Redirect links are a handy way to share clean, branded URLs — but sometimes you only want certain users to be able to follow them. Thanks to the Simple URLs integration in the Restrict for WordPress plugin, you can restrict access to individual redirect links and decide exactly where unauthorized visitors end up instead. This guide walks you through enabling the integration, configuring the fallback redirection, and restricting your first Simple URL.
Before you begin
- Restrict for WordPress must be installed and activated — see the installing and activation guide if you haven’t done that yet.
- You will also need the free Simple URLs plugin installed and activated. Simple URLs allows you to seamlessly create page redirections and mask the URLs of the original page.
The Simple URLs tab in Restrict
Restrict for WordPress has a nice integration with the Simple URLs plugin. With Simple URLs installed on your website, you will notice that another option tab appears in the Restrict plugin, labeled Simple URLs:
Here you can select the type of redirection, which can be either Page or URL:
- If Page is selected, you can then choose a page on your site to which the user should be redirected if they attempt to access a restricted URL. This is handy when you want to send visitors to your login page, a sales page, or a friendly “members only” explanation page.
- If you select URL, you will be able to enter a specific URL to which you want the user to be redirected. This gives you full flexibility — the destination can even be an external address.
This setting acts as the site-wide fallback: whenever someone tries to open a restricted Simple URL without meeting its criteria, this is where they will land.
Creating and restricting a redirection
Now, for the restriction to actually apply to a link, you first need a redirection created in Simple URLs. Navigate to the Simple URLs area of your website by selecting it from the menu on the left:
Once there, click the Add New button to create a new redirection, and enter the URL you want to create a redirection for:
Right below the URL field, you will find the familiar dropdown menu of the Restrict plugin labeled Content Available To, where you can select the criteria based on which the URL will be accessible. It works just like the restriction dropdown you use when restricting the content of a page or post.
For example, if you select Logged in users here and then attempt to visit the redirection URL as a logged-out user, you will be redirected in accordance with the setting you previously configured within Restrict’s Simple URLs settings — either to the specific page or the URL you chose there.
When is this useful?
Restricted Simple URLs shine whenever you share links outside your website and still need access control. A few common scenarios:
- Members-only resources: share a short, memorable link in a newsletter that only logged-in members can actually follow.
- Masked download or affiliate links: keep the destination hidden and make sure only eligible users reach it.
- Role-based quick links: one link for everyone, but where it leads depends on whether the visitor meets the criteria — eligible users reach the target, everyone else lands on your chosen fallback page.
Tips
- Set the fallback first. Configure the redirection type (Page or URL) in Restrict’s Simple URLs tab before sharing restricted links, so unauthorized visitors always land somewhere useful instead of a dead end.
- Test as a logged-out user. Open your restricted link in a private/incognito browser window to confirm the redirection behaves as expected.
- Combine with other restrictions. A restricted link protects the redirect itself, not the destination content. If the destination is a page on your own site, restrict that page too so it can’t be reached directly.