=== BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects & Affiliate Link Manager ===
Contributors: wpdevteam, re_enter_rupok, asif2bd, priyomukul, hasandev
Donate link: https://wpdeveloper.com
Tags: link shortener, affiliate links, redirects, link cloaking, url shortener
Requires at least: 5.3
Tested up to: 7.0
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 3.0.1
License: GPLv3 or later
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html

Shorten, cloak, redirect & track every link in WordPress. Branded short URLs, click analytics, broken link scanner & affiliate link management.

== Description ==

**BetterLinks is the complete link management plugin for WordPress.** Turn long, ugly URLs into short, branded, memorable links — then cloak them, redirect them, organize them and track every single click, all from one dashboard inside WordPress.

No third-party URL shortener. No monthly subscription for basic link tracking. Your links live on your own domain, and your click data stays in your own database.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJqBrFhQC1A]

👉 [See All Features](https://betterlinks.io/features/) | [Documentation](https://betterlinks.io/docs/) | [Live Demo](https://betterlinks.io/) | [Upgrade to PRO](https://betterlinks.io/#pricing)

## 🔗 Create Short Links In Seconds

Paste a long URL, pick a slug, hit publish. BetterLinks generates clean short links like `yoursite.com/go/deal` that are easy to share, easy to remember and impossible to mistype.

* **Instant URL shortener** — shorten any internal or external URL in a couple of clicks
* **Custom slugs** — write your own, or auto-generate from the title, target URL, or a random string
* **One-click copy & share** — grab any short link straight from the dashboard
* **Duplicate & bulk actions** — clone links, bulk delete with undo, drag-and-drop to reorder
* **Quick Link Creation** — create short links from outside the WordPress admin using an API key
* **Custom fields** — attach your own metadata to any link

## ↪️ Powerful Redirects & Link Cloaking

Send visitors exactly where you want, with the redirect type that fits the job.

* **301, 302 & 307 redirects** — permanent, temporary and method-preserving
* **Link cloaking (PRO)** — keep your branded short URL in the address bar the whole visit
* **Wildcard redirects** — match a whole path pattern with `/folder/*`
* **Parameter forwarding** — pass query strings straight through to the destination
* **Case-sensitive slugs** — treat `/Deal` and `/deal` as separate links when you need to
* **Nofollow & sponsored tags** — mark affiliate links correctly for search engines
* **Force HTTPS (PRO)** — every redirect goes out secure, whatever is stored on the link

## 📊 Real-Time Click Tracking & Link Analytics

Know which links actually work. BetterLinks records every click and turns it into reports you can act on — no external analytics account required.

* **Total & unique clicks** for every link
* **Real-time analytics dashboard** with an interactive date-range calendar
* **Traffic sources** — top referrers, social clicks, campaign performance
* **Geographic reports** — see which countries your clicks come from
* **Browser, OS & device breakdown (PRO)**
* **Per-link analytics (PRO)** — a full report for any single link
* **Top & worst performers (PRO)** — find your winners and your dead weight
* **Bot filtering** — automated traffic is detected and kept out of your numbers
* **Exclude your own IP (PRO)** — stop your team's clicks from skewing the data
* **Google Analytics 4 & Facebook Pixel (PRO)** — push click events server-side

## 💰 Built For Affiliate Marketers

BetterLinks is a full affiliate link manager, not just a shortener.

* **Cloak affiliate links (PRO)** so long tracking URLs never appear in your content
* **Auto-Link Keywords (PRO)** — turn chosen keywords into affiliate links across your whole site automatically
* **Affiliate link disclosure (PRO)** — FTC-friendly notices via block, shortcode, or site-wide rule
* **Uncloak per link or category (PRO)** — stay compliant with Amazon Associates and similar programs
* **Sponsored & nofollow attributes** built into every link
* **Broken link scanner (PRO)** — catch dead affiliate links before they cost you commission

## 🗂️ Organize Hundreds Of Links Without The Mess

* **Categories & tags** with bulk assignment and per-term click stats
* **List view & board view** — pick the layout that suits how you work
* **Compact mode** — a dense, single-line list when you want to scan everything at a glance
* **Search, filter & sort** by category, tag, date, clicks or favorites
* **Favorites** — pin the links you touch every day
* **Role-based permissions (PRO)** — decide exactly who can create, edit, or view links and analytics

## 🚀 Marketing & Campaign Tools

* **UTM Builder** — attach campaign parameters to any link
* **Global UTM templates (PRO)** — save presets and apply them in bulk
* **Dynamic redirects (PRO)** — A/B split testing, geo-targeting, device targeting and time-based rules on a single short URL
* **Link scheduling & expiration (PRO)** — publish later, expire by date or click count, with a fallback URL
* **Password-protected links (PRO)** — gate a short link behind a password
* **Custom link previews (PRO)** — control the title, description and image when your link is shared on social
* **Custom domain (PRO)** — serve short links from your own branded domain
* **AI Bulk Link Generator (PRO)** — generate short links across many posts at once

## ⚡ Fast, Lightweight & Developer-Friendly

BetterLinks is engineered for speed. Redirects resolve from an optimized cache instead of hammering your database, so short links stay fast even with tens of thousands of them.

* Optimized queries and a JSON-backed redirect cache
* Works with any theme
* **Gutenberg block** and **Elementor** integration for inserting links while you write
* **Fluent Boards integration** — manage short links directly from your project tasks
* Full REST API for developers
* Translation-ready and WPML-compatible

## 🔄 Switching From Another Plugin?

Move your existing links across in one click — no CSV wrangling, no lost redirects.

* **Pretty Links** → BetterLinks
* **ThirstyAffiliates** → BetterLinks
* **Simple 301 Redirects** → BetterLinks
* Plus CSV import/export for links and click history

## 🏆 Why Choose BetterLinks

* **Your data stays yours** — links and analytics live in your own WordPress database
* **No per-click pricing** — unlike hosted URL shorteners
* **Built for scale** — thousands of links without slowing your site down
* **Actively maintained** by [WPDeveloper](https://wpdeveloper.com/), trusted by millions of WordPress users
* **Free forever core** — shortening, redirects, categories, analytics and migration are all in the free plugin

## 🔥 Upgrade To BetterLinks PRO

Unlock the full toolkit: link cloaking, dynamic redirects with A/B split testing, geo & device targeting, individual link analytics, Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel integration, auto-link keywords, affiliate disclosures, password protection, link scheduling & expiry, the broken link and full-site scanners, custom domains, role management, email reporting and the AI Bulk Link Generator.

[Get BetterLinks PRO →](https://betterlinks.io/#pricing)

## 💜 More From WPDeveloper

🔝 [Essential Addons For Elementor](https://wordpress.org/plugins/essential-addons-for-elementor-lite/) – The most popular Elementor extensions library, with 2 million+ active users.

👉 [Essential Blocks For Gutenberg](https://wordpress.org/plugins/essential-blocks/) – Advanced block library to supercharge the WordPress editor.

🔔 [NotificationX](https://wordpress.org/plugins/notificationx/) – Social proof & FOMO marketing solution that increases conversion rates.

📄 [EmbedPress](https://wordpress.org/plugins/embedpress/) – Embed content from 250+ sources with one click, in Gutenberg and Elementor.

📝 [BetterDocs](https://wordpress.org/plugins/betterdocs) – Documentation & knowledge base solution that reduces your support load.

⏰ [SchedulePress](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-scheduled-posts/) – Complete WordPress scheduling with an editorial calendar and social sharing.

☁️ [Templately](https://wordpress.org/plugins/templately/) – 5000+ ready templates for Elementor & Gutenberg with cloud collaboration.

🎨 [Flexia](https://wordpress.org/themes/flexia/) – Lightweight, customizable, multipurpose WordPress theme.

## 👨‍💻 Documentation & Support

* [Documentation & tutorials](https://betterlinks.io/docs/)
* [YouTube playlist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJqBrFhQC1A&list=PLWHp1xKHCfxBtIjolI693SDWtdfKZCc37)
* [Community support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/betterlinks/)
* [Facebook community](https://www.facebook.com/groups/wpdeveloper.net/)
* Loving BetterLinks? [Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/betterlinks/reviews/?rate=5#new-post)

== Installation ==

= From your WordPress dashboard =

1. Go to **Plugins → Add New**.
2. Search for **BetterLinks**.
3. Click **Install Now**, then **Activate**.
4. Follow the Quick Setup wizard, or head straight to **BetterLinks → Manage Links** to create your first short link.

= Manual installation =

1. Upload the `betterlinks` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`.
2. Activate the plugin through the **Plugins** menu in WordPress.
3. Open **BetterLinks** in your admin sidebar to get started.

Full setup guide: [betterlinks.io/docs](https://betterlinks.io/docs/)

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= What is BetterLinks used for? =

BetterLinks is a WordPress link management plugin for creating short links, branded links, affiliate links, redirects and trackable campaign URLs directly from your WordPress dashboard.

= Who should use BetterLinks? =

Affiliate marketers, bloggers, SEO professionals, agencies, content creators, ecommerce teams and any site owner who needs to shorten, cloak, organize, redirect and track links in WordPress.

= Is BetterLinks free? =

Yes. The free plugin includes unlimited short links, 301/302/307 redirects, categories and tags, click tracking and analytics, the UTM builder, CSV import/export and one-click migration from other plugins. BetterLinks PRO adds cloaking, dynamic redirects, advanced analytics and more.

= Do I need a third-party URL shortener like Bitly? =

No. BetterLinks creates short links on your own domain, so your branding stays intact and your click data stays in your own database — with no per-click pricing.

= Can I create branded short links? =

Yes. Every short link is served from your own site by default, and BetterLinks PRO adds full custom domain support if you want a separate short domain.

= Does BetterLinks track link clicks and analytics? =

Yes. BetterLinks records total and unique clicks, referrers, countries, browsers and devices, with a real-time dashboard and date-range filtering. Bot traffic is filtered out automatically.

= Can I use BetterLinks for affiliate link management? =

Yes — it is built for it. Shorten, cloak, organize and track affiliate URLs, add nofollow/sponsored attributes, automatically link keywords across your content, and display FTC-friendly affiliate disclosures.

= Will BetterLinks slow down my website? =

No. Redirects resolve from an optimized cache rather than repeated database queries, so performance stays consistent even with tens of thousands of links.

= Can I migrate from Pretty Links or ThirstyAffiliates? =

Yes. BetterLinks includes one-click migration for Pretty Links, ThirstyAffiliates and Simple 301 Redirects, plus CSV import. Keep the old plugin active until the migration finishes.

= Does BetterLinks include a UTM builder? =

Yes. Add UTM campaign parameters to any link. BetterLinks PRO adds saved UTM templates that you can apply across many links at once.

= Can BetterLinks find broken links on my site? =

Yes. BetterLinks PRO includes a broken link scanner for your short links and a full-site scanner that crawls your published content, both with scheduled scans and email reports.

= Does BetterLinks work with Gutenberg and Elementor? =

Yes. There is a Gutenberg block plus instant-redirect controls in both the block editor and Elementor, so you can create and insert short links while you write.

= Is BetterLinks translation ready? =

Yes. BetterLinks is fully translation-ready and compatible with WPML.

== Screenshots ==

1. Link shortening & custom links — turn any long URL into a short, branded link
2. Advanced redirects — 301, 302, 307 and cloaked redirects with full control
3. Auto-Link Keywords — turn chosen keywords into links across your whole site
4. Link analytics — clicks, unique visitors, referrers and campaign performance
5. Full Site Link Scanner — find and fix broken links across your content
6. AI Bulk Link Generator — create short links for many posts at once

== Changelog ==

= 3.0.1 - 10/08/2026 =

- Fixed: Bulk status changes reset a link's category to Uncategorized
- Fixed: Unique click counts were mismatched between links, or shown as 1
- Fixed: Link in Bio category showed no links after being enabled
- Fixed: Category and tag deletion reported success when nothing was deleted
- Fixed: Renaming a category or tag reported a failure even when it saved
- Fixed: Quick Setup stayed in the menu on sites that never ran the wizard
- Improvement: Compact list view now fits more than twice as many links on screen
- Improvement: Restricted the country lookup endpoint to authorised users
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 3.0.0 - 03/08/2026 =

- Added: All-new interface with a refreshed, optimized design
- Improvement: Streamlined workflows with better performance and accessibility
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.4.13 - 23/06/2026 =

- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.4.12 - 07/06/2026 =

- Improvement: Redesigned Import/Export with improved field mapping and support for complex imports.
- Improvement: Resolved Plugin Check (PCP) warnings and errors.
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.4.11 - 21/05/2026 =

- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.4.10 - 11/05/2026 =

- Improvement: WPML support for Affiliate Link Disclosure Notice translations.
- Fixed: Missing ABSPATH protection issue causing PHP fatal errors on direct file access.
- Fixed: CSV import issue stripping `%` characters from `target_url`, causing broken redirects.
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.4.9 - 16/04/2026 =

- Improvement: Added WPML-compatible translatable string support.
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.4.8 - 06/04/2026 =

- Fixed: Resolved an issue where duplicating a BetterLinks URL caused the original Shortened URL to stop working
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.4.7 - 26/02/2026 =

- Improvement: Improved Analytics table with dynamic column resize control
- Improvement: Added toast notifications for all status updates
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements 

= 2.4.5 - 10/02/2026 =

- Improvement: Added proper handling for root relative target URLs beginning with a forward slash ("/")
- Fixed: Link management issue Gutenberg editor 
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.4.4 - 02/02/2026 =

- Fixed: Missing Prefix issue in default general settings
- Fixed: Duplicate short link data related issue
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements 

= 2.4.3 - 14/01/2026 =

- Fixed: Migration error caused by a scalar value being treated as an array.
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements 

= 2.4.2 - 05/01/2026 =

- Fixed: Share Task issue with Fluent Boards Link Management
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.4.1 - 28/12/2025 =

- Fixed: Missing geolocation script reference causing console errors
- Fixed: Database migration issue during plugin updates
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.4.0 - 18/12/2025 =

- Improvement: Introduced Bulk Deletion option in Specific Clicks Analytics and Item-wise Analytics.
- Improvement: Introduced Multiple URL Slug Generation mechanism
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.3.4 - 27/11/2025 =

- Few minor bug fixes & improvements


= 2.3.3 - 18/11/2025 =

- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.3.2 - 26/10/2025 =

- Improvement: Added “Refresh Stats” option on the Analytics page for Instant data updates.
- Improvement: Enhanced the “Reset” mechanism — it now supports date-wise resets with individual link data clearing.
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.3.1 - 21/09/2025 =
- Improvement: Added Default Category selection option.
- Improvement: Database repair now runs automatically during installation.
- Few minor bug fixes & improvement

= 2.3.0 - 26/08/2025 =

- Added: Support for Category Management
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.2.2 - 19/12/2024 =

- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.2.1 - 27/11/2024 =

- Fixed: Fatal Error on Plugin activation 
- Fixed: Quick Setup default configuration value
- Fixed: Prevent unwanted duplicate link creation with Quick Link Creation Feature
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.2.0 - 26/11/2024 =

- Improvements: Added 'Migrate from Database' option for 3rd party plugins in Tools
- Improvements: Added Link Duplication in Manage Links
- Improvements: Asset loading performance in Gutenberg
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.1.12 - 21/11/2024 =

- Improvements: Added Total Click & Unique Click count in Graph Analytics
- Fixed: Analytics filter query for total click & unique click count
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.1.11 - 14/11/2024 =

- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.1.10 - 10/11/2024 =

- Added: Quick Setup Wizard
- Fixed: Referer not showing in Analytics when using 'Open in New Tab' in gutenberg
- Tested up to WordPress version 6.7
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.1.9 - 23/10/2024 =

- Fixed: Double link creation issue when using Instant Redirect Feature
- Fixed: Unicode character encoding issue with Quick Link Creation Feature
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.1.8 - 15/10/2024 =

- Improved: Security Enhancement
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.1.7 - 06/09/2024 =

- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.1.6 - 05/09/2024 =

- Improvements: Added 7G Firewall compatibility
- Fixed: Quick Link Creation extra forward slash ("/") issue
- Fixed: Quick Link Creation Empty title issue
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.1.5 - 11/08/2024 =

- Fixed: Resolved issue with undefined short slugs in Fluent Boards Link Management.
- Few minor bug fixes & improvements

= 2.1.4 - 16/07/2024 =

- Fixed: PHP Fatal Error Issue.
- Few minor bug fixes & improvement

= 2.1.3 - 16/07/2024 =

- Added: WordPress 6.6 Compatibility
- Few minor bug fixes & improvement

= 2.1.2 - 07/07/2024 =

- Fixed: Uncaught Error for using a scalar value as an array
- Few minor bug fixes & improvement

= 2.1.1 - 26/06/2024 =

- Improvement: Added Fluent Boards Shortened Link Deletion on Task Delete or Archive
- Improvement: Added Category Hide option in Fluent Boards Links Management settings
- Improvement: Added support for UTF-8 encoded characters in Quick Link Creation Feature
- Fixed: Fatal error - Undefined variable in Quick Link Creation Feature
- Fixed: Empty Sample CSV file on export
- Few minor bug fixes & improvement

= 2.1.0 - 11/06/2024 =

- Added: Fluent Boards Link Management Feature
- Few minor bug fixes & improvement

= 2.0.0 - 19/05/2024 =

- Added: Quick Link Creation Feature
- Improvement: Link title will be automatically generated from the target URL's title
- Improvement: Manage Links date format now matches the WordPress default format
- Improvement: Manage Tags UI
- Fixed: Analytics now displays from the top of the page
- Fixed: Added proper validation for Custom Fields
- Few minor bug fixes & improvement

= 1.9.2 - 13/05/2024 =

- Fixed: HTML element tag support inside Link Title
- Few minor bug fixes & improvement

= 1.9.1 - 24/04/2024 =

- Fixed: Exported CSV file's column label
- Few minor bug fixes & improvement


[See changelog for all versions](https://betterlinks.io/changelog/).

== Upgrade Notice ==