When trying to add an external link to a Create List, you may get the below error message (or something similar) because the information from that link is unable to be pulled into Create.
Why can't Create pull the information I need from this link?
Often, this issue happens because of security permissions set from the external site itself. Some sites may block third-party tools from scraping information from their links, meaning that Create cannot pull in a title, description, or featured image.
Every site has its permissions set up differently and don't make these permissions public, so it's not possible to predict or control whether you can scrape information from a certain site.
NOTE: If the link you are trying to add to the card is an Amazon link, you can find detailed instructions on how to troubleshoot in this help article.
How do I troubleshoot this?
You may wish to confirm whether the issue at hand is happening because of the external site having blocked link scraping. The below steps can help you do that.
Ensure you have added the entire link and that it is correct.
Test additional links from the same site. If you are adding a product link from a department store's website, for example, grab a few more product links from the same site and see what happens when you try to add them to your Create List.
Test links from other external sites. Try to add links from some additional sites. Perhaps links from a site that you have been able to add to your Create List in the past.
Open up WordPress in an incognito window, then a different browser, and test again. This can tell you whether there may be a conflict within your browser or a caching issue at play.
If other links from the same site bring you the same error message, links from additional sites work normally, and nothing changes when you use incognito mode or another browser, it is likely that the site you're having trouble with simply won't allow you to scrape their info.
Is there a workaround for this?
There isn't anything that can be done to automatically pull information from a link into Create if the external site has blocked link scraping. However, you can still add the link to your card manually. You will then be able to add a title, description, and image yourself.
How to Manually Add Links to Your Card
After adding the external link, if Create can't scrape information from the link, you can click the “Add Manually” button:
This will add an empty List Item for you to fill in:
