Best Practices for Cross-Linking Extension

• Start with a small set of high-value keywords and expand gradually
• Set max replacements to 1 per keyword for natural reading
• Use longer, more specific keywords over short generic ones
• Give important keywords higher priority values
• Test on a staging environment before going live
• Review cross-links periodically and remove outdated ones

• Don't create rules for single characters or very common words ("the", "and")
• Don't set unlimited replacements for all rules — over-linking hurts readability and SEO
• Don't create overlapping keywords without considering priority (e.g., "yoga" and "yoga mats" need different priorities)
• Don't link to pages that don't exist or return 404 errors
• Don't use cross-links as a replacement for proper navigation

Use case: Online store with 5-10 main product categories, standard product descriptions

Configuration:

General:

• Enabled: Yes
• Case Insensitive: Yes

Products:

• Enabled: Yes
• Max Links Per Page: 5

Categories:

• Enabled: No (category descriptions are too short)

CMS Pages:

• Enabled: Yes
• Max Links Per Page: 5

Rules (10-20 keywords):

• One rule per main category (e.g., "yoga mats" → /yoga-mats.html)
• One rule per top-selling product (e.g., "ProFlex Mat" → /proflex-mat.html)
• All rules: max replacements = 1, priority based on importance

Result: Subtle internal linking that guides customers to key categories and products without cluttering the content.

Use case: Store with extensive CMS content, blog pages, buying guides

Configuration:

General:

• Enabled: Yes
• Case Insensitive: Yes

Products:

• Enabled: Yes
• Max Links Per Page: 5

Categories:

• Enabled: Yes
• Max Links Per Page: 5

CMS Pages:

• Enabled: Yes
• Max Links Per Page: 15

Rules (50+ keywords):

• Category keywords: priority 10, max replacements 1
• Brand keywords: priority 8, max replacements 1
• Product keywords: priority 5, max replacements 1
• Informational keywords (e.g., "return policy" → /returns.html): priority 3, max replacements 1

Result: Rich internal linking across content pages that improves SEO crawlability and user navigation. Higher page-level limit on CMS pages allows more links in long-form content.

Use case: Store with English and French store views

Configuration:

Same general settings for both stores, but separate rules per store view.

Rules:

• "yoga mats" → /yoga-mats.html, Store Views: English
• "tapis de yoga" → /tapis-de-yoga.html, Store Views: French
• "ProFlex Mat" → /proflex-mat.html, Store Views: All Store Views (brand name doesn't change)

Result: Each store view gets localized cross-links matching the language of the content.

Use case: B2B store selling technical products with detailed specifications in descriptions

Configuration:

General:

• Enabled: Yes
• Case Insensitive: No (technical terms and model numbers need exact matching)

Products:

• Enabled: Yes
• Max Links Per Page: 8

Categories:

• Enabled: Yes
• Max Links Per Page: 5

CMS Pages:

• Enabled: Yes
• Max Links Per Page: 10

Rules (30-50 keywords):

• Product category keywords: priority 10, max replacements 1 (e.g., "industrial pumps" → /industrial-pumps.html)
• Technical standard keywords: priority 8, max replacements 1 (e.g., "ISO 9001" → /certifications/iso-9001.html)
• Application keywords: priority 5, max replacements 1 (e.g., "wastewater treatment" → /applications/wastewater.html)
• Support keywords: priority 3, max replacements 1 (e.g., "technical support" → /support.html)

Result: Technical cross-references guide buyers to related product categories, certifications, and application pages. Exact case matching prevents false matches on model numbers and abbreviations.

Why it's wrong: A rule for "a" or "the" matches everywhere and creates unwanted links. Even words like "shop" or "buy" can be too generic.

Correct approach: Use specific multi-word phrases like "yoga mats" or "running shoes" instead of "mats" or "shoes".

Why it's wrong: A page where every instance of "yoga" is a link looks spammy and hurts both readability and SEO.

Correct approach: Set max replacements to 1 for most rules. The first occurrence gets linked, the rest stay as plain text.

Why it's wrong: Rules for "yoga" and "yoga mats" conflict. Without proper priority, "yoga" might match first and prevent "yoga mats" from matching (since "yoga" is now inside an <a> tag).

Correct approach: Give longer/more specific keywords higher priority. "yoga mats" (priority 10) should process before "yoga" (priority 5).

Why it's wrong: Cross-link changes won't appear on cached pages. You make a change, visit the page, see nothing, and assume it's broken.

Correct approach: Always flush the full page cache after creating, editing or deleting cross-link rules.