How to Use the Update URL Replacement Feature

What this feature does

Linkilo's Update URL feature is a centralized find-and-replace for URLs across your entire WordPress site. Instead of manually editing dozens or hundreds of posts to change a link, you set up one rule and Linkilo handles the bulk update.

Key benefits

• Update URLs site-wide — perfect for permalink changes, site restructuring, or updating external links
• Fix broken links quickly — resolve outdated links that hurt user experience and SEO
• Temporary replacements — schedule a replacement to start and end automatically (great for seasonal content or limited-time promos)
• Scheduled changes — plan URL updates for a future launch or redesign
• Advanced targeting — restrict replacements by user role or post type
• Reusable templates — save common replacement patterns for one-click reuse

Step 1 — Open Update URL

WordPress → Linkilo → Update URL

You'll see a form for new replacements at the top and a table of existing rules below.

Step 2 — Add a new replacement

In the form:

1. Enter the Old URL you want to find
2. Enter the New URL you want to replace it with
3. Choose a Replacement Type: – Permanent — the replacement stays active until you delete it – Temporary — active for a specific window – Scheduled — activates and deactivates at specific dates and times

For Temporary or Scheduled types

• Start Date/Time — when the replacement begins
• End Date/Time — when it ends
• Priority (0-100) — higher number wins if two rules overlap

Optional — Advanced Conditions

Check Advanced Conditions to reveal:

• User Roles — restrict to certain roles (e.g. administrator, editor)
• Post Types — restrict to certain post types (e.g. post, page, product)

Useful when you want a replacement to apply only to specific content.

1. Click Add URL Replacement to save

Step 3 — Save and reuse as a template (optional)

If you'll want to apply this same rule again later:

1. Configure Old URL, New URL, Type, and any scheduling/conditions
2. Click Save as Template
3. Give it a name and optional description
4. Confirm

Loading a template later

1. Select the template from the Templates dropdown
2. Click Load Template — the form auto-fills with the saved settings

Managing templates

Select a template and click Manage Templates to delete templates you no longer need.

Step 4 — Review existing replacements

The table below the form shows every replacement rule:

You can:

• Edit Schedule — adjust dates for temporary or scheduled rules
• Activate / Deactivate — manually toggle a rule on or off
• Delete — permanently remove the rule

Step 5 — Watch the sync progress

After adding or modifying a rule, Linkilo starts updating posts that contain the old URL. A progress bar shows status. When sync is finished, a Refresh Changed URL Report button appears — click it to see exactly which posts were updated.

Verifying the change

Open one of the updated posts and check that the URL has been swapped. You can also use Linkilo → Link Analysis filtered by URL to confirm the old URL is no longer present anywhere.

Update URL vs Redirection

Update URL physically changes the link in your post content — visitors land directly on the new URL. Redirection Manager uses 301/302 redirects — old URL still exists, just sends visitors elsewhere. See What is Update URL and how does it work? for when to use each.