By default WCT tracked links live at the root of your domain, for example yoursite.com/my-slug. If another URL shortener plugin is installed, both plugins can claim the same root level slug, and one of them loses. The symptom is a redirect that silently fails or lands on a 404.
The Fix Is One Setting:
Go to the Settings tab, then ⚙️ General Settings, then the Slug Prefix field. Enter a prefix such as track, link, r or l, and save. Every WCT link then lives under its own namespace:
- Before: yoursite.com/aitwin
- After, with the prefix track: yoursite.com/track/aitwin
PrettyLinks keeps owning /go/, ThirstyAffiliates keeps owning /recommends/, and WCT owns /track/. Nothing collides.
Prefixes To Avoid:
- go, which is the PrettyLinks default.
- recommends, which is the ThirstyAffiliates default.
- Anything that matches an existing WordPress page slug on your site.
The field accepts letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores, up to 30 characters.
Enabling A Prefix Is Always Safe:
When a prefix is set, WCT only intercepts URLs that start with that prefix. Existing tracked links without the prefix continue to redirect normally, and new links pick up the prefix automatically. The Create, Edit and Copy screens all display the full URL with the prefix already baked in, so what you copy is what works.
Checking For Conflicts:
Open the 🩺 Diagnostics tab. The Plugin Compatibility card scans for known URL shortener plugins, names the ones it finds, and offers a one click fix that sets the Slug Prefix without leaving the page. Once the prefix is in place the card turns green and reports the prefix it is using. The same scan runs on step one of the Setup Wizard.
Which Plugins Are Detected:
The conflict scan looks for PrettyLinks, ThirstyAffiliates, YOURLS Link Creator, Link Whisper, Redirection and Simple 301 Redirects. Diagnostics also offers a URL Resolution Test where you can type any slug and see which system on your site actually claims it.
If You Have Already Shared Links:
Adding a prefix does not retire your old URLs, they keep working. You do not need to re-share anything, and you can adopt the prefix gradually on new links.