[XTR] User Link Control 1.0.2

User Link Control is a professional add-on that allows you to centrally manage user profile links (avatar and username links) in your XenForo forum through a permission system. Works automatically across the entire forum without any template modifications.

What is User Link Control?
User Link Control is a professional add-on developed for XenForo 2.3.0+ that controls user profile links (avatar and username) based on permissions. It provides forum administrators with the ability to centrally manage member profile access according to user groups.

Why User Link Control?
Some forums may want to restrict guest users or certain groups from accessing member profiles. User Link Control offers a professional and secure solution to this need:

• No template modifications required
• Works automatically across entire forum
• Integrated with XenForo's native permission system
• Compatible with third-party add-ons
• No performance impact
• Users can always access their own profile

How Does It Work?
User Link Control works by extending XenForo's Template Templater class. During template rendering, user profile links are automatically checked and disabled if permission is denied. This ensures:

• No HTML manipulation
• No layout breaking
• SEO friendly operation
• Safe and stable

Key Features:

• Single Permission System: Simple management with "View member profile links" permission
• Automatic Operation: Automatically active across entire forum
• Own Profile Access: Users can always access their own profile
• Template Independent: No template modifications required
• Add-on Compatible: Compatible with third-party add-ons like ForumStats
• Performant: Works during template render, no extra queries
• SEO Friendly: Safe link disabling using data: URI

Who Is It For?

• Forum administrators who want to restrict guest profile access
• Those who want to give special permissions to certain user groups
• Privacy-focused forums
• Sites seeking professional appearance
• Those looking for third-party add-on compatible solutions

Why Is It Important for SEO?​

Some common link methods can unintentionally harm SEO.

Bad Practices:

• javascript:void(0) — May be flagged as spam by search engines
• Empty href ("") — Redirects to homepage; hurts user experience
• # (hash) — Treated as an in-page anchor; causes scroll jumps
• Invalid URLs — HTML validation errors; lower SEO score

User Link Control’s Approach:

• data: URI Protocol — W3C-compliant and valid HTML
• Search Engine Friendly — Recognized by Google and Bing
• Validation Safe — Fully HTML5-compliant
• No Spam Risk — Doesn’t use JavaScript protocols
• Better UX — No page reloads or unnecessary navigation

SEO Advantages:​

• Valid HTML: data: URI is a valid protocol under HTML5 standards
• Spam Protection: Unlike javascript: links, data: is safe and compliant
• Crawl Budget Optimization: Search engines skip inactive links, preserving crawl resources
• PageRank Preservation: Disabled links don’t dilute link equity
• Validation: Passes W3C HTML validation
• Lighthouse Compliance: No issues in Google Lighthouse tests
• Core Web Vitals: No negative impact on performance metrics

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Technical SEO Details:​

Username: Valid HTML, SEO-friendly

Search Engine Behavior:

• Google: Recognizes data: URI as valid, doesn’t follow it
• Bing: Processes it per HTML5 standards
• Yandex: Accepts as a valid protocol
• Crawlers: Avoid redundant crawling, reducing server load

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Performance and SEO:​

• Server-Side: Executes during template rendering; no extra HTTP requests
• Client-Side: No JavaScript dependency; no effect on load speed
• Cache-Friendly: Static HTML works seamlessly with CDN and cache systems
• Mobile SEO: Same performance across devices

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Ideal For:​

• Forum administrators who care about SEO
• Those aiming for higher Google Lighthouse scores
• Websites requiring strict HTML validation
• Site owners who want to preserve search rankings
• Anyone looking for a spam-free, SEO-safe linking solution