Title: Anchormender – Internal Link Suggestions, Orphan Post Finder & Bulk Internal Linking
Author: Emtiaz Zahid
Published: October 10, 2026
Last modified: October 10, 2026
---
Search plugins
# Anchormender – Internal Link Suggestions, Orphan Post Finder & Bulk Internal Linking
By [Emtiaz Zahid](https://profiles.wordpress.org/emtiazzahid/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/anchormender.1.0.1.zip)
* [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/anchormender/#description)
* [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/anchormender/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/anchormender/#installation)
* [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/anchormender/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/anchormender/)
## Description
Internal links are the cheapest SEO win there is, and the easiest one to forget.
Anchormender builds a small search index of your own content and uses it to suggest
links **at the moment you are writing**, in the sentence where they belong.
#### In the editor
* **Block editor sidebar**: lists related posts, each with the sentence in your
draft that fits best and the proposed anchor phrase highlighted in it. **Insert**
links the first occurrence of the anchor in the paragraph that holds that sentence,
using the editor’s own link format, so it looks exactly like a link you added
by hand. **Change the anchor** before inserting, or **Skip** a suggestion so
it stops showing for this post.
* **Link from other posts on the same topic** (block editor sidebar): find published
posts on the same topic that could link _to_ the one you are editing and add
the link in one of them with “Add link in that post”, without leaving the editor.
That other post is saved right away; a revision is saved when the post type supports
revisions.
* **Classic editor meta box**: lists related posts with the target title, a relevance
score and an editable anchor, with **Insert** and **Skip** for each and a **Refresh**
button. Insert links the anchor in the paragraph the suggestion was made for,
in the text currently in the editor, following the same rules as bulk linking(
see “Built to be light”). In classic HTML, when no paragraph matches (the suggestion
came without a matching sentence, or you edited that paragraph since), it falls
back to the first suitable occurrence of the anchor; if the anchor cannot be
placed it says so and adds nothing.
* Insert in the sidebar or the meta box only changes the post in the editor. Nothing
is saved until you save the post.
* Suggestions are based on the text currently in the editor, unsaved changes included.
In the block editor they refresh automatically once the word count has changed
by about 50 words (you can turn this off under Settings Suggestions) and whenever
you click Refresh. The classic editor box loads suggestions when the screen opens
and updates them when you click Refresh.
#### Site-wide
* **Link report**: inbound and outbound internal link counts for every post, with**
orphans** and “fewer than 2 inbound” one click away, search, sort, CSV export.
* **Fix an orphan** from the report: pick from suggested source posts and insert
links straight into them.
* **Bulk linking**: choose up to 50 posts per batch (orphans, posts with fewer
than 2 inbound links or all indexed posts, each taken fewest inbound links first,
or up to 50 specific post IDs), review every proposal with its sentence and anchor,
then apply. Every changed post is saved right away; a revision is saved when
the post type supports revisions. **Undo** removes the links a batch added in
one click and keeps their text; if you removed one of those links or changed
its text after the batch ran, Undo leaves that link alone, says so, and still
removes the batch’s other links.
* **Link audit** (weekly and on demand): links to posts that were unpublished,
trashed or deleted after the link was indexed, generic anchors like “click here”,
anchors that are over-used for one target, and links to noindex pages.
#### How relevance works
Titles, headings, taxonomy terms and the first part of the body are tokenised, stemmed
and stop-word filtered per language, and stored as TF-IDF vectors in custom tables.
Candidates are retrieved from a postings list, scored by cosine similarity with
a bonus for shared title words and taxonomy terms, then matched to the best sentence
by word overlap. It is fast, runs entirely on your server, and re-indexes a post
in the background about a minute after you save it.
#### Optional AI rerank
Off by default. On WordPress 7.0 and later it uses the AI provider you connect under
Settings Connectors, through WordPress’s built-in AI Client, so there is no separate
key to manage. On any version you can instead bring your own key for OpenAI, Anthropic,
Google Gemini or an OpenAI-compatible endpoint. When you ask for it in the block
editor sidebar, the title, headings and up to the first 1,500 characters of text
of the post you are editing, plus the titles and short excerpts of up to 20 candidate
posts, go to the provider you chose, and a re-ranked list with suggested anchor
phrases comes back. You see a token estimate first and none of your content is sent
until you confirm. Details under External services.
#### Built to be light
* Custom tables, no post meta bloat, indexing in Action Scheduler batches that
stop once they have run for half of PHP’s `max_execution_time` (at least 5 and
at most 20 seconds; 20 seconds when there is no limit) and then continue in smaller
batches
* Never places links inside headings, existing links, code or buttons
* Bulk linking, “Add link in that post”, fixing an orphan from the report and Insert
in the classic editor box only link a paragraph that has fewer links than “Max
links per paragraph” (1 by default, so a paragraph that already has a link is
left alone). Insert in the block editor sidebar links the paragraph of the suggestion
you click and does not count the links already in it.
* Polylang and WPML aware: suggestions stay within the post’s language
* WP-CLI: `wp anchormender index rebuild|status|update`, `wp anchormender report[
all|orphans|low]`, `wp anchormender suggest `
#### Hooks for developers
```
anchormender_capability, `anchormender_excluded_post_types`, `anchormender_exclude_post`, `anchormender_index_text`, `anchormender_stopwords`, `anchormender_post_language`, `anchormender_candidates`, `anchormender_before_insert`, `anchormender_after_insert`, `anchormender_generic_anchors`, `anchormender_index_on_save`, `anchormender_batch_time_budget`, `anchormender_after_index`, `anchormender_is_builder_post`.
```
#### More plugins by Emtiaz Zahid
* [Launchmender](https://wordpress.org/plugins/launchmender/): 44 pre-launch checks
with one-click fixes, a manual checklist and a client handoff report
* [Faultwright](https://wordpress.org/plugins/faultwright/): PHP errors, JavaScript
errors, failed cron jobs, emails and updates on one timeline
* [Stalemender](https://wordpress.org/plugins/stalemender/): content audit that
gives every post a Freshness Score (0–100) and tells you why
* [Waymender](https://wordpress.org/plugins/waymender/): finds broken links without
hammering your server, logs 404s and fixes both in one click
### External services
Anchormender’s link index, suggestions, link report, audit and bulk linking run
entirely on your own server and never contact any outside service. The index stores
stemmed keywords derived from the titles, headings, taxonomy terms and text of your
published posts, plus the anchor text of the internal links between them, in custom
database tables; it does not store the full post text. Nothing is indexed for drafts,
private or password-protected posts. The tables are removed on uninstall unless
you turn on “Keep data” in Settings.
#### Optional AI rerank
AI rerank is off by default. To use it you turn it on under Anchormender Settings
AI assist and choose where requests go:
* **WordPress AI** (WordPress 7.0 and later, the default there): the request goes
through WordPress’s built-in AI Client to the AI provider you connected under
Settings Connectors. WordPress chooses the provider and model and keeps the
API key; Anchormender stores no key for it. The connectors WordPress offers are
for the providers listed below, and the terms and privacy policy of the one you
connected apply.
* **Your own key**: you enter an API key for one of the providers below, and the
request goes directly from your server to that provider.
None of your content is sent until you click “AI rerank” in the block editor sidebar
and then “Run” after seeing the token estimate. With WordPress AI, clicking “AI
rerank” can make WordPress ask the connected provider which models it offers; that
request carries the API key but none of your content. Each run sends one request
containing:
* the title, headings and up to the first 1,500 characters of text of the post
you are editing, including unsaved changes in the editor;
* the titles and short excerpts, up to 160 characters each, of up to 20 candidate
posts from your site;
* the API key, in the request header (your own key, or the one WordPress holds
for the connected provider).
It does not send visitor data, user accounts or settings. Requests made with your
own key do not include your site URL; requests made through WordPress AI use WordPress’s
standard HTTP User-Agent, which includes your site’s address. The provider replies
with a ranked list of candidate IDs and suggested anchor phrases. Anchormender does
not store the reply; it only logs the token counts of each call locally so you can
see usage in Settings. If you use your own key, it is stored encrypted in the WordPress
options table and is never displayed again beyond its last four characters.
Providers and their terms:
* OpenAI (api.openai.com) – Terms: https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use – Privacy:
https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy
* Anthropic (api.anthropic.com) – Terms: https://www.anthropic.com/legal/commercial-
terms – Privacy: https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy
* Google Gemini (generativelanguage.googleapis.com) – Terms: https://ai.google.
dev/gemini-api/terms – Privacy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
* OpenAI-compatible endpoint – any server you enter as the Base URL, including
one on your own network. The plugin does not restrict this address; the data
above is sent to that server and its terms and privacy policy apply.
Anchormender bundles Action Scheduler for background indexing; it makes requests
only to your own site. The plugin registers a suggested paragraph under Settings
Privacy Policy Guide.
### Privacy
Anchormender keeps a search index of your published posts and pages in its own database
tables. For each post it stores stemmed keywords derived from its title, headings,
taxonomy terms and text, with their weights, plus the post’s language, word count
and a checksum of its content; it does not store the full text. It also stores the
internal links between posts with their anchor text, which links it added, the suggestions
skipped for each post and who skipped them, bulk-linking jobs, and the token counts
of AI rerank calls. For each job it records the user who started it and the links
the job added (post, target URL and anchor text), which Undo removes again, and
the ids of the revisions WordPress saved (a revision is saved when the post type
supports revisions), so you can also restore one of those revisions by hand. Nothing
about your visitors is stored and no cookies are set.
Nothing leaves your site unless you turn on the optional AI rerank, with a provider
connected under Settings Connectors or your own API key; what is sent is listed
under External services. The bundled Action Scheduler only talks to your own site.
Uninstalling removes the tables, options, scheduled jobs and the encrypted API key
unless you enable “Keep data on uninstall”. The plugin suggests a paragraph for
your privacy policy under Settings Privacy Policy Guide.
## Screenshots
[⌊Suggestions in the block editor sidebar with the matching sentence and anchor.⌉⌊
Suggestions in the block editor sidebar with the matching sentence and anchor.⌉[
Suggestions in the block editor sidebar with the matching sentence and anchor.
[⌊A link inserted in place, ready to save.⌉⌊A link inserted in place, ready to save
.⌉[
A link inserted in place, ready to save.
[⌊The link report with orphan pages and inbound/outbound counts.⌉⌊The link report
with orphan pages and inbound/outbound counts.⌉[
The link report with orphan pages and inbound/outbound counts.
[⌊Bulk linking: review every proposal before applying.⌉⌊Bulk linking: review every
proposal before applying.⌉[
Bulk linking: review every proposal before applying.
[⌊The existing-link audit.⌉⌊The existing-link audit.⌉[
The existing-link audit.
[⌊AI rerank with a token estimate before anything is sent.⌉⌊AI rerank with a token
estimate before anything is sent.⌉[
AI rerank with a token estimate before anything is sent.
## Installation
1. Upload the plugin to `/wp-content/plugins/anchormender` or install it from the
Plugins screen.
2. Activate it.
3. Open **Anchormender Report** and click **Build index**.
4. Edit any post and open the **Anchormender** sidebar (the link icon in the top-right
toolbar).
## FAQ
### Does it send my content anywhere?
Not unless you turn on AI rerank and click it. Indexing, suggestions, the report,
the audit and bulk linking run on your own server. With AI rerank on, each run sends
the current post’s title, headings and up to the first 1,500 characters of its text,
plus candidate titles and excerpts, to the provider you selected, and only after
you confirm the token estimate.
### Will it change my posts without asking?
No. Insert in the block editor sidebar or in the classic editor box changes only
the post you are editing, inside the editor; it is saved when you save the post.“
Add link in that post” (under “Link from other posts on the same topic”) is different:
it adds the link to that other, published post and saves it immediately. Fixing
an orphan from the report and bulk linking also save each changed post right away,
and each bulk batch can be undone. In all three cases a revision is saved when the
post type supports revisions.
### What about page builders?
Suggestions work in the block editor sidebar and in the classic editor box. Posts
built with Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder, WPBakery, Bricks or Oxygen can still
be suggested as link targets, but Anchormender does not insert links into them:
Insert is switched off while editing such a post, and bulk linking, fixing an orphan
and “Link from other posts on the same topic” never pick one as the post that gets
the link. Developers can adjust the detection with the `anchormender_is_builder_post`
filter.
### Which post types are supported?
Posts and pages by default; add any public post type under Settings Indexing.
### Does it work with Yoast SEO, Rank Math or SEOPress?
Yes. Anchormender reads their noindex flags for the audit.
### Does the plugin send anything to its author?
No. Anchormender has no server of its own and sends no usage statistics or telemetry.
The index, suggestions, reports and bulk linking all run on your server. The only
outbound requests are the optional AI rerank described under “External services”,
which is off until you turn it on and connect a provider under Settings Connectors
or enter your own API key.
### Does AI rerank use the WordPress AI Client?
Yes, on WordPress 7.0 and later. Choose “WordPress AI (Settings Connectors)” under
Anchormender Settings AI assist (it is the default there), and requests go through
WordPress’s built-in AI Client to the provider you connected, with the key WordPress
keeps. On older WordPress versions, or if you prefer, you can enter your own API
key for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini or an OpenAI-compatible endpoint instead.
### Does the bundled Action Scheduler conflict with other plugins?
No. Anchormender loads Action Scheduler 3.9.3 from `lib/action-scheduler/`. Action
Scheduler is built for this: each copy registers its version with `ActionScheduler_Versions`
behind `function_exists()` and `class_exists()` guards, and only the newest copy
on the site boots. WooCommerce and other plugins that bundle it share the same mechanism.
### Where is the JavaScript source?
The editor sidebar and the admin app ship un-minified in `assets/src/`; the files
in `assets/build/` are produced from them with `npm install && npm run build` (the`
package.json` is included). The bundled Action Scheduler library in `lib/` is unmodified
upstream code under its own GPL licence. Nothing else is compiled or obfuscated.
### Who can use it?
Anyone who can edit a post sees suggestions for that post. The report, bulk and
audit screens need the `edit_others_posts` capability (filterable with `anchormender_capability`);
settings need `manage_options`.
## Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
## Contributors & Developers
“Anchormender – Internal Link Suggestions, Orphan Post Finder & Bulk Internal Linking”
is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
* [ Emtiaz Zahid ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/emtiazzahid/)
[Translate “Anchormender – Internal Link Suggestions, Orphan Post Finder & Bulk Internal Linking” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/anchormender)
### Interested in development?
[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/anchormender/), check
out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/anchormender/), or subscribe
to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/anchormender/) by
[RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/anchormender/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).
## Changelog
#### 1.0.1
* Fix: the link audit now recognises posts set to noindex in SEOPress.
#### 1.0.0
* Initial release.
## Meta
* Version **1.0.1**
* Last updated **9 hours ago**
* Active installations **Fewer than 10**
* WordPress version ** 6.6 or higher **
* Tested up to **7.1.3**
* PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
* Tags
* [internal linking](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/internal-linking/)[internal links](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/internal-links/)
[link building](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/link-building/)[link suggestions](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/link-suggestions/)
[orphan pages](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/orphan-pages/)
* [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/anchormender/advanced/)
## Ratings
No reviews have been submitted yet.
[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/anchormender/reviews/#new-post)
[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/anchormender/reviews/)
## Contributors
* [ Emtiaz Zahid ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/emtiazzahid/)
## Support
Got something to say? Need help?
[View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/anchormender/)