As you discover more about WordPress, you may occasionally come across the term blogroll.
In WordPress terminology, a list of links displayed on your sidebar area 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.”
The Links feature lets you easily add and manage external hyperlinks to a widgetized theme.
Prior to the release of WP v 3.5, Links were a visible feature of the WordPress CMS. From version 3.5 onwards, the Links manager and blogroll sections were hidden by default in new installations …
Before …
(Links – part of the menu until the release of WordPress v.3.5)
After …
(The Links Manager – no longer shown in the admin menu after WP v.3.5)
If you were using the Link Manager in previous versions of WordPress, then it will still be available when your installation upgrades to a newer version. If you’ve never used the Link Manager feature, however, or if your installation of WordPress is new, then this function will remain hidden – it will not be displayed on the dashboard 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 you can’t see a Links section on the main menu when you log into your WordPress dashboard, you can add this feature via a plugin. In this tutorial, you will learn how to add, edit, delete and manage blogroll links on your site’s sidebar using WordPress plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager)
Plugin Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Description
Use this plugin to display the 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 template code 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 plugin below instead, or contact us for help editing your template code.
Simple Links
(Simple Links WordPress Plugin)
Plugin URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Description
Simple Links attempts to recreate the concept of the built-in WP Links Manager while removing the shortcomings of the deprecated feature.
Installing The Plugin
Let’s install the Link Manager plugin.
From your WP admin area, go to 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 search results screen and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin …
After activating the plugin, WordPress restores the ‘Links’ functionality to your dashboard menu …
(Links management menu section)
Configuring Link Manager
We recommend setting up your link categories first before you start adding links. This way, when you create a new link, you can assign your link to link categories you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a link category, click on Links > Link Categories in the admin menu …
(WP Links – Link Categories)
You will be taken to the ‘Link Categories’ page.
Enter the following information:
- Name: Enter the category name here.
- Slug: The slug appears in the URL of the link category name. Use only lowercase letters and do not include spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display a link category description.
Click the Add New Link Category button to save …
(Link Categories area)
Your category details will display in the list …
(Link Categories page)
Tip: The default WordPress link category is called Blogroll . Unless you specify the 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 default WordPress link category name to something that will make sense to 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 be listed under the new category name …
(Change the default ’blogroll’ to something your visitors will understand)
To change the default category name, hover your mouse over the list item and click on Quick Edit …
(Quick Edit)
Replace both the Name and the Slug with a new category name (remember to keep the slug in lowercase letters and replace all spaces with a hyphen), and click on the Update link Category button …
(Quick Edit)
In our example, we’ve replaced the link category ‘Blogroll’ with an appropriate links section category name (e.g. ‘Recommended’).
Let’s now add a link category description. To add a link category description, click on Edit under the category name …
(You can add/edit the category description)
Enter your link category description field and click Update …
(Edit Link Category screen)
Repeat the above process and add as many new link categories as your site needs.
After you have finished configuring your link categories, you can start adding your links.
How To Add New Links
To add a new link, choose Links > Add New in the admin menu …
(Links Menu – Add New)
The ‘Add New Link’ page will display in your web browser …
(Add New Link page)
You can also reach this page by clicking on ’Add New’ at the top of the main Links screen …
(Links page – Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page has several sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
This section lets you enter your link details …
(Name, Web Address& Description)
Type in information into the following fields:
- Name: Whatever you type in this field is the category name that will display on your site.
- Slug: The slug is the web address part of the link category name. Use only lowercase letters without 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
Select a Category and Target for the new link …
(Add New Link screen – Categories & Target area)
In the Categories section, tick a link category you have already added, or click on the ‘+ Add New Category’ link to add a new category.
Next, select a target frame for your link in the Target section by choosing one of the radio buttons. This lets you specify how the link should open when clicked on by visitors:
- _blank means that when visitors click on your link, a new, separate browser window will open up to display the content associated with the link. Your visitor will be able to access the link information without leaving your site
- _none means that when visitors click on the link, they will leave your site and a new site or page will load in your web browser window instead.
- _top opens the link at the top level of the frame system if you’re using frames. If you don’t use frames, or if you don’t know what frames are, then ignore this option.
Link Relationship XFN
This section provides some additional link functionality …
(Add New Link – Link Relationship (XFN))
Link Relationship (XFN) – XFN (XML Friends Network) is a way to define your relationship to the linked person. For example, if you work with Olivia Smith and you link to her blog, you would probably tick co-worker or colleague.
XFN relationships are optional for WordPress links. You can ignore this section and your links will still work. Defining relationships with 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 specifies what relationship exists 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 the site below:
Advanced
The last section allows you to enter 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:
- Image Address: Specify an image to be displayed with the link. To use this feature, add the URL of where the image is located and make sure that your image is small (around 16×16 like a favicon).
- RSS Address: If your theme allows it, the link’s RSS feed can be displayed next to the links.
- Notes: This section lets you add notes for your own internal reference.
- Rating: You can add a rating score to the link if you want to sort links by rating (see the ‘Links’ widget section below).
Enter information in the above fields or just leave this section blank, as these fields are not required.
When you have finished adding your new link information, click on Add Link to save your new link …
(Click on the Add Link button 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 lets you add a link and then toggle its visibility on or off without deleting it (this is useful if you want to use seasonal links) …
(Toggle link visibility on and off)
To see all the links you have added, select Links > All Links in your WP dashboard navigation menu …
(Links – All Links)
This brings up the ‘Links’ screen. The table of links displays all your links and link information (e.g. URL, categories, rating, etc.) …
(Links page)
Tip: To show or hide fields in the table of links, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab at the top of the screen …
(Links page – Screen Options)
Enable/disable fields on your Links table by selecting/deselecting their check boxes …
(Hide or display – List of links)
Editing Your Links
To modify links, choose Links > All Links in the WP dashboard navigation menu to bring up your list of links …
(WordPress Links – All Links)
Select the item to be edited and click on Edit to bring up the item’s link information …
(Editing links)
Make changes to your link fields …
(Edit Link page)
After you’re done 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 check that you have set up everything correctly (your link will open in a new window),
- Click Delete to remove the link from your table of links …
(Update Link button)
How To Remove Links
To remove links from the Link Manager, go to the dashboard menu and choose Links > All Links …
(Links – All Links)
The ‘Links’ table will display in your browser.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links, or perform a bulk delete.
To delete links individually, hover your cursor over the link title you want removed and click Delete …
(Deleting your links)
To delete links in bulk, either click on the check boxes next to individual links that you want deleted, or select all links by clicking on the check box next to the ‘Name’ column header at the top of the list …
(Delete multiple links)
Select Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ dropdown menu, and click the Apply button to delete your selected links …
(Links: bulk-delete function)
All the links you have selected will be removed …
(links deleted notice)
Using The Plugin
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.
Links Widget
Installing the Links Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ page.
To access and configure your Link widgets, select Appearance > Widgets in your WP admin menu …
(Appearance – Widgets)
You will be taken to the ‘Widgets’ page.
You will notice a ‘Links’ widget in the Available Widgets section …
(Links widget)
Drag the ‘Links’ widget to one of the widget bars and drop it wherever you would like the links to show up …
(Adding a links widget to a widgetized menu)
The Links widget provides various configurable options. For example, you can specify what information you want displayed about your links and how many links you want to display on your sidebar …
(Link widget - options)
You can add multiple link widgets to your sidebar and footer. This lets you create and feature link sections on your site …
(Add multiple link widgets to your sidebar)
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 options – Sort by options)
When you have finished setting up your Links widget, click Save to update your settings. Your links should display on your website’s sidebar …
(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 adding widgets here:
Links Manager – Additional Information
If you have added many links, the Links Manager plugin allows you to easily administer these with search, sort, and filter features.
Sorting Your Links
To sort links, hover your mouse over the title of the column you want to sort and click on the little triangle displayed next to the column title …
(You can sort links)
Search Links Function
Find links using the ‘Search Links’ feature …
(Searching links)
Filtering Links
You can filter links by categories …
(Filter your links by link categories)
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 links in the ‘Links’ column …
(Search and filter links in the Link Categories page)
This brings up a list of all links listed under a specific link category …
(Links filtered by link category)
Links – Additional Options
If you plan to add lots of links to your website or blog, or if you would like to add a page containing a list of links to your site (i.e. not just add links on your sidebar), then you may want to consider using a plugin that can help you administer links.
Link Library
(Link Library WordPress Plugin)
Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
Link Library gives you the ability to publish a list of all your link categories with a complete list of all your links together with notes and descriptions …
(List of links created with Link library. Image source: Link Library plugin site.)
This useful plugin creates a page on your web site that contains a list of all of the link categories in your Links area, plus all links listed in these categories. Additionally, 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 links so that your site users can become aware of any additions made to to your link library.
Go here for more details about using this plugin:
Congratulations! Now you know how to how to add and manage links in WordPress.
We have written a comprehensive article about how to easily add HTML links to WordPress posts. Go here to learn more about this:
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