Using Link Whisper for internal linking in WordPress

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Internal linking is a critical aspect of any successful SEO strategy. It helps guide both search engines and users through your website, ensuring that content is easily discoverable and contextually linked. However, manually managing internal links can be tedious and time-consuming, especially for content-heavy websites.

This is where Link Whisper – a popular WordPress plugin, comes into play. Designed to automate internal linking, Link Whisper promises to save time and enhance your SEO efforts. In this post, we’ll provide a detailed guide on using Link Whisper, including its features, benefits, drawbacks, and comparisons with other tools.

Understanding internal linking

Importance of internal links for SEO

Internal links are the backbone of a well-structured website. They help guide information architecture, connecting related content and distributing page rank throughout your site. This internal linking network signals to search engines how different pages on your site relate to one another, which can significantly boost your SEO efforts.

Impact on Search Engines and Users

For search engines, internal links are vital for crawling and indexing your site. They help search engines discover new content and understand the structure of your website. For users, internal links enhance navigation by providing pathways to related content, which can increase engagement and reduce bounce rates.

What is Link Whisper?

Overview

Link Whisper, developed by Spencer Hawes of Niche Pursuits, is a WordPress plugin that leverages natural language processing (NLP) to automate internal linking. It scans your blog content and offers relevant internal link suggestions, making the linking process quick and effortless.

Target audience

Link Whisper is particularly useful for content-heavy websites, SEO professionals, and niche site creators. If you’re tired of manually building internal links or managing a large volume of content, Link Whisper can significantly streamline your workflow.

Key features of Link Whisper

Automatic link suggestions

One of Link Whisper’s standout features is its ability to provide real-time link suggestions while you write in the WordPress editor. As you type, the plugin analyzes your content and suggests relevant internal links based on the context.

Auto-linking

The Auto-Linking feature allows you to specify keywords and target URLs. Whenever the specified keywords appear in your content, Link Whisper automatically adds the links. This feature is particularly useful for ensuring consistent linking to cornerstone content or frequently referenced pages.

Detailed link reporting

Link Whisper offers comprehensive reporting on your internal and external links. The dashboard provides insights into outbound and inbound links, broken links, and 404 errors. This helps you maintain a healthy link profile and address any issues promptly.

Orphan page identification

Orphan pages are those with no incoming links, making them hard for search engines to find and index. Link Whisper identifies these pages and suggests relevant internal links to ensure all your content is interconnected.

Seamless integrations

Link Whisper integrates with popular SEO plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, and Google Search Console. This integration allows you to pull in target keywords and utilize search data to optimize your internal linking strategy further.

URL changer

The URL Changer feature enables bulk changes to URLs across your site without using redirects. This is particularly useful if you restructure your site and need to update numerous internal links.

Benefits of using Link Whisper

Time-saving

Manually managing internal links is a labor-intensive task. Link Whisper automates this process, saving you significant time. For example, the Auto-Linking feature can add hundreds of internal links in minutes, which would otherwise take hours to do manually.

Clean code

Unlike some other WordPress plugins that use messy JavaScript redirects, Link Whisper generates clean HTML links. This ensures that your internal links are as effective as those created manually, without any negative impact on your site’s SEO.

Permanent links

Once you add links using Link Whisper, they remain intact even if you deactivate the plugin. This permanence means you won’t lose any internal links if you decide to stop using the tool.

No impact on page speed

Page speed is a crucial factor for SEO, and adding numerous internal links could potentially slow down your site. However, Link Whisper has been designed to have no discernible impact on page speed, even with extensive linking.

Compatibility

Link Whisper works seamlessly with major page builders like Elementor, Thrive Architect, and Divi. This compatibility ensures that you can use the plugin regardless of the tools you prefer for building your site.

Drawbacks of Link Whisper

Irrelevant link suggestions

One of the main drawbacks of Link Whisper is that it sometimes suggests irrelevant links. While the NLP algorithm is powerful, it isn’t perfect. Users must manually review the suggestions to ensure they are contextually appropriate.

Limited CMS support

Link Whisper is exclusively for WordPress sites. If you use other content management systems like Squarespace, Shopify, or Wix, you won’t be able to use this tool.

Language support

Initially built for English, Link Whisper now supports a few other languages, including Spanish, French, and Portuguese. However, it may not work as effectively for websites in unsupported languages.

Comparing Link Whisper with other tools

Internal Link Juicer

This WordPress plugin automates internal linking and varies anchor text using an intelligent gap feature. It is a strong alternative but might not offer the same level of integration and detailed reporting as Link Whisper.

Interlinks Manager

A budget-friendly option, Interlinks Manager calculates the link juice of each page and helps distribute authority efficiently. It lacks some of the automation features of Link Whisper but is a solid choice for budget-conscious users.

Internal Links Manager

A free plugin that automates internal linking and improves user experience without any cost. It is a good starting point but may not offer the advanced features and reporting capabilities of Link Whisper.

Pricing and value

Link Whisper offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to try the tool risk-free.

• Single site license: $97 per year
• 3 site license: $137 per year
• 10 site license: $187 per year
• 50 site license: $347 per year

Step-by-step guide to using this plugin

Installation and activation

1. Purchase the license from the official Link Whisper website.
2. Download the plugin and upload it to your WordPress site.
3. Activate the plugin and enter the license key.
4. Run a link scan to analyze your existing content and start receiving link suggestions.

Adding internal links:

1. While writing or editing a post, scroll to the Link Whisper suggestions panel.
2. Review the suggested links and check the box next to each one you want to add.
3. Click “Insert Links” to add them to your content.

Using auto-linking

1. Go to the Auto-Linking settings in the Link Whisper dashboard.
2. Enter the keywords and target URLs you want to link automatically.
3. Adjust settings to avoid duplicate links or limit the number of links per post.
4. Save your settings and let Link Whisper handle the rest.

Managing orphan pages

1. Access the Orphan Pages report from the Link Whisper dashboard.
2. Review the suggested links for each orphan page.
3. Click to add relevant links, ensuring all pages are interconnected.

Fixing broken links

1. Open the Error Report in the Link Whisper dashboard.
2. Identify broken links and use the URL Changer feature to update or remove them.
3. Save changes to maintain a healthy link profile.

Takeaway

Link Whisper is a powerful tool for automating internal linking, making it easier to manage and optimize your website’s link structure. While it has some drawbacks, such as occasional irrelevant link suggestions and limited CMS support, its benefits far outweigh these issues.

By saving time, maintaining clean code, and not impacting page speed, Link Whisper proves to be a valuable asset for any WordPress site. If you’re struggling with internal linking or managing a large volume of content, give Link Whisper a try and see how it can enhance your SEO efforts.