BetterLinks Review: Best Plugin for Link Cloaking?
BetterLinks Review
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Quick Summary
BetterLinks WordPress plugin is worth it if you are looking to manage all your affiliate links easily at one place. It is one of the best link management plugin for WordPress websites. Whether you want to cloak a affiliate link or simply shorten your own post or product page link to use on social media platforms, you will find BetterLinks useful. It is filled with a lot of link management features like auto-link keywords, scheduling, split testing, etc. I also love the analytics it provides for my links. I have used it for more than a year and rated 4.5/5. Btw, I’m still using BetterLinks.
Is BetterLinks a good link management plugin? Is the pro version worth it?
If you have the same questions in your mind, you’ll get the answer for it here.
Link management can be a real headache, especially when you’re dealing with affiliate marketing or just trying to keep your internal links organized.
That’s where BetterLinks comes in. But does it live up to the hype?
I’ve been using BetterLinks for the past three months, and I’m ready to spill the beans on my experience.
In this BetterLinks review, I’ll share my personal experience with this link management WordPress plugin and help you decide if it’s the right choice for your website.
What exactly is BetterLinks?
BetterLinks is a WordPress plugin that can help us in shortening, testing, tracking and analyzing links.
It can help bloggers, influencers, content creators and website owners like you and me.
Whether you’re promoting affiliate links or your own product, BetterLinks can help you with link management.
Or even if you just want to keep your content links organized, you might find this tool useful.
Pros and Cons
Key Features of BetterLinks
First, let me explain some core features of BetterLinks so you’ll get an idea what this wordpress plugin can do for you.
Link Shortening and Customization
BetterLinks allows you to shorten lengthy URLs, making them more visually appealing and easier to share. You can also customize the shortened URLs to make them more relevant to your content.
For example, if your product link looks like:
www.yourdomain.com/abc-premium-tool-for-bloggers
You can shorten and customize it like:
www.yourdomain.com/abc
Or
www.yourdomain.com/go/abc
Or in whatever way you want. This makes the process of sharing the product with your audience much easier and we can easily remember it.
This feature has been invaluable for my social media marketing as well.
Link Cloaking
This feature has been a game-changer for my affiliate marketing efforts.
BetterLinks allows me to mask affiliate links, turning ugly, suspicious-looking URLs into clean, branded links.
For instance, if your affiliate link for a camera looks like www.sonycam.imp.ie73.xyz
You can set redirect from your brand link like this: yourdomain.com/sonycam
Both the URL’s will take the readers to the same page but the cloaked affiliate link looks more trustworthy.
This has noticeably improved my click-through rates.
Redirection
BetterLinks offers a robust redirection system that goes beyond basic functionality.
Here’s what I’ve found most useful:
Multiple Redirect Types (301, 302 & 307): You can choose between permanent (301), temporary (302), or temporary redirect with POST data preservation (307) depending on your needs.
Secured HTTPS Redirects: All redirects are SSL-compatible, maintaining security throughout the process.
Dynamic Redirects: This is where BetterLinks really shines. We can set up redirects based on:
- Geographic location: Great for localizing content or offers
- Time: Useful for time-sensitive promotions
- Rotation: You can use this for A/B testing different landing pages
- Device or browser: Helps in optimizing user experience across platforms
Wildcards: This feature allows us to redirect all the links in one folder to another easily and efficiently.
Password Protected Redirect: You can use this to provide access for exclusive private content. It adds an extra layer of security.
Click tracking and analytics
The built-in analytics have given me insights I never had before.
We can track clicks in real-time, see which links are performing well, and even drill down into a number of unique clicks for a link.
You can also see from which website you are getting the clicks, how many clicks you are getting from a social media platform, number of clicks from each device type like smartphone, laptop, etc, and clicks data based on browser, OS and medium is also available.
This information has been crucial in optimizing my content strategy.
Custom Tags & Categories
BetterLinks lets us create custom categories and tags for the links.
With hundreds of links to manage, the ability to organize them with tags and categories has been really useful for me.
I can quickly find the links I need and work on it easily.
Link Expiration
If you are promoting any time-sensitive offers, you can use this link expiration feature on BetterLinks.
For example,
Lets assume you have a special limited-time christmas offer sales page for your product on www.yourdomain.com/christmas-special-deal
You can set this link to expire on a specific date and time. And you can give a redirect link to the new year offer or any other upcoming sale. So if someone clicks on the christmas special deal link after the offer period, they’ll be automatically redirected to the current available offer.
I really love this feature because I don’t have to go back and edit the links after an offer period. I can set links to automatically deactivate after a certain date, ensuring my site always shows current, relevant information.
Split Testing
BetterLinks allows us to provide multiple target URLs while creating a link and test them against each other.
Let me explain how you can use this feature.
If you have 2 different sales pages for the same product and want to find which one works better, you can create one short link on BetterLinks and use it wherever you want.
While creating this short link, provide the URL of the two different sales pages as Target URL 1 and Target URL 2.
So this short link will redirect users to both the sales pages based on the rotation percentage you set. You have to embed the goal link in both the sales page. So BetterLinks will find out from which offer page you are getting the maximum goal link click and declare it as the winner link.
For example, let’s say you have 2 sales pages with different offers on each page to sell your camera.
Product purchase page: https://www.yourdomain.com/sony-super-classic-camera
Sales page 1: https://www.yourdomain.com/cam-offer-one
Sales page 2: https://www.yourdomain.com/cam-offer-two
In both the sales pages, you must embed the Product purchase page link as CTA.
Now go to BetterLinks and create a short link like
https://www.yourdomain.com/go/camera-offer
Use this one link in all your marketing activities.
While creating this short link, enable Dynamic Redirects and provide the
Sales page 1 URL as Target URL 1
Sales page 2 URL as Target URL 2
And then enable Split Testing and set the Product purchase page link as Goal Link.
You can set the rotation percentage for both the sales page.
When someone clicks on the short link (https://www.yourdomain.com/go/camera-offer
) they’ll be redirected to any one of the sales pages. If they click on the goal link from that offer page, it will be counted as conversion.
So in this way you can find out which offer works better for your product.
This A/B testing capability has helped me optimize my CTAs and improve conversion rates.
Broken Links Checker
BetterLinks regularly scans the links I created with it for broken links, alerting me so I can fix them promptly.
You don’t have to do this manually. You can schedule scans for daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. BetterLinks will do the broken links checking process automatically and send you the reports via mail. Yes, you can enable the option to receive test reports through mail.
Auto Link Keywords
This is perhaps my favourite feature. You can set up rules to automatically link certain keywords to specific URLs across your entire site.
For example, You can set up BetterLinks to automatically link the phrase “email marketing tips” to your comprehensive guide on the topic. Now, every time you mention this phrase in any post, it’s automatically linked, improving the internal link structure.
Personally, this BetterLinks feature dramatically improved my website’s internal linking structure with minimal effort on my part.
Link Scheduling
For planned promotions or seasonal content, the scheduling feature is a godsend.
You can create links in advance and set them to activate or deactivate at specific times. It’s great for automating time-sensitive campaigns.
For example,
For my summer product roundup, I created links in April but scheduled them to go live on June 1st. This allowed me to prepare content in advance and have it automatically published at the right time.
There are many more BetterLinks features like automatic link creation, custom scripts for performance data, custom domain redirection, etc.
I don’t want to bore you with explaining all the features.
I feel the above mentioned ones are worth it and will definitely be worth it if you are managing a content website.
But features alone don’t make a great plugin. Let’s dive into my personal experience with BetterLinks and see how it performs in real-world scenarios.
My Experience with BetterLinks
Use Case
I run multiple content based websites which are all built with WordPress. Primarily, I use BetterLinks to cloak my affiliate links, making them look cleaner and more trustworthy.
Background Check
Before using any plugin in my wordpress website, I check the developer details.
With BetterLinks, I ticked the box easily as it is coming from WPDeveloper, the company behind the popular elementor add-on product called Essential Addons for Elementor.
Not just that, they have been in this WordPress business for a lot of years now and developed many other products like Templately, BetterDocs, XCloud, etc.
Installation and Setup
Getting started with BetterLinks was a breeze. I simply searched for it in the WordPress plugin directory, clicked install, and activated it. The whole process took less than two minutes.
What impressed me most was the intuitive onboarding process. As soon as I activated the plugin, I was greeted with a setup wizard that walked me through the basics. This is a huge plus for beginners who might feel overwhelmed by new tools.
User Interface and Ease of Use
The first thing I noticed about BetterLinks was its clean, modern interface. Everything is logically organized, making it easy to find what you need. The main dashboard gives you an overview of your links, including click data and performance metrics.
Creating a new link is straightforward. You simply click on “Add New Link,” enter your destination URL, choose a custom slug (or let BetterLinks generate one for you), and you’re done. But where BetterLinks really shines is in its advanced options.
Features I Found Most Useful
- Link Categories: As someone with hundreds of links, being able to categorize them has been a game-changer. I can now easily sort my affiliate links, internal links, and external resources.
- Click Tracking: The built-in analytics have given me insights I never had before. I can see which links are performing well and which ones need improvement.
- Geolocation Targeting: This feature has been incredibly useful for my affiliate marketing efforts. I can now show different links to visitors based on their location, ensuring they always see relevant offers.
- Keywords-based Auto-linking: This is where BetterLinks saved me countless hours. I set up rules to automatically link certain keywords to specific URLs across my entire site. No more manual updates!
Pricing and Value
BetterLinks offers a free version with impressive features, which is what I started with. Their pro plans start at $79/year for a single site, which I eventually upgraded to.
Is it worth it? In my opinion, absolutely. The time I’ve saved on link management and the insights I’ve gained from the advanced tracking features have more than justified the cost. Plus, compared to some other premium link management tools, BetterLinks offers great value for money.
Performance Impact
One of my biggest concerns when adding any new plugin is its impact on site speed. I’m happy to report that BetterLinks has had minimal effect on my site’s speed performance. In fact, by replacing a few single-purpose plugins with BetterLinks, I’ve seen a slight improvement in my page load times.
Customer Support
During the BetterLinks pro plan purchase, I had some issues with payment and activation.
I reached out to their customer support, hoping for a quick resolution. Their representative guided me through the process step-by-step.
Recently, I wanted to try out their custom domain feature but had some issues with connecting it properly with all this backend stuff like A-record and all. Again they helped me with this issue.
Personally, I’m happy with the support they are providing right now. Their efficient and helpful customer support made a significant difference in my experience with BetterLinks, reinforcing my decision to choose and recommend their plugin.
BetterLinks vs. Competitors
I’ve used several link management plugins over the years, so let’s see how BetterLinks stacks up against two popular alternatives:
BetterLinks vs. Pretty Links
Pretty Links has been around longer, but I find BetterLinks a more intuitive and cost-efficient option. BetterLinks offers more advanced features like geotargeting in its free version, while Pretty Links reserves these for premium users.
BetterLinks vs. ThirstyAffiliates
ThirstyAffiliates is great for affiliate marketers, but BetterLinks offers a more comprehensive solution for all types of links. BetterLinks auto-linking feature is also more robust in my experience.
Final Verdict: Is BetterLinks Worth it?
After three months of extensive use, I can confidently say that BetterLinks has transformed how I manage links on my WordPress site. It’s powerful yet user-friendly, feature-rich yet lightweight. While it may have a slight learning curve for some advanced features, the benefits far outweigh this minor drawback.
Whether you’re a blogger, affiliate marketer, or run any kind of content-heavy WordPress site, I highly recommend giving BetterLinks a try.
Remember, while this review is based on my personal experience, your mileage may vary. I encourage you to try BetterLinks for yourself and see how it fits your specific needs.
Happy linking!
FAQs
- Is BetterLinks suitable for beginners?
Yes, the basic features are very user-friendly, though advanced features may take some time to master.
- Can BetterLinks slow down my website?
In my experience, BetterLinks is lightweight and has minimal impact on my site’s speed.
- Does BetterLinks work with Gutenberg editor?
Yes, BetterLinks integrates seamlessly with the Gutenberg editor.
- Can I migrate my links from another plugin to BetterLinks?
Yes, BetterLinks offers import/export features to help you migrate from other popular link management plugins.
- Is BetterLinks GDPR compliant?
Yes, BetterLinks is designed with privacy in mind and is GDPR compliant.