How to Bulk-Import Auto-Link Keywords with a CSV

Auto-link rules let you set up one keyword → URL mapping and have Linkilo apply it across your site automatically. Bulk import lets you upload dozens or hundreds of mappings in one go via a CSV.

Step 1 — Download the template

The import expects Linkilo's own column layout, so start from the template rather than a two-column spreadsheet:

1. Go to Linkilo → Linking → Add New Auto Links
2. Click Bulk Import keywords above the rules table — an Import Keywords window opens
3. Click Need help? Download a template here. to save autolink-import-sample.csv

Step 2 — Fill in your rules

Open the template in Excel or Google Sheets. Each row is one rule. The first two columns are the ones that matter:

• keyword — the target word or phrase to auto-link
• link — the full destination URL, starting with https://

The remaining columns are the same options you see on the Add New Auto Links page, in order: add_same_link, link_once, select_links, set_priority, priority_setting, restrict_date, restricted_date, restrict_cats, restricted_cats, exact_phrase_match, add_dofollow, open_in_same_or_new_window, whitelist_of_post_types, blacklist_of_posts, max_rel_links_per_post, post_linking_maximum_frequency and excluded_html_elements. For the yes/no columns, 1 = checked and 0 = unchecked. Copy the sample rows and change only what you need — the template's defaults give you One link per post on and everything else off.

Keep every column. Rows with fewer than 19 columns are skipped as "Missing required columns", even if the keyword and URL are fine. Don't delete the empty columns from the template.

Step 3 — Preview the CSV (new in 3.0)

1. Back in the Import Keywords window, click Select CSV file and choose your file
2. Tick Use first row as header if you kept the header row from the template (recommended)
3. Click Preview CSV

Linkilo reads the file without creating anything and shows how many rows are ready to import, how many will be skipped and why, any duplicate keyword/URL pairs, and a sample of the rules it would create. Fix the file and preview again until it looks right.

Step 4 — Upload

Click Upload. Linkilo creates the rules and tells you how many were imported and how many rows were skipped because they were incomplete or unsafe (for example a destination that isn't a normal web URL).

Step 5 — Apply the rules

Importing creates the rules; it doesn't edit posts yet. Click Perform Scan on the Add New Auto Links page to apply the new rules across your existing content. From then on, rules also apply automatically when a post is published or updated (unless you turned that setting off).

Step 6 — Review and manage

Every imported rule now appears in the rules table. From there you can:

• Edit individual rules and adjust settings per rule (gear icon)
• Delete rules that aren't performing
• Expand Possible Links, tick sentences and use Preview Selected → Create Links for manual placement control

See How to use the Add New Auto Links feature for what each option does.

Limits

• Size: files over about 256 KB are rejected with File Too Large — split the import into smaller CSVs
• Rows: up to 500 rules per file by default. Larger files stop with Too Many Rows rather than importing part of the file.
• File type: .csv only

Tips for clean bulk imports

• Quote phrases with commas — "AI, machine learning" stays as one phrase. Without quotes, the comma shifts every column after it.
• Test with 5 rows first, using Preview CSV, before uploading hundreds
• Avoid duplicate target words — the preview flags duplicate keyword/URL pairs
• Use full URLs with https:// — anything that isn't a normal web URL is skipped
• Keep target words specific — "best" matches every post; "best coffee maker under $200" matches only the posts you want

Last reviewed for Linkilo 3.0.0 (October 2026).