Medium Interactive

MDI HTTP Referer Block enables WordPress site owners to detect and control user experience based on the origin of traffic. By analyzing the HTTP referrer (both server-side via PHP and client-side via JavaScript when headers are missing), this plugin makes it easy to apply different behavior for visitors arriving from ads, social platforms, or syndicated search networks.
You can define specific referrer domains or patterns, and when a visitor matches those conditions, the plugin can:
<ul>
<li>Display a small notification (server-side) showing the detected referrer host or path.</li>
<li>Hide or reveal specific elements on your site using CSS selectors.</li>
<li>Redirect visitors from certain sources to a different URL.</li>
</ul>
This gives marketers, advertisers, and site owners fine control over how different audiences see the site.
Example use cases:
<ul>
<li>Hide contact forms when users arrive through syndicated search traffic to prevent spam or low-quality leads.</li>
<li>Hide pricing details when a user comes from social media to encourage engagement before pricing exposure.</li>
<li>Redirect visitors from affiliate networks to a dedicated landing page.</li>
<li>Show a simple banner confirming that the user arrived via a partner campaign.</li>
</ul>
The plugin sets a tracking cookie (<code>mdi_syndicated_ref</code>) to remember the detected source for the configured number of days, ensuring consistent visibility rules on repeat visits.
MDI HTTP Referer Block helps you tailor on-site experiences dynamically based on real visitor origin — simple, server-side controlled, and privacy-respecting.
For a full guide on blocking syndicated search traffic (e.g., Google Ads Performance Max), see: 
https://mediuminteractive.com/how-to-block-syndicated-search-traffic-from-performance-max-campaigns-in-google-ads/

MDI HTTP Referer Block

Hide elements or redirect users based on referrer domains. Useful for blocking partners, scrapers, or altering content per source.

SomeUser

When visitors is referred to your site from a search engine, they are definitely looking for something specific – often they just roughly check the page they land on and then closes the window if what they are looking for isn’t there. Why not help them by showing them related posts to their search on your blog? This plugin lets you do that, works with a long list of search engines!
<h3>Details on functions</h3>
<pre><code>ls_getinfo('isref')
</code></pre>
Returning true if the referrer is a supported search engine – used as a conditional tag
<pre><code>ls_getinfo('terms')
</code></pre>
Outputs the search terms
<pre><code>ls_getinfo('referrer')
</code></pre>
Outputs a link to the referring search engine
<pre><code>ls_related()
</code></pre>
Outputs the list of related posts. This can be customized by passing variables to it. ls_related(‘limit’, ‘length’, ‘before title’, ‘after title’, ‘before post’, ‘after post’, ‘show password protected posts’, ‘show post excerpts’).
<pre><code>ls_search_engines()
</code></pre>
Outputs links to other search engines results. This can be customized by passing variables to it. ls_search_engines(‘before_title’, ‘after_title’).
In the code example in the FAQ, it outputs 5 related posts, 10 words per excerpt (if excerpts are enabled), list item start before title, list item close after post title, no content before and after posts, doesn’t show password protected posts and doesn’t show excerpts.

Landing sites

When visitors is referred to your site from a search engine, the plugin is showing them related posts to their search on your blog.

MDI HTTP Referer Block vs Landing sites