Internal Linking
Use Free reports, suggestions, broken-link scans, rules automation, URL Changes, and Link Map Lite. Pro adds advanced anchor, map, campaign, indexing, and rollback workflows.
New in 1.6: Link Intelligence
Key Features
Link Suggestions (Free + Pro+)
Free uses keyword and saved SEO context; Pro can add semantic and optional provider signals when configured and available
GSC Keyword Data (Pro+)
Use eligible Search Console query data only after the site connection and integration are enabled
Orphan Detection
Identify configured eligible pages with no inbound internal links in the completed link report
Link Map (Free Lite / Pro+)
Free visualises up to 40 loaded nodes; Pro adds adjustable scope, richer controls, inspection, and export
Broken-Link Scanner (Free)
Run bounded HTTP checks and review persisted results, confidence, source context, and available repair actions
Click Tracking (Free, opt-in)
Collect internal-link click data only when Links Report analytics and CTR tracking are explicitly enabled
Anchor Portfolio (Pro+)
Inspect anchor diversity, conflicts, and duplicate source-target pairs per destination
Link Campaigns (Pro+)
Preview bounded link topologies, select changes, verify output, and retain a guarded rollback path
Rules-Based Automation (Free)
Create explicit keyword-to-URL rules, preview matches, and apply them within configured limits
URL Changes (Free)
Apply journalled same-site URL rewrites in time-boxed steps, with conflict-aware revert
Module Tabs
The Link Operations workspace is organised into seven top-level tabs. Opportunities contains Pages plus the Pro+ Anchor portfolio and Campaigns views:
Overview (Free)
Summary of the latest completed link report and available opportunities
- ✓Link coverage metrics
- ✓Orphaned content detection
- ✓Link quality scoring
- ✓External domain tracking
- ✓Click analytics when explicitly enabled
Opportunities (Free + Pro+)
Free page-level reporting and suggestions, plus Pro+ Anchor portfolio and Campaigns views
- ✓Post-by-post link analysis
- ✓Inbound/outbound tracking
- ✓Destination anchor health (Pro+)
- ✓Previewable campaigns (Pro+)
- ✓CSV export and filtering
Broken Links (Free)
Bounded, on-demand checks of links found in configured eligible content
- ✓Queued scans with persisted progress
- ✓HEAD checks with safe GET fallback
- ✓Confidence classification
- ✓Source and context review
- ✓Repair, ignore, and report-cleanup actions
Link Map (Free Lite / Pro+ Advanced)
A read-only 40-node Lite map in Free, with expanded controls and export in Pro+
- ✓D3.js force-directed graph
- ✓Post, page, missing, and orphan filters (Free)
- ✓Node link details (Free)
- ✓Adjustable node/depth and display controls (Pro+)
- ✓Export (Pro+)
Automation (Free; optional Pro+ inputs)
Free keyword-to-URL rules with preview and bounded application runs
- ✓Keyword rule management (Free)
- ✓Preview mode and application limits (Free)
- ✓Cancel and resume controls (Free)
- ✓GSC-derived candidates when connected (Pro+)
- ✓Semantic/provider enrichment when configured and available (Pro+)
URL Changes (Free)
Plan exact or wildcard same-site rewrites and update affected stored links in time-boxed steps
- ✓Exact and wildcard rules
- ✓Affected-link candidate review
- ✓Journalled application
- ✓Conflict-aware revert
- ✓Redirect and recoverability context
Settings (Free + Pro+)
Core scope, link, and rule settings, with eligible Pro integrations labelled separately
- ✓Content type filtering
- ✓Link attributes
- ✓Ignored words
- ✓Free keyword/context matching
- ✓Pro+ semantic, AI-provider, and GSC options when available
Dashboard Metrics Explained
The Overview reflects the latest completed report for the configured content scope; values change after a scan or relevant tracked activity:
| Metric | Description | Example Value |
|---|---|---|
| Total Posts | Number of published posts and pages | 156 |
| Link Coverage | Percentage of posts with internal links | 78.5% |
| Orphan Count | Posts with no internal links pointing to them | 12 |
| Broken Links | Number of detected broken internal/external links | 3 |
| Average Links | Average internal links per post | 4.2 |
| Link Quality | Overall link structure health score | 85/100 |
Broken Links Scanner (Free)
Start an on-demand, bounded scan of links extracted from the configured eligible content scope. Results describe the response observed during that scan; they are not continuous monitoring:
How It Works
- Reads links from the post types and statuses selected in settings
- Queues bounded batches when WordPress accepts the background job
- Uses HTTP HEAD first and a safe GET fallback where required
- Classifies results by response type and confidence
- Persists report rows, source context, and scan progress for review
Status Codes Detected
- 404/410 - Missing or gone (High confidence)
- 403/429 - Blocked or throttled; review before changing a link (Low confidence)
- 500+ - Server response that may be temporary (Low confidence)
- Network - Timeout, DNS, or transport failure (Low confidence)
Link Map: Free Lite and Pro+ Advanced
Link Map Lite visualises a read-only sample of up to 40 loaded nodes from the configured graph. The Pro+ advanced map adds adjustable node/depth scope, richer display and colour modes, labels, inspection, and export:
Link Map Lite (Free)
- Scope: Up to 40 nodes in the loaded view
- Filter: Posts, pages, missing destinations, and orphans
- Inspect: Select a node for inbound, outbound, and strength details
- Interaction: Pan, zoom, and move nodes without changing content
Advanced Visual Map (Pro+)
- Adjust node and traversal-depth limits
- Switch display, colour, and label modes
- Use the expanded node inspector
- Export the currently requested map data
Auto-Linking: Free Rules and Optional Pro+ Inputs
Free automation applies explicit keyword-to-URL rules. Preview eligible matches first, then start bounded batches within the rule limits and exclusions. A background run proceeds only when WordPress can queue the worker:
Auto-Link Rule Configuration
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword | Text | The word or phrase to match in content |
| Target URL | URL | The page to link to when keyword is found |
| Case Sensitive | Toggle | Match exact case of the keyword |
| Whole Word | Toggle | Only match complete words, not partial matches |
| Max Links/Post | Number | Maximum times to link this keyword per post |
| Priority | Number | Higher priority rules are processed first |
| Exclude Posts | List | Post IDs to skip for this rule |
GSC Rule Candidates (Pro+)
Search Console can propose rule candidates only when the site is connected, the integration is enabled, and eligible query data exists:
- Enable GSC integration in Settings
- Click "Generate Rules from GSC"
- Review generated rules (they start disabled)
- Enable rules you want to use
- Run auto-linking in preview mode first
Semantic and Provider Enrichment (Pro+)
Pro suggestion workflows can add semantic signals and optional provider-generated anchor candidates when those services are configured and available. Lexical matching remains the fallback:
- Adds semantic similarity signals when the index is available
- Restricts optional provider anchors to safe phrases found in source content
- Uses eligible Search Console data only when the integration provides it
- Flags concentrated or repetitive destination anchors for review
URL Changes (Free)
URL Changes updates matching same-site links stored in eligible native and supported builder content. Define an exact or wildcard rule, review the affected candidates, and apply the change in time-boxed steps.
- The tool journals changed content so an eligible operation can be reverted.
- Revert is conflict-aware: it does not overwrite content that changed after the URL operation.
- Redirect and recoverability information helps review candidates; it does not guarantee that every external cache, custom table, or unsupported builder store is updated.
- Keep a redirect where appropriate and verify the public result after changing a URL.
Settings Configuration
The Settings tab controls Free scope, links, and rule behaviour. Pro-only integrations and algorithms appear only when the relevant module, access, and configuration are available:
General Settings
- •Enable/disable internal linking features
- •Auto-linking toggle
- •Maximum suggestions per post
- •Minimum word count for linking
Link Attributes
- •Open internal links in new tab
- •Open external links in new tab
- •Add nofollow attribute
- •Add title attribute with destination post title
- •Enable click tracking (requires Links Report analytics + CTR tracking enabled)
Content Types & Processing
- •Select post types to process (posts, pages, custom)
- •Post status filtering (published, private, draft)
- •Number of sentences to skip at beginning
- •Maximum age of posts to link to
- •Maximum outbound/inbound links per post
Keyword Sources (Free + eligible Pro inputs)
- •Focus keywords, page titles, URL slugs, categories, and tags (Free)
- •Google Search Console query inputs (Pro+, connected and enabled)
- •Optional provider-generated candidates (Pro+, configured and available)
Advanced Matching (Pro+)
- •Semantic suggestions when the index is available
- •Optional provider suggestions when a supported provider is configured
- •Google Search Console inputs when connected and enabled
- •Suggestion algorithm (keyword/semantic/balanced, with lexical fallback)
- •Ignored words list (stop words)
- •Language selection for analysis
Best Practices
- Link from high-authority pages to important but lesser-known content
- Use descriptive anchor text that includes target keywords
- Add only the internal links that give readers useful, relevant next steps
- Create topic clusters by interlinking related content
- Regularly scan for and fix broken links
- Over-optimising anchor text with exact-match keywords
- Creating too many links in a single piece of content
- Linking to irrelevant pages just to reduce orphans
- Ignoring broken external links
- Not updating links when URLs change
REST API Endpoints
ProRank Internal Linking provides REST API endpoints for integration with external tools:
# Free: get dashboard metrics
GET /wp-json/prorank-seo/v1/linking/dashboard
# Free: get full links report
GET /wp-json/prorank-seo/v1/linking/full-report
# Free: start a bounded broken-link scan
POST /wp-json/prorank-seo/v1/linking/scan-broken-links
# Link map data (Free UI caps Link Map Lite at 40 nodes; Pro+ exposes advanced controls)
GET /wp-json/prorank-seo/v1/linkmap/data?post_types=post,page&max_nodes=100
# Free: preview an auto-linking run
POST /wp-json/prorank-seo/v1/linking/run-auto-linking
{
"dry_run": true,
"post_types": ["post", "page"],
"max_links": 3
}
# Pro+: generate candidates when Search Console is connected and enabled
POST /wp-json/prorank-seo/v1/linking/generate-gsc-rules
{
"min_impressions": 100,
"limit": 20,
"save": false
}Troubleshooting
Visual Link Map shows no data
Run or refresh the link report and confirm the selected content types contain eligible content. Link Map Lite displays only the bounded graph returned for its configured scope.
Broken link scanner gets stuck
Check the persisted progress or recovery notice, confirm WordPress cron/loopback processing can run, and reduce the configured content scope if the host repeatedly interrupts background batches.
Auto-linking not creating links
Check that: 1) Rules are enabled, 2) Keywords exist in content, 3) Max links limits aren't exceeded, 4) Posts aren't in exclude list.
GSC integration not working
On an eligible Pro+ plan, verify Search Console is connected in Analytics, the linking integration is enabled, and the selected property has usable query data. Core Free keyword rules do not require GSC.