How to Create Automatic Article Links

SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base can automatically turn selected words or phrases inside your articles into clickable links.

For example, you could create a rule for:

product key

and link it to your article explaining where customers can find their product key.

The first matching use of that phrase in each article will then be linked automatically.

Why use automatic article links?

Automatic links help connect related documentation without requiring you to edit every article manually.

They are useful for frequently mentioned subjects such as:

• Product keys
• Licence activation
• Knowledge base categories
• Search Analytics
• Article feedback
• WordPress permalinks
• Privacy settings

When a visitor sees one of these phrases inside an article, they can select it to open the relevant guide.

Open the Automatic Article Links settings

To create an automatic link:

1. Sign in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Open Knowledge Base > Settings.
3. Select the Articles tab.
4. Find Automatic Article Links.
5. Enable Automatic Article Links.
6. Add a phrase and destination URL.
7. Select Save Changes.

Open a published article containing the phrase to test the result.

Add your first phrase

Select Add Phrase to create a new automatic link rule.

Each rule contains two fields:

• Phrase
• Destination URL

For example:

Phrase

product key

Destination URL

https://example.com/knowledge-base/where-to-find-your-product-key

After saving, the first matching use of product key inside each knowledge base article will become a link.

Use the full article URL

Open the article you want to link to and copy its public address from the browser.

Paste that address into the Destination URL field.

Use the published article URL rather than:

• A WordPress preview link
• An editor address
• A temporary draft link
• An outdated article URL

The destination must be a valid URL before the rule can be saved.

Link to another knowledge base article

Automatic links are particularly useful for connecting related documentation.

For example:

Phrase	Suggested destination
product key	Where to Find Your Purchase Email and Product Key
activate your licence	How to Activate SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base
unlisted article	How to Create an Unlisted Knowledge Base Article
Search Analytics	How to Use Knowledge Base Search Analytics
table of contents	How to Add a Table of Contents to Articles

Use the public URL of the relevant article as the destination.

Link to other pages

The destination does not have to be another knowledge base article.

You could also link to:

• A support page
• A contact form
• Your customer account area
• A product page
• A privacy policy
• Another useful page on your website

External URLs can also be used, although internal links will normally be more useful for documentation.

Always check that the destination is trustworthy and relevant to the phrase.

Only the first match is linked

SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base links the first matching use of each saved phrase in an article.

Later uses of the same phrase remain as normal text.

For example, if product key appears five times, only the first suitable occurrence will become a link.

This prevents the article from becoming filled with repeated links.

Each phrase can appear once per article

Different automatic link phrases can each be linked once in the same article.

For example, one article could automatically link the first use of:

• Product key
• Licence activation
• Search Analytics

Each phrase is handled separately.

Matching is not case-sensitive

A rule saved as:

product key

can also match:

Product Key

The original capitalisation used in the article remains visible.

This means you do not need to create separate rules for uppercase and lowercase versions of the same phrase.

Phrases are matched as complete terms

The plugin avoids linking a saved phrase when it only appears as part of a longer word.

For example, a rule for:

article

should not normally match text inside an unrelated longer word.

This helps prevent unexpected links from appearing in the middle of words.

Multi-word phrases are usually more precise than single common words.

Longer phrases are checked first

When two rules contain similar wording, SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base checks the longer phrase first.

For example, you could create rules for:

• Blocker Web
• Blocker Web Pro

When the article contains Blocker Web Pro, the longer phrase is considered first.

This prevents the shorter rule from taking part of the longer phrase.

Even so, avoid creating overlapping rules unless both are genuinely needed.

Existing links are not changed

Automatic links are not added inside text that is already linked.

For example, if you manually linked the words product key, the plugin will leave that link unchanged.

This prevents:

• Links inside other links
• Broken article formatting
• The destination being replaced
• Duplicate linking

Your manually added link takes priority for that occurrence.

Headings are not automatically linked

Saved phrases are not turned into automatic links inside headings.

This includes:

• Heading 1
• Heading 2
• Heading 3
• Heading 4
• Heading 5
• Heading 6

This keeps article titles, section headings and the table of contents clean.

The same phrase can still be linked when it appears later inside a normal paragraph.

Code blocks are left unchanged

Automatic links are not inserted inside code or preformatted blocks.

They are also avoided inside several other interactive or technical elements, including:

• Buttons
• Scripts
• Style code
• Text areas
• Select fields
• Options

This prevents the feature from changing commands, code examples or page controls.

Choose useful phrases

Good automatic link phrases are specific enough to have one clear meaning.

Useful examples include:

• Purchase email
• Product key
• Licence activation
• Knowledge base category
• Article feedback
• Search Analytics
• Privacy access gate
• Reading progress bar

Avoid very broad words such as:

• Plugin
• Article
• Page
• Settings
• Help
• WordPress

A broad phrase may appear in many articles where the link is not genuinely helpful.

Use natural phrases

Choose wording that already appears naturally in your articles.

For example, if your documentation normally says:

product key

do not create the rule using:

software serial credential

The saved phrase needs to appear in the article text before a link can be added.

Using familiar wording also makes the link clearer to visitors.

Match the exact wording

The saved phrase should match the wording used in your article.

For example, a rule for:

activate the licence

will not necessarily match:

licence activation

These are different phrases.

You could either:

• Use the wording that appears most often
• Update your articles to use consistent terminology
• Create a second rule when both versions are genuinely useful

Avoid creating too many nearly identical rules.

Keep phrases reasonably short

A phrase can be up to 150 characters, but most automatic links should be much shorter.

One to five words will usually be enough.

For example:

helpful article feedback

is clearer and easier to reuse than a complete sentence.

Long phrases are less likely to appear consistently across several articles.

Add more automatic link rules

To create another rule:

1. Open Knowledge Base > Settings > Articles.
2. Find Automatic Article Links.
3. Select Add Phrase.
4. Enter the phrase.
5. Enter its destination URL.
6. Repeat for any additional links.
7. Select Save Changes.

You can save up to 50 automatic link rules.

You do not need to use all 50. A smaller collection of carefully chosen links will normally produce better results.

Duplicate phrases

SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base keeps one rule for each phrase.

Duplicate phrases are compared without treating uppercase and lowercase wording as different.

For example:

• Product Key
• product key

are treated as the same phrase.

Keep the rule that points to the most useful destination and remove the duplicate.

Remove an automatic link rule

To delete a rule:

1. Open Knowledge Base > Settings > Articles.
2. Find the phrase you want to remove.
3. Select Remove beside the rule.
4. Select Save Changes.

The phrase will return to normal text in your articles.

Removing a rule does not delete or edit the destination article.

Change the destination

To point a phrase somewhere else:

1. Find the existing automatic link rule.
2. Replace the Destination URL.
3. Select Save Changes.
4. Open an article containing the phrase.
5. Test the updated link.

The article text does not need to be edited.

This is useful when an article is replaced or its URL changes.

Temporarily disable all automatic links

To stop displaying automatic links without deleting your rules:

1. Open the Automatic Article Links settings.
2. Disable Automatic Article Links.
3. Select Save Changes.

Your saved phrases and URLs remain in the settings.

You can enable the feature again later.

Automatic links and unlisted articles

You can point an automatic link to an unlisted article if you deliberately want visitors to reach it through that phrase.

Remember that an unlisted article is still publicly available to anyone with its URL.

It is only removed from normal knowledge base discovery areas such as search, categories and recommendations.

Do not use an unlisted article for confidential information.

Automatic links and article categories

The feature does not depend on article categories.

A phrase can link to an article in any category.

However, the destination should still be relevant to the sentence in which the link appears.

For example, a phrase about licence activation should not lead to an unrelated design settings article.

Automatic links and SEO

Useful internal links can make it easier for visitors and search engines to understand how your documentation is connected.

They can also help visitors discover deeper articles that might otherwise be missed.

However, adding large numbers of unnecessary links will not improve the article.

Use automatic links where they genuinely help someone understand a term or complete the next step.

Do not link every common term

An article containing too many links can become distracting.

Visitors may find it difficult to tell which links are important.

Start with a small group of recurring subjects, such as:

• Product key
• Licence activation
• Knowledge base category
• Search Analytics
• Article feedback

Add more only when you notice a clear need.

Check the surrounding sentence

The link should make sense in the sentence where the phrase appears.

For example:

Enter your product key to activate the plugin.

Linking product key to an article explaining where to find it is useful.

However:

The product key colour is used in our example image.

would not be a suitable context for the same destination.

Because the feature works automatically, review articles where the phrase may have more than one meaning.

Manual links are still useful

Automatic links do not replace normal links added through the WordPress editor.

Use a manual link when:

• A particular sentence needs a different destination
• You want custom link wording
• The same phrase has different meanings
• A link should appear more than once
• You need a specific call to action
• The destination is only relevant to one article

Automatic links work best for common phrases that consistently point to the same place.

Review rules after changing article URLs

If you change an article slug or knowledge base URL base, its old address may stop working.

Review the Automatic Article Links settings after changing:

• An article permalink
• The article URL base
• The category structure
• The website domain
• HTTP to HTTPS settings
• A staging website address

Replace old destination URLs and test them again.

Test an automatic link

After saving a rule:

1. Open a published article containing the exact phrase.
2. View the article while signed out of WordPress.
3. Find the first normal paragraph containing the phrase.
4. Check that it appears as a link.
5. Select the link.
6. Confirm that it opens the correct destination.
7. Check later uses of the phrase remain as normal text.
8. Test the article on mobile.

Testing while signed out shows the same page most visitors will see.

The automatic link is not appearing

If a phrase remains as normal text, check that:

• Automatic Article Links is enabled
• The phrase and URL were both saved
• The exact phrase appears in the article
• The article is published
• The phrase is inside normal article text
• The phrase is not inside a heading
• The phrase is not already linked
• The phrase is not inside a code block
• Your SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base licence is active
• The website cache has been cleared

Try adding the phrase to a simple paragraph and test again.

The phrase is inside a heading

Automatic links are deliberately not added to headings.

Add the phrase naturally to a paragraph underneath the heading.

For example:

Heading

Where to Find Your Product Key

Paragraph

Your product key is included with your purchase details.

The phrase in the paragraph can be linked, while the heading remains unchanged.

The wrong words are being linked

Check the saved phrase for:

• Missing words
• Extra spaces
• Typing mistakes
• Wording that is too broad
• Overlap with another phrase

Replace a broad phrase with something more specific.

For example, change:

key

to:

product key

This reduces the chance of linking unrelated text.

The link opens the wrong page

Open the Automatic Article Links settings and review the destination URL.

Make sure:

• The URL was pasted into the correct row
• The destination article is published
• The address does not contain a preview token
• The website domain is correct
• The URL has not changed

Replace the address, save the settings and test again.

The destination returns a 404 error

First check that the destination article is published.

If it is published but the URL still fails:

1. Open Settings > Permalinks.
2. Select Save Changes.
3. Clear the WordPress cache.
4. Test the destination again.
5. Update the automatic link rule if the URL has changed.

You do not normally need to change the WordPress permalink structure.

The same phrase is linked more than once

SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base should only link the first suitable use of each phrase in an article.

If several links appear, check whether:

• Some were added manually
• Another website feature is also creating links
• Similar rules have been saved
• Cached article HTML is being displayed

Remove duplicate manual links or disable the other automatic linking feature.

Existing links have changed

SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base leaves existing links unchanged.

If an existing link has been replaced or altered, another plugin, theme feature or custom code may also be processing the article content.

Temporarily disable other automatic linking features and test again.

Changes are not appearing

After adding, changing or removing a rule:

1. Select Save Changes.
2. Clear the WordPress cache.
3. Clear any hosting or server cache.
4. Clear your browser cache.
5. Open the article in a private browser window.

Article content may be cached with the automatic links already added.

Check automatic links on mobile

Automatic links behave like normal article links on mobile devices.

Check that:

• The link colour is easy to see
• Linked phrases remain readable
• Links are easy to tap
• No styling breaks the paragraph
• The destination page works on mobile
• Links are clearly different from normal text

The link colour is controlled by your knowledge base design and article link styling.

Automatic article links checklist

Before finishing, check that:

• Automatic Article Links is enabled
• Every rule has a clear phrase
• Every rule has a valid destination URL
• Phrases are specific and naturally written
• Important terms link to useful pages
• Duplicate rules have been removed
• Existing links and headings remain unchanged
• Code examples are not being linked
• Only the first use of each phrase is linked
• All destination pages work
• Old URLs are updated when article slugs change
• The links work on desktop and mobile

Automatic article links are now ready to connect related guides and help visitors move through your documentation more easily.