Royal Links Lite Documentation
Complete guide to managing your affiliate and marketing links with Royal Links Lite. This free plugin provides powerful link shortening, click tracking, and organization features for WordPress.
Getting Started
Royal Links Lite is a free, powerful WordPress link management plugin that helps you create branded short links, track clicks, and organize your affiliate and marketing links efficiently.
Key Features
Link Shortening
Create clean, branded short URLs using your own domain name.
Click Tracking
Detailed analytics including browser, device, and referrer data.
Multiple Redirect Types
Support for 301, 302, and 307 redirects for different use cases.
Link Organization
Categorize and tag your links for easy management.
SEO Attributes
Easy nofollow and sponsored attribute management for compliance.
Broken Link Detection
Automatic monitoring alerts you when destination URLs break.
Requirements
- WordPress 5.0 or higher
- PHP 7.4 or higher
Installation
From WordPress.org (Recommended)
Search for the plugin
In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Add New and search for "Royal Links Lite"
Install and activate
Click "Install Now" then "Activate" once installation completes
Start creating links
Go to Royal Links in your admin menu to create your first short link
After activation, flush your permalinks by going to Settings > Permalinks and clicking "Save Changes" to ensure short links work correctly.
Quick Start
Create your first branded short link in minutes:
Go to Royal Links > Add New
Navigate to the Royal Links menu and click "Add New" to create a link.
Enter link details
Add a title (for internal reference), the destination URL, and optionally customize the slug.
Configure options
Choose redirect type, add nofollow/sponsored attributes if needed.
Publish your link
Click "Publish" and your short link is ready to use!
Link Management
Royal Links Lite provides a clean interface for managing all your links from one place.
Creating Links
Each link consists of:
- Title - Internal name for your reference (e.g., "Amazon Product A")
- Destination URL - The full URL you want to redirect to
- Slug - The short part of your URL (auto-generated or custom)
- Redirect Type - 301 (permanent), 302 (temporary), or 307
Redirect Types Explained
| Type | Name | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 301 | Permanent Redirect | Affiliate links, permanent destinations |
| 302 | Temporary Redirect | Testing, temporary promotions |
| 307 | Temporary (Strict) | Preserves request method (POST remains POST) |
Link Attributes
- Nofollow - Tells search engines not to pass link equity (recommended for affiliate links)
- Sponsored - Indicates paid/sponsored links (Google recommended attribute)
- Open in New Tab - Link opens in a new browser tab when inserted in content
Click Tracking
Every click on your short links is automatically tracked with detailed information.
What's Tracked
- Click timestamp
- Browser and browser version
- Operating system
- Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
- Referrer URL (where the click came from)
- Unique vs. repeat visitor detection
IP address tracking is disabled by default. You can enable it in Settings if needed for advanced analytics, but consider GDPR/privacy implications.
Analytics Dashboard
The analytics dashboard gives you a comprehensive view of your link performance.
Dashboard Metrics
- Total Clicks - All clicks across all links
- Unique Clicks - First-time visitors only
- Active Links - Links that received clicks in the period
- Average Daily Clicks - Click rate over time
Reports Available
- Clicks over time (chart)
- Top performing links
- Top referrers
- Browser breakdown
- Device breakdown
Filtering Options
Filter analytics by time period (7 days, 30 days, 90 days, year, all time) and by specific link.
Categories & Tags
Organize your links with categories and tags for easy filtering and management.
Categories
Use categories for broad groupings:
- Affiliate Programs (Amazon, ShareASale, etc.)
- Social Media Links
- Blog Resources
- Product Reviews
Tags
Use tags for more specific labeling:
- Product names
- Campaign names
- Seasons/dates
Create categories for your affiliate networks (Amazon, CJ, etc.) and use tags for specific campaigns or products.
Link Health Monitoring
Royal Links Lite automatically checks your destination URLs for broken links.
How It Works
- Links are checked daily (via WordPress cron)
- Broken links are flagged with a warning
- View all broken links in the Link Health page
- Dismissible admin notices alert you to issues
What's Checked
- HTTP status code (4xx and 5xx errors flagged)
- Response time
- Connection errors
Some affiliate networks may block automated checks. If a link is incorrectly flagged as broken, verify it manually.
Editor Integration
Easily insert your short links directly from the WordPress editor.
Gutenberg Block Editor
Use the Royal Links block to insert links:
- Add a new block and search for "Royal Links"
- Select a link from the dropdown
- The short URL is automatically inserted
Classic Editor
A button is added to the Classic Editor toolbar:
- Click the Royal Links button in the toolbar
- Search or browse your links
- Click to insert the selected link
Settings
Configure Royal Links Lite from the Settings page.
General Settings
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Link Prefix | URL path prefix (e.g., /go/) | go |
| Default Redirect Type | Default for new links | 301 |
Default Link Options
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Nofollow | Add nofollow by default | Enabled |
| Sponsored | Add sponsored by default | Disabled |
| Open in New Tab | Open links in new tab | Enabled |
Tracking Settings
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Click Tracking | Track all link clicks | Enabled |
| Store IP Addresses | Save visitor IP addresses | Disabled |
| Enable Link Checker | Automatic broken link detection | Enabled |
Import/Export
Migrate your links from other plugins or backup your data.
Import from CSV
Import links from a CSV file with these columns:
title- Link title (required)destination_url- Target URL (required)slug- Custom slug (optional)redirect_type- 301, 302, or 307 (optional)nofollow- 1 or 0 (optional)sponsored- 1 or 0 (optional)
Import from Other Plugins
Royal Links Lite can import from:
- Pretty Links
- ThirstyAffiliates
Export
Export all your links to CSV for backup or migration to another site.
Always backup your database before importing large numbers of links. Test with a small CSV first.
Troubleshooting
Short links show 404 error
- Go to Settings > Permalinks
- Click "Save Changes" (this flushes rewrite rules)
- Try your short link again
Analytics not showing clicks
- Ensure "Enable Click Tracking" is turned on in Settings
- Check that the link is published (not draft)
- Wait a few minutes - stats may have a slight delay
Import failing
- Ensure CSV has required columns (title, destination_url)
- Check for special characters that may need escaping
- Try importing a smaller batch (100 links at a time)
Conflict with caching plugins
If short links are being cached incorrectly:
- Exclude the link prefix from caching (e.g., /go/*)
- Clear your cache after making changes
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Royal Links Lite really free?
Yes! Royal Links Lite is 100% free with all essential features. The Pro version adds advanced features like auto-linking, scheduling, geo-targeting, and A/B testing.
Will this slow down my site?
No. Royal Links Lite is lightweight and optimized. Redirects happen instantly, and tracking is done efficiently without impacting page load times.
Does this work with Amazon Associates?
Yes, but be aware that Amazon requires links to be "uncloaked" (showing amazon.com in the URL). You can still use Royal Links to track clicks, but consider Amazon's terms of service regarding link cloaking.
Can I change the link prefix from /go/?
Yes! Go to Royal Links > Settings and change the Link Prefix to whatever you prefer (e.g., /recommend/, /out/, /visit/).
What's the difference between Lite and Pro?
Royal Links Pro adds: auto-linking keywords, link scheduling and expiration, geo-targeting, device-based redirects, A/B split testing, advanced analytics with exports, and priority support.
Can I use this with other link plugins?
We recommend using one link management plugin at a time to avoid conflicts. However, you can import links from Pretty Links and ThirstyAffiliates when migrating.