WordPress Guides
Page Builder•Updated 2025-01-15

Internal Linking for WPBakery Sites: Complete Guide

WPBakery Page Builder (formerly Visual Composer) powers millions of WordPress sites, especially those using ThemeForest themes. Here's how to implement effective internal linking that works with WPBakery's unique backend/frontend editor system.

Understanding WPBakery's Architecture

WPBakery Page Builder is one of the oldest and most widely distributed WordPress page builders, often bundled with premium themes from ThemeForest. Unlike modern builders like Elementor that use JSON metadata, WPBakery stores page content as shortcodes in the standard post_content field. This makes it more accessible to traditional linking tools, but the shortcode structure is complex and deeply nested. Content lives inside elements (text blocks, headings, buttons) which live inside columns, which live inside rows, which live inside sections. WPBakery offers both backend editing (a grid-based interface in wp-admin) and frontend editing (a visual drag-and-drop overlay). Understanding this dual editing system and how templates work is essential for effective internal linking on WPBakery sites.

Internal Linking Challenges on WPBakery Sites

Complex Nested Shortcode Structure

WPBakery stores layouts as deeply nested shortcodes - [vc_row], [vc_column], [vc_column_text], etc. Content can be 4-5 shortcode levels deep. While linking plugins can read the post_content field (unlike Elementor's JSON), parsing these nested shortcodes to understand context and extract clean text is complex. Many tools only see the shortcode tags, not the actual content inside them.

Backend vs. Frontend Editor Differences

WPBakery offers two editing interfaces - the backend editor (grid-based in wp-admin) and the frontend editor (visual overlay). They access the same shortcode data but present it differently. Adding links requires clicking through element settings in either interface. The frontend editor is more intuitive but slower, while the backend editor is faster but less visual. Batch link insertion across many pages is tedious in both interfaces.

Templates and Theme-Bundled Content

Many WPBakery sites use templates that came bundled with their ThemeForest theme. These templates include pre-built pages with placeholder content and generic internal links (like footer links to '#' or buttons linking to 'http://example.com'). You need to audit and replace these placeholder links with real internal links to your actual content.

Element-Based Content Fragmentation

Content is divided across many WPBakery elements - Text Blocks, Headings, Custom Headings, Message Boxes, and more. Each element is isolated, making it harder for linking tools to understand the full context of a page and reducing your overall crawl depth efficiency. A cohesive discussion might span multiple Text Block elements separated by Image, Separator, or Icon elements.

Custom Post Types and WooCommerce Integration

Many WPBakery sites use custom post types (portfolios, team members, testimonials) and WooCommerce product pages built with WPBakery elements. Internal linking strategies need to account for these non-standard content types, ensuring product pages link to related products, portfolios link to service pages, and testimonials link to case studies or contact pages where appropriate.

Step-by-Step Guide

1

Audit Your WPBakery Content and Replace Placeholder Links

Start by crawling your site to understand what content you have. If you imported a demo from your theme, many pages will contain placeholder links (buttons linking to '#', footer links to 'example.com', etc.). Use WPLink to crawl your site - it parses WPBakery shortcodes to extract actual text content, giving you a complete inventory. Then manually check your theme demo pages and replace all placeholder links with real internal links to your actual content.

  • •Check your homepage, footer, and header for placeholder links from theme demo import
  • •Export a content inventory showing page titles, element types, and current internal links
  • •Identify cornerstone pages that should be linked from multiple locations across your site
2

Map Content Clusters and Design Hub Pages

Organize your content into topical clusters. WPBakery's strength is creating visually rich pages with rows, columns, and elements. Build hub pages for each major topic using WPBakery's layout tools - create rows with 3-4 columns, each containing an Icon Box or Service Box element linking to a spoke page. This approach helps you build strong content clusters. Use the Post Grid element to automatically display related posts by category. Ensure all spoke pages link back to their hub, creating a strong internal linking structure.

  • •Use WPBakery's 'Icon Box' element to create attractive hub page grids with icons, headings, and linked buttons
  • •Create saved templates for 'Related Resources' sections with 3 Service Box elements
  • •Design consistent button styles (WPBakery Button element) for important internal links
3

Add Contextual Links in Text Block Elements

The primary location for contextual links in WPBakery is the Text Block element (and Single Image element with linked images). Edit the element, open the text editor, highlight your anchor text, and add the link through the TinyMCE link button. Aim for 2-3 contextual links per long Text Block (400+ words), placed where they genuinely help readers. Use descriptive anchor text that tells readers what they will find.

  • •Use WPBakery's frontend editor to see exactly how links will look before saving
  • •Add links to Custom Heading elements when appropriate (but prioritize in-content text links)
  • •Leverage the 'Message Box' element for callout-style internal links to important resources
4

Leverage Button and Call to Action Elements

WPBakery includes several elements perfect for strategic internal links: the Button element, Call to Action element, and Custom Heading with button. Use these at the end of posts to link to cornerstone content, conversion pages, or next steps in a content series. The Post Grid and Post Carousel elements can automatically link to related posts by category or tag, providing dynamic internal linking that updates as you publish.

  • •Create a saved template with 3 Button elements linking to your top cornerstone pages
  • •Use the 'Call to Action' element at the end of blog posts to link to service pages or lead magnets
  • •Add a Post Grid element filtered by category for automatic related content links
5

Handle Templates and Theme Layouts Carefully

WPBakery lets you save and reuse templates. Many themes also include template layouts you can insert. Before adding internal links to a saved template, check where it is used across your site. Templates are perfect for sitewide elements like footers, CTAs, or 'Popular Posts' sections. But do not add page-specific contextual links to templates. For page-specific links, build unique content directly on each page without using saved templates.

  • •Use WPBakery's template manager to see where each saved template is used
  • •Create topic-specific templates ('Related SEO Resources,' 'Related Design Posts') for targeted linking
  • •Always add page-specific contextual links in regular elements, not saved templates
6

Monitor Link Performance and Iterate

After implementing your internal linking strategy, monitor results using Google Search Console (internal link counts, indexed pages) and Google Analytics (page-to-page traffic flow). Verify that WPBakery renders your links correctly on the frontend. Use a crawler like Screaming Frog to check for broken links and ensure all internal links are discoverable. As you publish new content, revisit older pages to add links to the new material.

  • •Set up GA4 events to track clicks on Button element links to key conversion pages
  • •Use Google Search Console's 'Links' report to confirm your hub pages are gaining internal links
  • •Re-crawl your site monthly with WPLink to find new linking opportunities

How WPLink Works with WPBakery

WPLink is designed to parse WPBakery's complex nested shortcode structure. When crawling a WPBakery site, WPLink processes all [vc_row], [vc_column], [vc_column_text], and other shortcodes to extract the actual text content, understanding the full context of your pages despite the deep nesting. The AI-powered semantic analysis identifies linking opportunities across your WPBakery-built content, suggesting specific anchor text and target pages. When you approve a suggestion, WPLink inserts the link directly into your WPBakery shortcode structure through the WordPress REST API, preserving all element settings and design parameters.

Parses complex nested WPBakery shortcodes to extract all text content
Extracts content from Text Block, Custom Heading, Message Box, and all standard WPBakery elements
AI semantic analysis understands full page context across fragmented elements
Suggests contextual anchor text and ideal placement within Text Block elements
Inserts links via WordPress REST API, preserving all WPBakery element settings and styling
Works with both backend and frontend editor workflows (changes are visible in both)
WPLink works with WPBakery Page Builder 6.0+ on WordPress 5.9+. Compatible with all standard WPBakery elements and most third-party element extensions. Supports saved templates and theme-bundled layouts. Works with WooCommerce product pages built with WPBakery and custom post types using the builder.

Alternative Approaches

Internal Link Juicer

Pros
  • + Free version available for basic automated linking
  • + Lightweight plugin with minimal performance impact
  • + Works with any WordPress content including WPBakery
Cons
  • - May not parse nested WPBakery shortcodes correctly, missing some content
  • - Requires manual keyword configuration for each post to work effectively
  • - Automated linking can produce awkward placements within WPBakery elements

Frequently Asked Questions

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