destination.
10. Set a password under Password Protection if you want to gate access behind a password prompt.
11. Add UTM Campaign Parameters to append campaign tracking values to the destination URL.
12. Set Active From and Expires At dates to schedule the link's availability window.
13. Assign Categories and Tags to organize the link.
14. Add Conditional Routing Rules for advanced redirect logic.
15. Click Register Link.

Link Attributes

Configure rel attribute values on each link to control SEO signals and browser behavior.

Attribute	What It Does	When to Use
nofollow	Tells search engines not to pass link equity	Affiliate links, paid placements, untrusted URLs
noopener	Prevents the destination page from accessing window.opener	Any link that opens in a new tab — protects against reverse tabnapping
noreferrer	Hides your site as the traffic source from the destination	When you do not want the destination to know where the click came from
sponsored	Marks the link as a paid or sponsored placement	FTC-compliant affiliate links, sponsored content, paid partnerships

You can combine multiple attributes on a single link. For affiliate links, enable both nofollow and sponsored.

Slug Best Practices

Your slug is the readable part of the masked URL. Keep it clean and descriptive.

Good slugs: amazon-echo, hosting-recommendation, wordpress-course

Bad slugs: link1, prod123, a-very-long-slug-that-nobody-will-remember-or-type

Tips:

• Use lowercase letters and hyphens only.
• Keep it under 50 characters.
• Make it descriptive — readers should understand the destination from the slug.
• Avoid special characters and spaces.
• The slug must be unique across all your links (max 64 characters).

Auto-Linking per Link

Auto-linking automatically replaces keyword matches in your post content with this link.

1. In the link editor, add one or more Keywords.
2. Toggle Enable Auto-Linking to on.
3. Set Auto-Link Priority (default: 10). Lower numbers take priority when two links compete for the same keyword.

Auto-linking respects the global settings for case sensitivity, max replacements per keyword, max links per page, excluded headings, and applicable post types. Configure those at Link Manager → Settings → Auto-Linking.

UTM Campaign Parameters

Append UTM campaign tracking values to the destination URL for each link.

Parameter	Purpose	Example
utm_source	Identifies the traffic source	newsletter, twitter
utm_medium	Identifies the marketing medium	email, social, cpc
utm_campaign	Identifies the campaign name	spring-sale, product-launch
utm_term	Identifies paid search keywords	running-shoes, best-hosting
utm_content	Differentiates similar content or links	header-cta, sidebar-banner

When a visitor clicks the masked link, the plugin appends these values as query parameters to the destination URL before redirecting.

Password Protection

Restrict access to a link by requiring a password before redirect.

Setting a Password

1. In the link editor, enter a password in the Password Protection field.
2. Save the link. The plugin never stores the plain text password.

When you edit a password-protected link, the password field is blank with the placeholder "Leave blank to keep current." Enter a new password to change it, or leave it blank to keep the existing password.

Visitor Experience

When a visitor clicks a password-protected link:

1. The plugin displays a password prompt instead of redirecting.
2. The visitor enters the password.
3. If the password matches, the visitor redirects to the destination URL.
4. If the password is wrong, the prompt redisplays with an error.

Link Scheduling

Control when a link is active using date-based scheduling.

Field	Behavior
Active From	The link only works after this date and time. Before this date, the link status shows as scheduled and does not redirect visitors.
Expires At	The link stops working after this date and time. After expiry, the link status shows as expired and does not redirect visitors.

You can use either field independently or combine both to create a specific availability window.

Examples:

• Set only Active From to launch a link at a future date.
• Set only Expires At to create a limited-time link.
• Set both to run a link during a specific promotion window.

Forward URL Parameters

When you enable Forward URL Parameters, the plugin passes any query parameters from the masked URL through to the destination URL.

Example:

A visitor clicks: yoursite.com/go/product?color=red&size=large

• Forward URL Parameters off: Visitor redirects to https://shop.example.com/item-123
• Forward URL Parameters on: Visitor redirects to https://shop.example.com/item-123?color=red&size=large

This is useful for passing tracking IDs, variant selectors, or referral codes without creating separate links for each combination.

Conditional Routing Rules

Conditional routing lets you redirect visitors to different destination URLs based on rules you define. Each link can have multiple rules.

Rule Fields

Field	Type	Description
Name	Text, optional	A descriptive label for the rule. Max 120 characters
Is Active	Toggle, default on	Turn the rule on or off without deleting it
Priority	Number, default 100	Range 0–100. Lower numbers evaluate first
Match Mode	Select, default all	all = every condition must match (AND). any = at least one condition must match (OR)
Target URL	URL, required	The alternate destination when this rule matches. Max 2,048 characters
Redirect Type	Select, default 302	301, 302, or 307 for this specific rule
Start At	Date and time, optional	Rule only evaluates after this date
End At	Date and time, optional	Rule stops evaluating after this date
Conditions	Condition list	One or more conditions (see below)

Condition Types

Condition	Operators	Value	Description
total_clicks	gt, gte, eq, lt, lte	Number	Match based on the link's total click count
country_in	in	Array of 2-letter country codes	Match the visitor's country (e.g., ["US", "CA", "GB"])
date_after	gt, gte	Date string	Match if the current date is after the specified date
date_before	lt, lte	Date string	Match if the current date is before the specified date

How Rule Evaluation Works

1. The plugin loads all active rules for the link, sorted by priority (lowest number first).
2. For each rule, the plugin checks whether the current date falls within the rule's Start At / End At range (if set).
3. The plugin evaluates the rule's conditions using the match mode:
   • all — every condition must be true (AND logic).
   • any — at least one condition must be true (OR logic).
4. The first matching rule wins. The visitor redirects to that rule's target URL with that rule's redirect type.
5. If no rules match, the visitor redirects to the link's default destination URL.

Creating a Rule

1. In the link editor, scroll to Conditional Routing Rules.
2. Click Add Rule.
3. Enter a Name (e.g., "US visitors after 1000 clicks").
4. Set the Priority (lower = evaluated first).
5. Choose a Match Mode (all or any).
6. Enter the Target URL for this rule.
7. Select a Redirect Type.
8. Optionally set Start At and End At dates to limit when the rule is active.
9. Add one or more Conditions using the condition types above.
10. Verify Is Active is on (it defaults to on for new rules).
11. Save the link.

Rule Examples

Geo-targeting: Redirect US and Canadian visitors to a regional landing page.

• Match Mode: any
• Condition: country_in → in → ["US", "CA"]
• Target URL: https://shop.example.com/north-america

Click threshold: Switch to a new destination after 5000 clicks.

• Match Mode: all
• Condition: total_clicks → gte → 5000
• Target URL: https://shop.example.com/updated-offer

Time-limited promotion: Redirect to a sale page only during a specific date range.

• Match Mode: all
• Condition 1: date_after → gte → 2026-04-01
• Condition 2: date_before → lte → 2026-04-15
• Target URL: https://shop.example.com/spring-sale

Combined geo + time: Redirect UK visitors to a regional page only in April.

• Match Mode: all
• Condition 1: country_in → in → ["GB"]
• Condition 2: date_after → gte → 2026-04-01
• Condition 3: date_before → lte → 2026-04-30
• Target URL: https://shop.example.com/uk-april-promo

Categories and Tags

Organize your links using categories and tags.

• Categories group links into broad topics. Each category supports a color label for visual identification in the link list.
• Tags add flexible, cross-cutting labels to links.

To assign categories or tags:

1. In the link editor, find the Categories and Tags sections.
2. Select existing categories/tags or create new ones inline.
3. Save the link.

You can filter the link list by category or tag to find links quickly.

Editing Links

1. Go to Link Manager → Pretty Links.
2. Click the edit icon on the link you want to modify.
3. Update any fields.
4. Click Update Link.

Your masked URL (yoursite.com/go/slug) stays the same when you change the destination URL. Existing shared links and bookmarks continue to work.

Deleting Links

1. Go to Link Manager → Pretty Links.
2. Click the trash icon on the link you want to remove.
3. Confirm the deletion in the popup.

Warning: Deletion is permanent. Any visitor who clicks the deleted link's URL receives a 404 error. If you want to temporarily disable a link, use link scheduling instead.

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Step-by-step guides:

• How to Cloak Affiliate Links
• How to Create Redirects
• How to Add Nofollow Links