As you become more familiar with WordPress, you may occasionally come across the term blogroll.
In WordPress terminology, a list of links displayed on your sidebar menu is sometimes referred to as a blogroll.
According to official WordPress documentation …
“The term ‘blogroll’ was originally used because it was a list of links to other blogs, but you can include links to any sites.”
You can display a featured links section on your blog using the WordPress Link Manager plugin.
Prior to the release of v.3.5, Links were a built-in feature of the WordPress CMS. After the release of WordPress v.3.5, the Links Manager section was kept hidden by default in new installations …
Before …
(WordPress Links Manager Feature – pre v 3.5)
After …
(Post version 3.5 – no WP Links Manager)
If you have had an earlier version of WordPress than v.3.5 installed and upgraded your installation, then the Links Manager would have been removed, unless you have previously used it.
How To Add A Link Section To WordPress
You can add a link section to your sidebar menu by creating a custom menu, or use a plugin like the one shown in the tutorial below.
If the Link Manager is not visible when you log into your WordPress admin area you will need to install a plugin. In this step-by-step tutorial, you will learn how to add and manage blogroll links on your sidebar using plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager)
Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Description
This plugin restores the default Links menu on your WP dashboard, even if you update to a later version of WordPress or remove all of your existing links.
Note: All this plugin does is add a single line of template code to WordPress to restore the hidden feature. The last time we checked, this plugin had not been updated for a while, but it should still work fine. If you don’t want to use this plugin, then use the one below instead, or contact us for help editing your template code.
Simple Links
(Simple Links)
Download URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Description
This plugin attempts to recreate the same concept as the built-in WordPress Links Manager while removing the shortcomings of the deprecated feature.
Installing The Plugin
Let’s install the Link Manager plugin.
From your WordPress administration area, select Plugins > Add New …
(Plugins Menu – Add New)
Click on the Install Plugins > Search tab, type ”link manager” into the search field and hit Enter …
Find the plugin in the results area and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin …
After activating the plugin, the ‘Links’ feature will be restored to the admin menu area …
(Links menu section)
Configuring The Plugin
Before you start adding new links, it’s a good idea to set up your link categories. This way, you can assign new links to link categories you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a new link category, select Links > Link Categories in your WP dashboard navigation menu …
(Links – Link Categories)
You will be taken to the ‘Link Categories’ screen.
Type in information into the following sections:
- Name: Enter the category name here.
- Slug: The slug displays in the search-engine friendly URL of the link category. Use only lowercase letters and do not include spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display your link category description.
Click Add New Link Category to save your new link category …
(Link Categories)
The link category will now show in the table …
(Link Categories page)
Tip: WordPress calls its default link category Blogroll . Unless you specify a category for a new link, WordPress automatically assigns new links to the default category …
(Default link category name is ‘blogroll’)
You may want to change this to something that will make sense to site visitors. This not only makes it easier for visitors, but any new links that you add to the Links section will automatically appear under the new category name …
(Consider changing the default link category name to something better suited to your business)
To edit the default category name, hover your mouse over the item and click on the Quick Edit link …
(Quick Edit)
Change both the Name and the Slug with a new category name, and click on the Update link Category button …
(Update Link Category)
Replace the link category name ‘Blogroll’ with a more suitable name (e.g. ‘Recommended’, ‘Links’ etc).
Let’s add a link category description. To add a link category description, click on Edit under the category name …
(Link category description)
Add your description in the ‘Edit Link Category’ page and click Update …
(Edit Link Category area)
Repeat the above process and add as many different link categories as your site needs.
After you have finished configuring your link categories, you can add new links.
How To Add Links
To create a new link, go to the WP dashboard navigation menu and select Links > Add New …
(WordPress Links Menu – Add New)
This brings up the Add New Link’ screen in your web browser …
(Add New Link page)
You can also reach this page by clicking on ’Add New’ in the main Links screen …
(Links page – Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page includes several sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
The first section is where you enter your link details …
(Name, Web Addressand Description section – Add New Link)
Enter information into the following fields:
- Name: Whatever you type here will display as the category your links will be assigned to.
- Slug: The slug shows up in the web address of the link category name. It must be in lowercase letters and contain no spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display a link category description in the links section, or as a tool tip when visitors hover over the link name with their mouse.
Categories & Target
Select a Category and Target for your link …
(Categories & Target section – Add New Link page)
In the Categories section, select one of the link categories you’ve already added, or click on the ‘+ Add New Category’ link to create a new category.
Next, select a target frame radio button for your link in the Target section. This lets you specify where you want the link to open when a visitor clicks on it:
- _blank means that a new browser window will open up to display the content for that link. This allows your visitors to see the link information without leaving your website
- _none means that when visitors click on your link, they will leave your site and a new site or page will load in your browser window instead.
- _top opens links at the top level of the frame system if you’re using frames. Don’t worry about this option if you don’t use frames, or if you don’t know what frames are.
Link Relationship XFN
This area provides some additional link functionality …
(Link Relationship (XFN) area)
Link Relationship (XFN) – XFN (XML Friends Network) lets you define your relationship with the linked person. For example, if you work with Pranav Larsson and you link to his blog, you would probably check co-worker or colleague.
XFN relationships are optional. You can ignore this section and your links will still work. XFN makes your links more understandable to some sites and search engines that use this information.
rel – This field lets you specify the ‘rel’ attribute that will be assigned to your link. The rel attribute defines the relationship between the current document and the linked document. For example, if you don’t want search engines to follow your link, enter nofollow into this field. Other ‘rel’ attributes include author, help, start, index, etc. Separate multiple ‘rel’ keywords with spaces.
To learn more about XFN, visit the site below:
Advanced
The last section allows you to specify Advanced features for your links (You can ignore this section, unless there’s a good reason to use it) …
(Advanced link settings)
The Advanced link settings section includes the following options:
- Image Address: Lets you specify an image to be displayed with the link. Add the image URL and make sure that your image is small (around 16×16 like a favicon).
- RSS Address: If your theme allows it, the RSS feed associated with the link can be displayed next to your link.
- Notes: This section lets you add notes for your own internal reference.
- Rating: Add a rating score to the link if you would like to sort links by rating (see the ‘Links’ widget section below).
Type in your information into the above fields or just leave this section ignore this section.
When you have finished adding information about your link, click on the Add Link button to save your new link …
(Click on the Add Link button to save your new link)
Note: If you tick the checkbox next to Keep this link private, your link will not be visible when links are displayed on your site …
(Private link checkbox)
Making a link private allows you to toggle link visibility on and off without deleting it (this is useful if you would like a link to display during certain times and hide it afterwards) …
(Toggle link visibility on and off)
To view all your links, choose Links > All Links in your WP admin menu …
(Links Menu – All Links)
This brings up the ‘Links’ screen in your web browser. The table of links displays all of your links and link information (e.g. URL, categories, visibility, etc.) …
(Table of links)
Tip: To display additional columns in the list of links, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab at the top of the screen …
(Screen Options – Table of links)
Display/hide fields on your table of links by selecting/deselecting their check boxes …
(Show/hide links)
How To Edit Your Link Information
To edit a link in the Link Manager, go to the main navigation menu and choose Links > All Links to bring up your links page …
(Links Menu – All Links)
Select the item you want to edit and click on Edit to bring up the link’s details …
(Editing your links)
Change your link …
(Edit Link screen)
After you’re done editing the link, you can:
- Click on Update Link to save your link details,
- Click on Visit Link to see your link and make sure that you have set up the link’s URL correctly (your link will open up in a new window),
- Click Delete to delete the link from your table of links if you no longer require it …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
Deleting Your Links
To remove links, select Links > All Links in the admin menu …
(WordPress Links Menu – All Links)
This takes you to the ‘Links’ screen.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links by selecting their check boxes, or perform a bulk delete.
To delete links individually, hover your cursor over the link title you want removed and click on Delete …
(Delete links)
To delete a number of links at once, either tick the check boxes next to individual items that you want to delete, or select all links by clicking on the main checkbox next to the ‘Name’ column header …
(Delete multiple links)
Choose Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ pulldown menu, and click Apply to remove all selected links …
(Links: bulk-delete function)
All the links you have selected will be deleted …
(Deleted links message)
Using The Link Manager Plugin
Now that you know how to set up link categories and how to add, edit and delete links, it’s time to display links on your website or blog.
Links Widget
The Link Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ section.
To access and configure your Link widgets, go to your WP admin menu and choose Appearance > Widgets …
(WordPress Appearance – Widgets)
The ‘Widgets’ page will load in your web browser.
You will notice that a ‘Links’ widget has been added to the Available Widgets section …
(Links widget)
Drag the ‘Links’ widget to one of the active widget bars and drop it wherever you would like your links to display …
(Add a links widget to your WordPress sidebar using drag & drop)
The Links widget includes various options. For example, you can specify what information you would like to show about your links and how many links you would like displayed on your sidebar menu …
(Link widget options)
You can add as many link widgets to your sidebar and footer as you want. This lets you create and display specific several links throughout your site …
(You can add multiple link widgets to your widget bars)
Select a link category from the ‘Select Link Category:’ pull-down menu …
(Link widget settings – Select Link Category)
You can sort links by Link title, Link rating, Link ID, or display links in Random order …
(Link widget options – Sort by options)
Once you are done setting up the links widget, click the Save button to update your settings. Your link section will show on your sidebar menu …
(An example of how links can be displayed on a sidebar)
As the above example shows, you can display specific links to your site visitors (e.g. a list for a specific link category only), and add multiple lists of links to your sidebar menu.
Need more help using widgets? We have written a detailed article about using widgets. Go here to learn more:
Links Manager – Additional Information
If you have many links, the Link Manager plugin allows you to easily administer these with search, filter, and sort functions.
Sorting Links
To sort links, hover your mouse cursor over the title of the column you want to sort and click on the little triangle displayed next to the column title …
(You can easily sort links)
Finding Links
Search for links using the ‘Search Links’ function …
(Finding links)
Filter Links Function
You can filter links by categories …
(Filtering your links by link categories)
You can also search and filter links in the Link Categories screen. Use the ‘Search Link Categories’ button to search for link categories, or click on the category links in the ‘Links’ column …
(Search and filter links in the Link Categories screen)
This brings up a list of all links grouped under a specific link category …
(Links filtered by category)
Links – Additional Options
If you plan to add a lot of links to your site, or if you intend to add a ‘Links’ page to your site (i.e. not just add links on your sidebar), then you may want to look at using a plugin that can help you administer links, like Link Library.
Link Library
(Link library – Plugin For WordPress)
Download Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
The Link Library plugin allows you to publish a list of your link categories with a complete list of links plus descriptions and notes …
(Link Library links. Image: Link Library plugin documentation.)
Link Library creates a page on your website containing all the link categories in your Links section, plus all links listed in these categories. You can select a sub-set of categories to display or not display, show only one category at a time, display a search box and find results based on visitor queries, display a form to accept user submissions that can be moderated by a site administrator, and even generate an RSS feed for your link collection so that your site users can be made aware of any additions made to to your link library.
To learn more this plugin, go here:
Congratulations! Now you know how to add external links to your WordPress site.
We have written a detailed article on adding hyperlinks into WordPress posts. Go here to learn more about this:
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