Royal Links – Affiliate Link Cloaking, Shortener & Tracker

FAQ

What makes Royal Links different from other link management plugins?

Royal Links gives you every feature for free. Geo-targeting, A/B split testing, QR codes, automatic keyword linking, product displays, device-based redirects, link scheduling — features that other plugins charge $100-200/yr for are all included at no cost. There is no premium tier and no upsell.

Can I import my links from Pretty Links, ThirstyAffiliates, or BetterLinks?

Yes. Go to Royal Links > Tools and use the Migration Wizard. It imports your links, categories, and click history from Pretty Links, ThirstyAffiliates, or BetterLinks in one click. Your existing short URLs and redirects will keep working.

Is geo-targeting really free?

Yes. Configure country-based redirect rules on any link at no cost. When a visitor clicks that link, their country is detected and they are redirected to the appropriate destination. No API key needed, no usage limits.

Does Royal Links work with Amazon Associates?

Yes. Amazon’s terms require that affiliate links are not cloaked (the destination must be visible). Royal Links supports uncloaked redirects — just set the redirect type and Amazon links will work within their guidelines. You can also use the nofollow attribute for compliance.

What redirect types are supported?

Royal Links supports 301 (permanent), 302 (temporary), and 307 (temporary, preserves method) redirects. On top of that, you can layer device-based redirects, geo-targeting redirects, and time-based redirects that automatically switch destinations on a schedule.

Is there a Pro version?

No. Royal Links is the full version. Every feature is included and there is no paid upgrade. We built this as a completely free plugin.

How does the automatic keyword linker work?

Define keywords and associate them with your links. Royal Links automatically scans your post and page content and turns matching keywords into linked text pointing to the destinations you configured. You control the maximum number of links per keyword, which post types to scan, and which content areas to target.

Is my data private?

Your links, analytics, and settings are stored entirely in your own WordPress database. The only external service Royal Links contacts is ip-api.com, and only when you have configured geo-targeting rules on a specific link. If you don’t use geo-targeting, no external requests are made. See the External Services section for full details.

What is link cloaking and why do I need it?

Link cloaking replaces long, ugly affiliate URLs with clean, branded short links on your own domain (e.g., yoursite.com/go/product-name instead of affiliate-network.com/ref?id=12345&tracking=abc). This makes links more trustworthy to visitors, easier to share, and protects your affiliate commissions from being stripped. Royal Links handles all of this automatically with 301, 302, or 307 redirects.

How do I track affiliate link clicks in WordPress?

Install Royal Links and create a new link with your affiliate URL as the destination. Royal Links automatically tracks every click with detailed analytics — browser, device, operating system, country, referrer, and timestamp. View performance in the analytics dashboard with charts, top-performing links, and referrer breakdowns. You can also track QR code scans separately.

What happens to my existing links if I deactivate the plugin?

Your links and click data remain in the database. If you reactivate Royal Links, everything will be restored. If you want to permanently remove all data, use the standard WordPress uninstall process (delete the plugin from the Plugins page).

How does Royal Links compare to Pretty Links Pro or ThirstyAffiliates Pro?

Pretty Links Pro and ThirstyAffiliates Pro are paid plugins that charge $99–200/yr for features like geo-targeting, A/B testing, QR codes, automatic keyword linking, and product display boxes. Royal Links includes all of those features for free with no upgrade tier. The Migration Wizard imports your existing Pretty Links or ThirstyAffiliates links, categories, and click history in one click — no manual re-creation needed.

Can I create a link-in-bio page using Royal Links?

Yes. Create a Royal Link for each destination (your shop page, latest blog post, YouTube video, lead magnet, podcast, etc.) and use those Royal Links wherever you put a single bio link — Instagram, TikTok, Twitter (X), YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads. Royal Links tracks every click with referrer, country, and device data so you can see which platform drives traffic. Rotate destinations by editing the Royal Link without changing the bio URL — perfect for promoting different campaigns from the same shareable link.

Will Royal Links slow down my WordPress site?

No. The redirect handler is lightweight and the auto-keyword linker runs once per post on save (not on every page load). Click logging happens asynchronously after the redirect fires, so visitor experience is unaffected. The admin UI, analytics, and migration tools do not run on visitor-facing pages.

Does Royal Links work with caching plugins like WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, or LiteSpeed Cache?

Yes. Royal Links short URLs are processed by WordPress’s redirect layer before any page caching kicks in, so cached content does not interfere with link redirects, click tracking, or geo-targeting. The plugin’s admin pages are not cached (caching plugins exclude /wp-admin/ by default).

Can I use Royal Links with WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads?

Yes. Royal Links is store-agnostic — use it to track clicks from product pages to external suppliers, affiliate offers, or partner sites. The Auto-Keyword Linker can scan product descriptions and turn brand or model names into tracked outbound links automatically.

Is Royal Links GDPR-compliant?

Royal Links can be configured to be GDPR-friendly. By default the plugin does NOT store IP addresses in the click log (the “Store IP Addresses” setting is opt-in and disabled out of the box). Browser, device, country, and referrer data are stored without tying them to a specific identifiable visitor. With IP storage disabled, the click log retains only aggregate analytics suitable for GDPR-compliant reporting under legitimate interest.