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Settings
TL;DR: Configure Link Manager Pro at Settings. Options include default redirect type, link prefix (slug base), link attributes, click tracking behavior, IP anonymization, bot detection, click retention period, auto-linking rules, disclosure settings, and data management.
Configure every aspect of Link Manager Pro. Access all settings at Link Manager Pro → Settings.
General Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto-Mask on Save | Automatically replace external links with masked URLs when you save a post |
| Mask Internal Links | Include internal links (links pointing to your own site) in the masking engine |
| Link Structure Prefix | URL prefix for masked links. Default: link. Your links become yoursite.com/link/slug |
| Internal Mask Prefix | Separate prefix for internal masked links. Default: go |
| Unique Code Length | Length of auto-generated slug codes (6–16 characters) when you do not provide a custom slug |
| Automated Link Health Scans | How often to run automated link health scans: disabled (default), daily, or weekly |
| Minimum Role for Access | WordPress capability required to access the plugin. Default: manage_link_manager_pro. Other option: manage_options (administrator only) |
| Min. Inbound Links | Minimum inbound internal links for a post to be considered "healthy" in link audit. Default: 3 |
| Min. Outbound Links | Minimum outbound links for a post to be considered "healthy" in link audit. Default: 2 |
| Email Digest | Receive periodic link health summaries via email. Options: disabled (default), weekly, or monthly |
Warning: Changing the Link Structure Prefix after creating links breaks all existing masked URLs. Set this during initial setup and do not change it later.
Click Save Changes after updating.
Redirection Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Default Redirect Type | Default redirect type for new links. 301 (permanent, default), 302 (temporary), or 307 (temporary, preserves HTTP method) |
| REL Rules | Configure nofollow, noopener, noreferrer, and sponsored attributes globally |
REL Rules
REL rules let you set global defaults for link attributes and add domain-specific overrides.
For each attribute (nofollow, noopener, noreferrer, sponsored):
Set a global default:
- Yes — apply this attribute to all masked links.
- No — do not apply this attribute to any masked link.
Add domain-specific overrides:
- Domains you list receive the opposite of the global default.
Example: You set global nofollow to Yes (all links get nofollow). You add trusted-partner.com to the nofollow override list. Now all links get nofollow except links pointing to trusted-partner.com.
Example: You set global sponsored to No (no links get sponsored). You add affiliate-network.com to the sponsored override list. Now only links pointing to affiliate-network.com get the sponsored attribute.
Click Save Changes after updating.
Tracking Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Click Tracking | Master toggle — enable or disable all click tracking |
| Bot Detection | Filter out bot traffic using 45+ built-in user agent patterns |
| Anonymize IP Addresses | Truncate visitor IPs for GDPR compliance. Replaces the last octet of IPv4 addresses with 0 and zeros the last 5 groups of IPv6 addresses |
| Cookie Notice | Acknowledge that you handle cookie consent for the tracking cookie |
| Internal Link Click Tracking | Track clicks on internal links within your post content via JavaScript |
| Global UTM Injection | Parameters appended to all managed link redirects (e.g., utm_source=link-manager-pro&utm_medium=proxy) |
| Click Data Retention | Number of days to keep click data. Set to 0 to keep forever. A daily cron job automatically purges older data |
| Blocked IP Addresses | IP addresses to exclude from click tracking (one per line) |
| Custom Patterns | Custom user agent patterns to filter, in addition to the built-in bot patterns (one per line) |
| Content Selector | CSS selector for the content area containing internal links to track. Only links inside this container are tracked |
Note: Disabling Click Tracking stops all data collection. Existing click data is preserved but no new clicks are recorded.
Click Save Changes after updating.
Auto-Linking Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Enable Auto-Linking | Master toggle for the auto-linking feature |
| Case Sensitive Matching | Match keywords with exact case only. When enabled, "MacBook" does not match "macbook" |
| Exclude Headings | Skip heading tags (h1–h6) when replacing keywords with links |
| Max Per Keyword | Maximum number of replacements for each keyword per page |
| Max Per Page | Maximum total auto-links inserted per page across all keywords |
| Post Types | Which post types to process for auto-linking (e.g., posts, pages, custom post types) |
When auto-linking is enabled, the plugin scans rendered content for keyword matches defined on your links and affiliates, then replaces them with masked link URLs. Each link and affiliate can independently toggle auto-linking on or off.
Click Save Changes after updating.
Disclosure Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Enable Affiliate Disclosure | Show an affiliate disclosure notice on pages that contain masked links with sponsored or affiliate attributes |
| Disclosure Text | The disclosure message text. Customize this to match your compliance requirements |
| Position | Where to display the notice: before content or after content |
| Style | Display style: minimal (inline text), boxed (bordered box), or custom (your own CSS class) |
| Custom CSS Class | CSS class name applied to the disclosure element when using the "custom" style |
| Post Types | Which post types show the disclosure notice |
The disclosure notice only appears on pages that contain masked links with the sponsored attribute or affiliate link attributes. Pages without qualifying links do not display the notice.
Click Save Changes after updating.
License
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| License Key | Enter your license key (minimum 8 characters) |
| Activate | Validate and activate your license |
| Deactivate | Deactivate your current license |
| Status | Current license status: active, inactive, or expired |
License types: lifetime, one-time, or renewal. Your license type determines whether and when revalidation is required.
Backup & Restore
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Backup (JSON) | Export your data as a JSON file. Select which items to include: links, link rules, clicks, affiliates, link health, redirects, settings, and posts |
| Restore (JSON) | Import data from a previously exported JSON backup file |
| Export CSV | Download all links as a CSV spreadsheet |
Backup uses batched processing — large datasets export in chunks with progress indication.
See Backup & Restore for detailed step-by-step instructions.
Data Migration
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto-detection | The plugin automatically detects if Pretty Links or BetterLinks is installed |
| Selectable Items | Choose which data to migrate from the detected plugin |
| Conflict Strategy | Skip existing (keep your current data) or Overwrite (replace with migrated data) |
| Batched Processing | Large migrations process in chunks with progress indication |
Warning: Overwriting during migration replaces matching records permanently. Back up your data before migrating with the overwrite strategy.