Using Linkilo with Elementor

Yes, it works with Elementor

Linkilo reads Elementor content, suggests internal links inside it, and writes links back into the Elementor data structure when you apply a suggestion. Both Elementor free and Elementor Pro are supported.

How Linkilo reads Elementor pages

Elementor stores page content in a postmeta key called _elementor_data (a serialized JSON blob), not in the normal post_content field. Linkilo:

1. Looks for _elementor_data on the post.
2. Confirms _elementor_edit_mode is set (so you've actually built the page with Elementor, not just left the meta around from an old draft).
3. Walks the JSON tree and pulls text out of every text-bearing widget (Text Editor, Heading, etc.).
4. Treats that combined text the same way it treats post_content from a normal post — keyword extraction, embedding generation, suggestion scoring all run as usual.

If a page has no Elementor data, Linkilo falls back to post_content. So a site that mixes Elementor pages with classic posts works fine.

Inline suggestions inside the Elementor canvas

Elementor uses its own iframe-based preview shell that doesn't accept third-party UI panels cleanly. Linkilo's inline suggestion metabox is not rendered inside the Elementor builder canvas.

Instead, the suggestion metabox sits on the standard WordPress post-edit screen (the one you see when you click "Edit (WordPress editor)" rather than "Edit with Elementor"). Open the same post in the WP editor view and scroll down — the AI Link Suggestions metabox appears below the content area.

How "Apply" works inside Elementor

When you click Apply on a suggestion for an Elementor page, Linkilo:

1. Decodes the _elementor_data JSON.
2. Finds the widget containing the source sentence.
3. Wraps the anchor text in an <a> tag with the target URL.
4. Re-encodes and saves the JSON back to _elementor_data.

The next time you load the page (front-end or Elementor builder), the link is there. No manual paste-into-builder step required.

If Linkilo can't find a clean place to insert the anchor inside an Elementor widget (e.g., the text is rendered via a shortcode the builder doesn't expose), it falls back to the post_content insertion path and leaves Elementor data untouched. You'll see this surface as the suggestion still being applied — just in a different spot.

What if I'm using Elementor Pro Theme Builder?

Theme Builder templates (headers, footers, archive layouts) are technically Elementor pages and get scanned, but their text rarely contains good link candidates. You can leave them in or exclude them:

• Exclude a template: add its URL to Settings → Content & Ignored Words → Skip auto-link & URL changes.
• Exclude an entire template type: uncheck the elementor_library post type in Settings → General → Find suggested URLs in these post types only.

Troubleshooting

"Apply" succeeded but I don't see the link on the page

1. Clear Elementor's cache: Elementor → Tools → Regenerate CSS & Data.
2. Clear any caching plugin (WP Rocket, LiteSpeed, etc.).
3. Open the page in the Elementor builder and check the widget where the link should be — confirm the <a> tag is in the widget HTML.

Linkilo doesn't see my Elementor page

Confirm _elementor_edit_mode is set. If you opened a draft in the Elementor builder but never saved, the meta won't be there. Open the page in the Elementor builder, click Update, then re-run a scan.

Suggestions are based on the old version of my page

Linkilo embeds a snapshot of the page text when it scans. If you've made big text changes in Elementor, re-run the scan: Linkilo → AI Suggestions → Run Now (or wait for the next Autopilot pass).

See also

• Using Linkilo with Divi
• Using Linkilo with Gutenberg
• Using Linkilo with the Classic Editor
• Does it work with page builders? (overview)