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Troubleshooting Pretty Links Redirecting to Your Homepage or Appending Your Domain

20 threads Sep 9, 2025

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If you're using the Pretty Links plugin and finding that your links are redirecting to your website's homepage or your domain name is being incorrectly appended to the target URL, you're not alone. This is a common issue with a few potential causes and solutions. Based on community reports, here are the most effective troubleshooting steps.

Why This Happens

This behavior often stems from a misconfiguration in how the plugin handles the redirect process. Common triggers include incorrect WordPress permalink settings, a target URL that isn't properly formatted, or a specific server configuration that requires an extra setting to be enabled.

Common Solutions

1. Check Your Target URL Format

The most frequent cause of the domain-appending issue is a target URL that is missing the http:// or https:// protocol. The plugin needs this to understand that the destination is an external, absolute URL.

  • Incorrect: www.example.com/affiliate-page
  • Correct: https://www.example.com/affiliate-page

Always ensure your target URL begins with http:// or https://.

2. Enable the "Permalink Fix" Option

If your target URL is correctly formatted but you are still being sent to your homepage, a known fix within the plugin often resolves it.

  1. Navigate to Pretty Links -> Options in your WordPress admin dashboard.
  2. Locate the Enable Permalink Fix option.
  3. Check the box to enable it.
  4. Save your changes and test your pretty link again.

This setting is particularly helpful on sites that have recently moved to HTTPS or have certain server configurations.

3. Verify WordPress Permalink Structure

The Pretty Links plugin requires that your WordPress site is not using the "Plain" or "Default" permalink setting.

  1. Go to Settings -> Permalinks in your WordPress admin.
  2. Ensure any option other than "Plain" is selected (e.g., "Post name").
  3. Save the changes, even if you didn't make any. This refreshes your site's rewrite rules.

4. Check for Plugin Conflicts

Although less common, a conflict with another plugin can sometimes cause unexpected redirect behavior. To test for this:

  1. Temporarily deactivate all other plugins except Pretty Links.
  2. Test if your pretty link works correctly.
  3. If it does, reactivate your plugins one-by-one, testing after each, to identify the culprit.

Conclusion

In most cases, one of these four steps will resolve the issue of redirects going to your homepage or having your domain incorrectly prepended. Start by double-checking your target URL's format, as this is the simplest and most common fix. If the problem persists, working through the other solutions should get your affiliate links and branded redirects working smoothly again.

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