Automatically convert keywords in your content into tracked affiliate or ad links. The Keyword Auto-Linker turns specified keywords in your post content into clickable, tracked links — without editing each post manually. Use it to inject affiliate links, highlight sponsor mentions, or link to partner pages across your entire site instantly.
How It Works
- You define keywords and their target URLs in the Keyword Manager
- When a post loads, the plugin scans the content for matching keywords
- Matches are replaced with a tracked link pointing to your target URL
- Clicks are recorded so you can measure performance
Example:
A post containing “web hosting” is automatically converted to a link pointing to your hosting affiliate URL — every time the keyword appears, on every matching post, without any manual editing.
Setting Up Keywords
Step 1: Access the Keyword Manager
Go to WB Ads -> Links -> Keywords in your WordPress admin.
Step 2: Add a Keyword
Click Add New Keyword and fill in the details:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword | The text to find in content | web hosting |
| Link | Select a managed link from your library | Hosting Affiliate |
| Case Sensitive | Match exact case only | No (recommended) |
| Whole Word Only | Don’t match partial words | Yes (recommended) |
| Max Per Post | How many times to link this keyword per post | 1 |
| Priority | Which keyword wins if two overlap (higher = first) | 10 |
Step 3: Set Global Limits
Configure site-wide limits at WB Ads -> Pro Settings -> Links:
| Setting | Recommended Value |
|---|---|
| Max Links Per Post | 5-10 (prevents overloading content) |
| Max Per Keyword | 1-2 (avoids repetitive links) |
| Enable Auto-Linking | On |
Managing Your Keywords
The Keyword Manager list shows all your active keywords with their linked target, click counts, and settings. You can:
- Toggle keywords on or off without deleting them
- Sort by keyword name, priority, or click count
- Edit any keyword to update the target link or limits
Configuration
Enabling by Post Type
By default, auto-linking applies to posts and pages. To change which post types are included:
- Go to WB Ads -> Pro Settings -> Links
- Set Enabled Post Types to the post types you want
- Click Save Settings
Excluding Individual Posts
To prevent auto-linking on a specific post, open that post in the editor and add a custom field:
- Field name:
_wbam_disable_auto_links - Value:
true
What the Linker Skips
The auto-linker never modifies these elements, even if they contain matching keywords:
| Element | Reason |
|---|---|
Existing <a> links |
Already linked — avoids double-wrapping |
| Headings (H1-H6) | Headlines should stay clean for readability |
| Code blocks | Preserves code samples exactly |
| Script and style tags | Technical content, must not be altered |
Priority for Overlapping Keywords
If you have both “WordPress” and “WordPress hosting” as keywords, you need to set priorities so the longer, more specific keyword wins:
| Keyword | Priority |
|---|---|
| WordPress hosting | 20 (matched first — more specific) |
| WordPress | 10 (fallback for other occurrences) |
Higher priority keywords are processed first.
Tracking Performance
View click statistics for each keyword at WB Ads -> Links -> Keywords:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Impressions | How many times the keyword was linked |
| Clicks | How many times visitors clicked the link |
| CTR | Click-through rate |
Each managed link also tracks total clicks, unique clicks, and which posts generated the most traffic.
Best Practices
Use specific keywords. “best web hosting comparison” converts better and causes fewer accidental matches than just “hosting.”
Set limits to 1 per keyword per post. Linking the same keyword multiple times in one article looks spammy and can hurt readability.
Use priorities for overlapping terms. Always assign higher priority to longer, more specific keyword phrases.
Check content regularly. After adding new keywords, review a few posts to make sure the links are appearing where you expect and look natural in context.
Troubleshooting
Keywords not being linked
- Confirm auto-linking is enabled in settings
- Verify the keyword is marked as active in the Keyword Manager
- Check the post type is in the enabled list
- Ensure the post content contains the keyword exactly as entered
- Check that the per-post limit hasn’t already been reached by other keywords
Too many links appearing
- Reduce the Max Links Per Post setting
- Reduce the Max Per Keyword value
- Use more specific keyword phrases to reduce accidental matches
Links appearing in headings or code
Confirm the excluded elements list is in place. If you’ve customized exclusions, check that h1, h2, h3, code, and pre are all included.
Next Steps
- Fair Rotation — ad impression distribution
- Revenue Dashboard — track link click revenue