In the case of controlling what the consumer sees of their browser tackle bar, URL masking, additionally referred to as area or hyperlink masking, is a good tactic that any website can use. Doing so permits you to higher management what the consumer sees when viewing your website.
This may increasingly assist enhance your web site’s privateness and safeguard necessary data. Nonetheless, it isn’t all constructive. As you would possibly count on, doing this will hurt your search engine marketing as you’re deliberately giving out incorrect data to any search engine bots.
As such, every consumer must weigh the professionals and cons of URL masking earlier than deciding whether it is proper for his or her web site. Naturally, there is no such thing as a appropriate reply because it comes all the way down to what your web site is attempting to realize.
At the moment, I’ll cowl what URL masking is, find out how to use it in WordPress, and in the event you ought to.
What Is URL Masking?
In easy phrases, URL masking permits a website to load one other web page’s data whereas displaying a distinct web page’s URL.
In much less easy phrases, URL masking is a type of redirection the place the consumer is redirected to a different web page’s content material, however the URL itself doesn’t mirror this. It’s good for displaying your URL it doesn’t matter what web page the consumer views.
Thus, it’s sometimes used for advertising and marketing functions while you need your important URL on full show, or while you wish to conceal the URL, the data is coming from.
For example, some affiliate entrepreneurs will use URL masking to cover the actual fact the consumer goes by means of a particular affiliate company or referral quantity.
There are a number of forms of URL masking, so let’s cowl them.
Area Masking
Area masking is a technique wherein a site or subdomain directs customers to a different URL in an effort to cover the unique URL or to simplify the URL being displayed by shortening it to make it extra user-friendly.
You see this very often as an Amazon affiliate or whereas utilizing providers akin to Bitly.
JavaScript Redirection
A JavaScript redirection is a technique that takes place when a consumer accesses an internet site, a JavaScript can be executed that redirects the consumer to a different location whereas preserving the unique URL seen within the browser.
Server-side Scripting
JavaScript shouldn’t be the one possibility you should utilize. Builders can arrange server-side scripts utilizing PHP, ASP, and extra to load a distinct web page’s content material when a URL is accessed with out altering the displayed URL.
Proxy Masking
Proxy masking is a method the place a proxy server is used to fetch one other web page’s data to show on the unique web page with out altering the URL tackle. The request is made the second the consumer accesses the URL which prompts the proxy server to start.
URL Rewriting
URL Rewriting works by enhancing the .htaccess file in WordPress to switch the URL construction. The objective is to assign a URL to the content material from one other web page, that approach the URL stays the identical when viewing a distinct piece of content material.
Body Masking
Body masking is a method that makes use of an HTML body (iframe) to show a distinct web page’s content material with out altering the URL. It makes it seem to be the content material on the display belongs to the URL being displayed.
Why Use URL Masking?
There are lots of methods to realize URL masking, however the large query is why an internet site would wish to do that within the first place. There are a number of key explanation why to do that, however their significance depends closely on the web site itself.
Listed below are a number of the main explanation why it’s possible you’ll wish to think about using URL masking in WordPress:
Enhance Model Recognition
One of many important makes use of of URL masking is to make sure that the consumer is aware of the content material they’re viewing is out of your model. The most effective methods to realize that is by ensuring that the URL contains your model title.
Sadly, this will typically get misplaced as customers discover a website and find yourself viewing very lengthy URLs that make it troublesome to find out the place the content material originates from. For instance, think about your homepage URL which is normally https://www.YourDomain.com.
Then think about what occurs while you go deeper into the web site. The URL will would possibly look one thing like this:
https://www.YourDomain.com/Class/WordPress-URL-Masking/aghebhqsdgyihedbn
Not solely is that this hyperlink not one thing somebody would share on social media, however by the top of it, they’re prone to neglect your area title. For that reason, URL masking is a well-liked advertising and marketing tactic when executed in a strategy to decrease search engine marketing injury.
Hides Affiliate Hyperlinks
Many web sites will use plugins that conceal affiliate hyperlinks from customers to keep away from making it apparent they’re attempting to make a fee on the sale. Whereas I don’t advocate doing this, as it’s a bit unethical, URL masking is one other approach of reaching the identical end result.
Basically, when an affiliate hyperlink is adopted, it’s best to discover that the top of the URL normally incorporates the Affiliate ID. It is a lengthy string of letters, symbols, and numbers that could be a lifeless giveaway that it’s an affiliate hyperlink.
Thus, by masking the URL, the Affiliate ID is now not seen, and customers could not notice it’s an affiliated net tackle.
Once more, I don’t advocate this as a result of it’s a gray space legally. In the US, if you’re earning money from affiliate hyperlinks, you’re required to make it clear they’re an affiliate hyperlink. In addition to, in lots of instances, customers usually tend to make a purchase order in the event that they realize it helps the positioning.
The identical logic applies to different monitoring codes for analytical instruments. Many websites can have hyperlink monitoring that may seize how a consumer interacts with a web page. Some websites attempt to conceal this as a result of they need essentially the most natural expertise from a consumer.
Once more, hiding monitoring data shouldn’t be moral, and a few customers will keep away from websites that do that.
Improves Privateness Safety
Typically talking, while you create an internet site and register it with WHOIS, your data turns into publicly accessible. Whereas this isn’t an enormous deal most often, some customers wish to hold their private data personal.
Or not less than as personal as data can get in a public house.
Area masking can conceal delicate data and exchange it with a site masking service. In lots of instances, you should utilize these providers totally free as it’s a quite common apply amongst website house owners that worth privateness.
That mentioned, there are premium providers that provide extra in-depth safety, however that could be a matter for one more day.
Cover the Use of Subdomains
Many builders will make the most of subdomains to create content material for a particular matter. Whereas this can assist present builders with extra choices, it may additionally make the consumer expertise really feel fragmented. URL masking is an answer to this downside.
As a substitute of leaving the positioning you’re on, URL masking permits you to simply show data on the subdomain with out truly leaving the primary website. This lets you get the advantages of utilizing totally different instruments in your subdomain with out the URL mess it creates.
Simply do not forget that subdomains are handled otherwise by search engines like google.
As such, their use can dilute the authority of your important website if used incorrectly. This may simply create duplicate content material issues for the positioning, so keep vigilant and have a look at how Google is rating your content material in Search Console.
Issues with URL Masking
As I’ve identified already, there are some main drawbacks to utilizing URL masking. As such, many websites will truly keep away from utilizing it solely for a few of these causes, which isn’t a nasty alternative.
Listed below are a number of the important issues websites will encounter when utilizing URL Masking:
Complicated For Customers
We’ve talked so much about how URL masking will be helpful for advertising and marketing, however the fact is that there’s a a lot greater downside that entrepreneurs face and that’s shareability. Give it some thought, if the URL displayed shouldn’t be the content material they’re viewing, how do they share it?
Nicely, merely put, they don’t. Customers will usually share the URL of their browser, which can result in one other location.
Clearly, this hurts any probability of the content material a consumer is taking a look at from being shared on social media websites. Nonetheless, sharing is just half of the issue. What if the consumer simply needs to bookmark that web page?
For example, let’s say you personal a cooking website, and the consumer is taking a look at a recipe they wish to make tomorrow. Naturally, they bookmark the web page to allow them to come again to it. The subsequent day, after they use that bookmark, it doesn’t result in the recipe.
This may create a irritating consumer expertise as a result of the consumer can have bother discovering what they have been beforehand taking a look at as a result of the true URL was hidden from them. As such, this isn’t a terrific possibility for many websites.
URL Masking Damages search engine marketing
Customers usually are not the one ones negatively impacted by URL masking. Search engine bots additionally don’t like being deceived through the use of a distinct URL for the content material displayed. Every URL has its personal authority and rank for the content material being proven.
Naturally, when a single URL is displaying content material from different pages, that disrupts how the authority is distributed.
Nonetheless, the a lot greater downside is that search engine bots will decide that the content material is duplicate. In any case, the content material that’s being displayed does have its personal URL and a search engine bot will ultimately discover it.
Thus, when the content material is detected twice, it’s categorized as duplicate content material, which can harm your rankings considerably.
Nonetheless, these issues are the least of your considerations in comparison with this subsequent one. Google can take away your website from showing in searches if it thinks that you’re attempting to deceive customers with the URL masking.
If this occurs, there is no such thing as a getting back from it. It’s a dying sentence, which is why most web sites will keep away from utilizing URL masking.
URL Masking Can Harm Your Fame
So, one factor I failed to say in the advantages of URL masking is that it’s a good way to rip-off your customers. Clearly, this isn’t a constructive factor, and through the years, websites that use URL masking have gotten a nasty repute.
In consequence, customers who can acknowledge URL masking usually assume the positioning is attempting to rip-off them, which leads to them not utilizing it.
And as soon as customers begin associating your website with scamming, no matter whether or not it’s true, your repute can be completely broken. From the consumer’s perspective, you’re deceiving them concerning the URL being displayed, thus you can also make it seem like an official web page.
Because of this URL masking is extensively utilized by rip-off websites. They’ll create an official-looking URL and show actual content material from official pages and trick you on the final second throughout a sign-up course of the place they steal your data.
The way to Carry out URL Masking in WordPress
I discussed earlier all the methods you may obtain URL masking. Nonetheless, I’m not going to cowl all of them as most are a bit too troublesome for customers or are prone to trigger issues on your website if executed incorrectly.
As a substitute, I’m going to cowl two of the easier methods to do that in WordPress. The primary approach is by enhancing the index.php file and the second is by enhancing the .htaccess file. It’s price mentioning {that a} typo may mess up your web site.
As such, I strongly advocate making a backup of your website earlier than following this tutorial. This may guarantee you may restore your web site if a mistake is made.
Methodology 1: Utilizing the Content material Masks Plugin
The Content material Masks plugin is a straightforward strategy to masks content material in WordPress. It’s far simpler than every other methodology and simply requires coming into the URL addresses into the plugin. It primarily embeds the content material from one other web page on the web page you need it to show.
As such, this could realistically solely take a couple of minutes to finish. That mentioned, you’ll have to set this up for each publish or web page you need, thus, it may take extra time if you’re including URL masking to lots of content material.
Begin off by looking out the plugin listing for Content material Masks and set up and activate the plugin.
With the plugin activated, go to the publish or web page the place you wish to masks the URL. Scroll down beneath the editor and you’ll find the Content material Masks Settings part on the backside. That is the place all of the magic occurs.
It is best to see an enormous textual content field for the Content material Masks URL. Enter the URL of the content material you wish to show on this publish or web page.
Subsequent to this textual content field is a swap that’s set to Disabled by default. Flip the swap to Enabled.
To the appropriate of the textual content field, you may choose what sort of masking methodology you wish to use. The plugin gives three choices. The primary is to obtain the content material straight. The second is to make use of an iframe (HTML). And the third is to make use of a redirection.
All three strategies will obtain the identical end result. The one distinctive possibility is for the obtain methodology, which can ask you to decide on a cache expiration time. In any other case, the tactic you select has no further settings.
Under this, you’ll find a collection of checkboxes that permit you to select which consumer roles is not going to see the content material masking. By default, they’re all unselected. If you need a particular consumer function to not have the ability to view the masked content material, merely examine the field for his or her function.
Under this, you may also select if you wish to masks the content material based mostly on whether or not the consumer is logged in or out. Once more, simply examine the field that fits your wants. Go away each unchecked if you do not need a situation.
Lastly, on the backside are two bigger textual content packing containers. That is the place extra skilled customers can place header and footer scripts respectively. Until what you’re doing, you may ignore these.
After getting configured all the things, you should definitely save the adjustments to the publish or web page to finalize it.
And that’s it. For those who go to the web page, it’s best to see a distinct web page’s content material seem below the identical URL. Simply do not forget that in the event you chosen any consumer roles, it’s best to check out a number of views to verify it’s working accurately.
Merely repeat this on as many posts or pages as you need. If you’re not a fan of utilizing a plugin, the following methodology is for you.
Methodology 2: Modifying the .htaccess File
This methodology is the handbook method to URL masking in WordPress. Realistically, there are a number of methods to tug this off, to maintain issues easy, let’s have a look at the simplest approach to do that, enhancing the .htaccess file.
As soon as you’re within the cPanel, find the Recordsdata part and choose the File Supervisor possibility.
Upon doing so, it’s best to see an inventory of all the information saved in your server. Begin by choosing the public_html listing on the left aspect of the display. That is the place all the information associated to your WordPress set up are positioned.
For those who look by means of the information inside the public_html listing, it’s best to spot the .htaccess file. Proper-click on the .htaccess file and choose the edit possibility.
Necessary Be aware: It’s attainable that your web site doesn’t have a .htaccess file. Typically the file doesn’t generate, so if you don’t see this file it’s essential to take a minute and generate it. This tutorial will provide help to do exactly that.
A small window will seem reminding you that one thing can go mistaken, and as a precaution, it’s best to create a backup of your web site earlier than making any adjustments. Click on on the “Edit” button to proceed.
This may carry you to the file the place you may edit it. Scroll all the way down to the underside of the .htaccess file and add the next strains of code:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^displayedpath/?$ /filepath/unique/
All it’s essential to do is edit the second line and enter the file path for the content material you wish to get replaced and the file path for the content material you wish to seem. Since that is particular to your website, I can’t inform you the file path to make use of.
With a little bit trial and error, it’s best to have the ability to get it working in a couple of minutes. The top end result needs to be visiting that web page and viewing one other web page’s content material. If one thing does go mistaken, use the backup to revive your website.
Are There Any Options to URL Masking?
Completely! I mentioned at the beginning that URL masking was a type of redirection, thus, the best various a website can use is to arrange a URL redirection. Whereas the URL will change as soon as it’s accessed, the consumer is dropped at the right location.
And in contrast to URL masking, when executed accurately, URL redirection doesn’t negatively influence your search engine marketing.
For those who have been pondering of utilizing URL masking to cover your affiliate hyperlinks or monitoring codes within the URL, a greater various is to make use of a URL shortening service. These providers permit you to enter a URL, after which create a shorter model of that URL that’s simpler to share, akin to what I discussed earlier – Bitly.
WordPress is dwelling to lots of nice plugins that may shorten your hyperlinks totally free, however there are paid providers which you can strive as nicely. In some instances, these providers can create brand-specific URLs which can be simpler than URL masking solely.
For those who have been contemplating utilizing URL masking to guard your privateness, there are different options. Typically, your net host will provide some type of safety. Right here at GreenGeeks, we provide ID Defend which you’ll be able to add to your account for a small price.
Basically, something you’d use URL masking for will be achieved another way, and for essentially the most half, that’s what websites select to do. The dangers related to URL masking are too excessive to contemplate for many.
Is URL Masking Proper for You?
We now have talked extensively concerning the execs and cons associated to URL masking. The reality is that there are some compelling causes to make use of it, however for the overwhelming majority of websites, the cons outweigh the professionals.
As such, every website must make this determination for themselves. Nonetheless, in the event you select to implement URL masking, the above demonstration ought to provide help to set it up in a matter of minutes.
I hope you discovered this tutorial useful in organising URL masking in WordPress.
Why do you wish to arrange URL masking in WordPress? Have been you conscious of the dangers of utilizing hyperlink masking?
