TK Shortcode Link
Create links with a shortcode. It's that simple.
Consider an alternative
TK Shortcode Link shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 40+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 8 years ago, and scores 31/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (40+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 7 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 5.1 (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 TK Shortcode Link stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| link | >100 |
| shortcode | >100 |
| target | >100 |
| utility | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About TK Shortcode Link
From the official readme · v1.2.1Description
Create links with a shortcode. Comes in handy in places where HTML tags aren’t allowed and/or keep getting encoded or something.
Basically, just a utility plugin.
Accepts 3 parameters:
- url
- target (automatically adds the leading underscore)
- class
Examples:
[tklink url="https://www.nike.com/"]Just do it[/tklink]- Outputs:
<a class="tklink" href="https://www.nike.com/">Just do it</a>
- Outputs:
[tklink url="https://www.wordpress.org/"][/tklink]- Outputs:
<a class="tklink" href="https://www.wordpress.org/">https://www.wordpress.org/</a>
- Outputs:
[tklink url="https://www.google.com/" class="googlie" target="blank"]A googglie Google link that will open in a new tab[/tklink]- Outputs:
<a class="googlie" href="https://www.google.com/" target="_blank">A googglie Google link that will open in a new tab</a>
- Outputs:
Developers may contribute at https://github.com/cliffordp/tk-shortcode-link
FYI:
- All links have a class of
tklinkadded unless you specify your own class per link (see examples above) - No styling of
tklinkor otherwise is added via this plugin. - If you don’t know what classes are, you can ignore. It’s for styling (i.e. look and feel).
Changelog
1.2.1
- March 5, 2019
- Now passes the shortcode name to
shortcode_atts()to allow filtering this plugin’s shortcode. - Now escapes additional output.
- Now displays the URL as the anchor text if the shortcode’s content is empty. (Still requires the closing shortcode tag.)
- Fix capability required to display error message.
- License changed from GPLv2+ to GPLv3+.
- Readme compatibility changed to WordPress version 5.1
1.2
- April 28, 2015
- Readme compatibility changed to WordPress version 4.2.1
1.1
- August 30, 2013
- Now uses
tklinkinstead oflinkdue to being too generic (e.g. conflicts with PageLines Theme) - You MUST change any and all existing shortcodes manually. This should not have to change again.
1.0
- August 19, 2013
- Initial release
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 TK Shortcode Link alternatives
All link plugins →
FAQ
TK Shortcode Link: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 14, 2026
Is TK Shortcode Link free?
Yes. TK Shortcode Link is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is TK Shortcode Link safe to use in 2026?
TK Shortcode Link shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 40+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 8 years ago, and scores 31/100 on our health check.
How many websites use TK Shortcode Link?
TK Shortcode Link is active on 40+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 3,274 times since it launched in August 2013. It was downloaded 57 times in the last 30 days.
Does TK Shortcode Link work with WordPress 7.1?
TK Shortcode Link is officially tested up to WordPress 5.1.27, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was TK Shortcode Link last updated?
The latest version, 1.2.1, was released on March 6, 2019 (8 years ago).
Who makes TK Shortcode Link?
TK Shortcode Link is developed and maintained by Clifford Paulick.
What are the best alternatives to TK Shortcode Link?
The most popular alternatives to TK Shortcode Link are Custom Post Type Permalinks (200K+ installs), Page Links To (100K+ installs) and VK Link Target Controller (30K+ installs).
Powered by PageForge
Want thousands of pages that rank like these? Build them in an afternoon.
This directory runs on the same engine as PageForge. Turn any spreadsheet, CSV or API into thousands of fast, SEO-ready WordPress pages — with schema, internal links and AI-written copy baked in.
- CSV, Google Sheets & API data sources
- AI content, schema & internal links per page
- Works with Elementor, Gutenberg, Yoast & Rank Math
- Free on WordPress.org — no credit card
