Simon's Auto Keyword Linker
Automatically scans and converts keywords into links — internal links stay dofollow, external links can optionally open in a new tab with nofollow.
Use with caution
Simon's Auto Keyword Linker works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 50+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 10 months ago, and scores 47/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (50+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.9 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Simon's Auto Keyword Linker stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| automatic linking | #68 |
| internal linking | >100 |
| keyword linking | #33 |
| keyword scanner | #12 |
| seo | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Simon's Auto Keyword Linker
From the official readme · v1.8.8Description
Simon’s Auto Keyword Linker is a lightweight, fast, and intelligent WordPress plugin that automatically transforms your selected keywords into links across posts and pages.
Perfect for internal linking, topic clusters, dictionaries/glossaries, affiliate linking, and improving SEO at scale — all without bloat.
🚀 Key Features
- Unlimited keyword → URL pairs
- Link each keyword up to 1–50 times per post/page
- Never links a keyword on its own target page (prevents self-linking)
- Case-insensitive, whole-word matching
- Skips headings (H1–H6), existing links, and all HTML tags
- Sorts keywords by length to prevent overlapping/partial matches
- Clean, efficient engine based on safe regex & placeholders
- Works with Gutenberg, Classic Editor, page builders, and most themes
- Fully compatible with caching plugins
🔍 Smart Keyword Scanner (New!)
Click one button and the plugin will:
- Scan all published posts and pages
- Detect highly-relevant multi-word phrases already appearing on your site
- Score and rank them based on frequency + title relevance
- Suggest the best internal page to link each phrase to
- Allow one-click add or delete (“Trash”) suggestions
No more guessing what to link — get data-driven internal linking recommendations instantly.
🔗 External Link Control
For external URLs, you can enable:
target="_blank"rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"
Internal links remain dofollow for optimal SEO.
🤖 How the Linking Engine Works
- Matches whole words only — never inside other words or URLs
- Never links inside headings (
<h1>–<h6>) - Ensures links are not placed inside existing
<a>tags - Automatically decodes HTML entities like
&→& - Prevents short-keyword conflicts by linking longest phrases first
Example keyword rules:
Web Hosting|https://yourwebsite.com/web-hosting/
Contact Form|https://yourwebsite.com/contact/
External URL|https://example.com
Upgrade to Pro (Optional)
Auto SEO Keyword Linker Pro adds advanced features such as:
- Conditional logic per keyword (e.g.,
category:5,post-type:page) - Click statistics per link
- Export & Import your keyword rules
- Link title attribute control
- Max links per page & advanced targeting
Learn more (optional upgrade):
https://simonward.net/auto-seo-keyword-linker/
Installation
- Upload the
simons-auto-keyword-linkerfolder to/wp-content/plugins/ - Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress
- Go to Settings → Keyword Links
- Add your
keyword|URLpairs (one per line) - Optional:
- Set max links per keyword
- Enable new-tab + nofollow for external links
- Use the built-in Smart Keyword Scanner to auto-discover new keyword opportunities
Frequently asked questions
Does this plugin modify my database content?
No. Links are added dynamically when pages are displayed. Disable the plugin and everything returns to normal.
Will this slow down my site?
No. The plugin is extremely lightweight and runs only on the the_content filter using efficient regex logic.
Does it work with page builders?
Yes — it works with Gutenberg, Classic Editor, Elementor, Divi, WPBakery, Bricks, and most other builders (as long as the builder uses the_content output).
Can it link multi-word phrases?
Yes — and phrases are sorted by length so longer keywords are linked first.
Does it prevent over-linking?
Yes — you control the maximum number of links per keyword per page.
Changelog
1.8.8
- Improved: Cleaner, more intuitive UI for the Smart Keyword Scanner
- Added: Bulk delete (“Trash Selected”) option in keyword suggestions
- Added: Option to select maximum words per keyword phrase when scanning
- Added: Option to set minimum occurrences (1–5) to reduce low-quality or accidental keyword phrases
- Improved: More accurate keyword and phrase scanning
- Improved: Better filtering of repeated or low-value phrases
- Improved: More reliable handling of punctuation and special characters in scanned phrases
- Improved: Reduced duplicate suggestions and overall scan quality
1.8.7
- Added: Smart Keyword Scanner — auto-discover valuable phrases from your content
- Added: One-click suggestion of best internal link targets
- Added: Select-all and bulk-add functionality in keyword generator
- Improved: Better UI/UX in settings
1.8.6
- Added: Option to open external links in new tab with rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”
- Added: Visual indicator (Internal / External) in settings table
- Improved: Better escaping and WordPress coding standards compliance
- Fixed: All known bugs and layout issues
1.7.0
- First public release.
Screenshots
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Simon's Auto Keyword Linker alternatives
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FAQ
Simon's Auto Keyword Linker: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 7, 2026
Is Simon's Auto Keyword Linker free?
Yes. Simon's Auto Keyword Linker is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Simon's Auto Keyword Linker safe to use in 2026?
Simon's Auto Keyword Linker works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 50+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 10 months ago, and scores 47/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Simon's Auto Keyword Linker?
Simon's Auto Keyword Linker is active on 50+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 747 times since it launched in November 2025. It was downloaded 81 times in the last 30 days.
Does Simon's Auto Keyword Linker work with WordPress 7.1?
Simon's Auto Keyword Linker is officially tested up to WordPress 6.9.10, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Simon's Auto Keyword Linker need?
Simon's Auto Keyword Linker requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Simon's Auto Keyword Linker last updated?
The latest version, 1.8.8, was released on December 6, 2025 (10 months ago).
Who makes Simon's Auto Keyword Linker?
Simon's Auto Keyword Linker is developed and maintained by Simon Ward.
What are the best alternatives to Simon's Auto Keyword Linker?
The most popular alternatives to Simon's Auto Keyword Linker are Internal Link Juicer: SEO A… (90K+ installs), SEO Auto Linker (1K+ installs) and Automatic Internal Links fo… (1K+ installs).
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