As you discover more about WordPress, you may occasionally come across something called a blogroll.
WordPress refers to a list of links pointing to other websites or web pages that display on your sidebar section 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.”
The Links feature lets you add and manage external hyperlinks to a widget-ready theme.
Before WordPress v 3.5 was released, Links were a built-in feature of the WordPress CMS. After the release of WordPress version 3.5, the Link Manager section was kept hidden by default in new WordPress installations …
Before …
(The Link Manager feature was part of the menu until the release of WP version 3.5)
After …
(Post v 3.5 – no WordPress Links feature)
If you’ve had an earlier version than 3.5 installed and updated your installation, then the Link Manager would be removed, unless you’ve previously used it. If you’ve never used the Links feature, however, or if your WordPress installation is new, then this function will become invisible – it will not be displayed on your menu.
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 Links feature is not visible when you log into your WP dashboard you will need to install a plugin. In this step-by-step tutorial, you will learn how to add, edit, delete and manage blogroll links on your site’s sidebar using plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager Plugin)
Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Plugin Description
This plugin restores the default Links Manager, even if you update WordPress to a later version or remove all of your current links.
Note: This plugin adds a single line of code to WordPress to restore the hidden feature. The last time we checked, this plugin had not been updated for some time, but it should still work fine. If you don’t want to use the Link Manager plugin, then use the plugin below instead, or contact us for help editing your template code.
Simple Links
(Simple Links Plugin)
Download URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Description Of Plugin
This plugin attempts to recreate the concept of the built-in Link Manager while removing the shortcomings of the deprecated functionality.
Installing The Plugin
To install the Link Manager plugin, follow these instructions:
From your WP dashboard area, select Plugins > Add New …
(Plugins – Add New)
Click on the Install Plugins > Search tab, then 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 activation, WordPress adds a ‘Links’ section to the WP dashboard menu …
(WordPress links menu section)
Configuring Link Manager
Before you start adding links, it’s a good idea to set up your link categories. This way, you can assign new links to the link category you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a link category, go to the dashboard menu and select Links > Link Categories …
(WordPress Links Menu – Link Categories)
This loads the ‘Link Categories’ page in your browser.
Enter information into the following fields:
- Name: Enter the category name.
- Slug: The slug is the SEO friendly URL part of the link category name. It must all be in lowercase letters and contain no spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display your link category description.
Click the Add New Link Category button …
(Link Categories area)
The category details will display in the table …
(Link Categories)
Tip: Blogroll is the default link category name. Unless you specify a category when creating a link, WordPress will assign new links to the default category …
(Default link category name)
You may want to change this to something that will make sense to your blog readers. This not only makes it easier for users of your site, but any new links that you add to the Links section will automatically display under the new category name …
(we recommend changing the default ’blogroll’ to something your visitors will understand)
To edit the ‘Blogroll’ link name, hover your mouse over the list item and click on the Quick Edit link …
(Quick Edit)
Replace both the Name and the Slug with a new category name, then click on the Update link Category button …
(Editing the link category name)
Replace the category ‘Blogroll’ with a name more suitable to your purposes (e.g. ‘Recommended’, ‘Resources’ etc).
Let’s create a link category description. To add a description to an existing link category, click on the Edit link under the category name …
(You can add/edit the category description)
Enter your link category description field and click Update done to save your settings …
(Edit Link Category page)
Repeat this process to add as many new link categories as your site needs.
After configuring your link categories, you can add new links.
Adding New Links
To create a new link, click on Links > Add New in the WP navigation menu …
(Links Menu – Add New)
This loads the Add New Link’ page in your browser …
(Add New Link screen)
You can also access this screen by clicking on the ‘Add New’ button in the main Links page …
(Links screen – Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page includes several sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
The first section lets you enter your link details …
(Name, Web Addressand Description section – Add New Link screen)
Type in the following information:
- Name: Whatever you type here displays as the link category name.
- Slug: The slug shows up in the web address of the link category name. Use only lowercase letters and do not include spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display your link category description in the links section, or as a tool tip when visitors hover over the link name. (Optional)
Categories & Target
After typing in link details, select a Category and Target for your link …
(Categories & Target)
In the Categories section, select one of the link categories you’ve already added, or click on ’+ Add New Category’ to create a new category link.
Next, select a target frame radio button for your link in the Target section. This lets you specify where you want your link to open when clicked on by visitors:
- _blank means that a new, separate browser window will open up to display the content associated with the link. This allows your visitors to access the information without leaving your website
- _none means that when visitors click on your link, they will leave your site and a new website 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 stands for XML Friends Network – lets you define your relationship with the linked person. For example, if you have a professional relationship with Minnie Cooper and you link to her blog, you would probably tick co-worker or colleague.
XFN relationships are optional. You can leave everything in this section blank and all your links will still work. XFN makes your links more understandable to some sites and search engines that use this information.
rel – This field specifies the ‘rel’ attribute that will be assigned to your link. The rel attribute is used to define a relationship between the current document and the linked document. For example, if you don’t want search engines to follow your link, type nofollow into this field.
You can learn more about XFN by visiting this site:
Advanced
The last section of the Add New Link’ screen lets you enter Advanced features for your links (You can ignore this section, unless there’s a good reason to use it) …
(Advanced fields)
The Advanced link settings section contains the following:
- Image Address: Specify an image to be displayed with the link. To use this feature, add the URL of your image and make sure that the image is small (around 16×16 like a favicon).
- RSS Address: If your theme allows it, the RSS feed associated with the link will be displayed next to the links.
- 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 in 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 update your link settings …
(Click on Add Link to update your link settings)
Note: If you select the checkbox next to Keep this link private, the link will not be visible in your Links section …
(Make your links private)
Making a link private allows you to toggle link visibility on or off without deleting it (this is useful if you want the link to display during certain times and hide it afterwards) …
(Toggle link visibility on and off)
To see all your links, go to your WP dashboard menu and click on Links > All Links …
(Links Menu – All Links)
You will be taken to the ‘Links’ page. The Links page displays all of your links and link information (e.g. link URL, categories, rating, etc.) …
(Links screen)
Tip: To display additional fields in the Links page, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab near the top of the screen …
(Table of links – Screen Options)
Enable/disable information on your table of links by ticking/unticking their checkboxes …
(Table of links – Hide or show screen options)
How To Edit Your Links
To modify links, go to the main dashboard navigation menu and select Links > All Links to bring up your list of links …
(Links Menu – All Links)
Locate the item to be edited and click on Edit to bring up the link’s information …
(Editing your links)
Make changes to the link information …
(Edit Link screen)
After editing the link, you can:
- Click on Update Link to save and update your link details,
- Click on Visit Link to view your link and make sure that you have set up the link’s URL correctly (the link will open in a new window),
- Click Delete to remove the link if it’s no longer required …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
How To Delete Links
To delete a link, choose Links > All Links in your WP dashboard navigation menu …
(WP Links Menu – All Links)
The ‘Links’ screen will display in your web browser.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links, or delete all your links at once.
To delete individual links, hover your cursor over the link title that you want to remove and click Delete …
(Delete your links)
To delete links in bulk, either tick the check box next to every item that you would like to be removed, or select all links by clicking on the checkbox next to the ‘Name’ column header …
(Deleting multiple links)
Select Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ drop-down menu, and click the Apply button to remove all selected links …
(Links: bulk-deletion function)
The links you have selected will be deleted …
(Link deletion notification)
Plugin Usage
Now that you know how to configure link categories and how to add, edit and delete links, it’s time to make links display on your website.
Using The Links Widget
Installing the Link Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ page.
To access and configure your Link widgets, go to your WP dashboard menu and choose Appearance > Widgets …
(Appearance Menu – Widgets)
The ‘Widgets’ screen will load in your browser.
You will see a ‘Links’ widget in the Available Widgets section …
(Links widget)
Drag the ‘Links’ widget to one of the active widget sections and drop it wherever you want your links to show up …
(Adding a links widget to your widget bar)
The Links widget offers various settings. You can specify what information you would like displayed about your links and how many links you would like to display on your sidebar menu …
(Link widget - options)
You can add multiple link widgets to your sidebar. This lets you create and feature specific multiple link categories throughout your site …
(Add a number of link widgets to your sidebar)
You can select a link category from the ‘Select Link Category:’ pull-down menu …
(Link widget options – Select Link Category)
You can sort links by Link title, Link ID, Link rating, or display links in Random order …
(Link widget settings – Sorting options)
After setting up the links widget, click the Save button to update your settings. A link section will show up immediately on your site …
(An example of how links can be displayed on your site’s 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 help with widgets? We have written a detailed article on using widgets here:
Link Manager – Additional Information
If you have loads of links, the Link Manager plugin lets you easily administer these using searching, filtering, and sorting features.
Sorting Your Links
You can sort links by hovering your cursor over the title of the column you want to sort and clicking on the little black triangle displayed next to the column title …
(Sort your links)
Search Links Function
Type a search term into the search field and click the Search Links button …
(Searching your links)
Filtering Your Links
You can filter links by category …
(Filter links by link category)
You can also search and filter links in the Link Categories page. Use the ‘Search Link Categories’ button to find link categories, or click on the category links in the ‘Links’ column …
(Search and filter links in the Link Categories page)
This brings up a list of all links grouped under a specific link category …
(Links filtered by link category)
Additional Link Options
If you plan to add a lot of links to your website, or if you would like to add a ‘Links’ page to your site (i.e. not just add a links section to your sidebar), then you may want to consider using a plugin that can help you administer your links.
Link Library
(Link Library)
Plugin Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
Link Library gives you the ability to display a list of all your link categories with a complete list of all your links with notes and descriptions …
(List of links created with Link library. Image sourced from Link Library plugin website.)
This useful plugin creates a page on your site that contains 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 additions to your link library.
To learn more this plugin, visit the plugin website:
Congratulations! Now you know how to how to add and manage links to other websites in WordPress.
Go here to learn more about how to easily add HTML hyperlinks into your WordPress content:
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"Wow! I never knew there's so much to learn about WordPress! I bought one of the WordPress for Dummies three years ago, such authors need to be on this course!" - Rich Law, Create A Blog Now