As you continue to learn more about the benefits of using WordPress, you may occasionally come across the term blogroll.
In WordPress terminology, a list of links displayed on your sidebar is often 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 manage a set of links using the Links menu in your Dashboard. These links will then display on your website once you add the Links widget.
Before the release of v 3.5, Links were a core feature of the WordPress CMS. From v3.5 onwards, the Links manager and blogroll sections were removed …
Before …
(WP Links Menu – pre v.3.5)
After …
(Post version 3.5 – no WordPress Links Manager)
If you have had an earlier version than v 3.5 installed and updated your installation, then the Links Manager would be 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 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. This step-by-step tutorial shows you how to add and manage blogroll links on your sidebar using WordPress plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager Plugin)
Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Description
This plugin displays the built-in Links Manager, even if you update to a later version of WordPress or remove all of your current links.
Note: All this plugin does is add a single line of code to your installation to restore the hidden feature. When we last checked, this plugin had not been updated for a while, 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 site’s template code.
Simple Links
(Simple Links)
Plugin Download URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Plugin Description
Simple Links recreates the same concept as the built-in WordPress Links Manager while addressing the shortcomings of the deprecated functionality.
How To Install The Plugin
To install the Link Manager plugin, do the following:
From your WordPress administration menu, select Plugins > Add New …
(Plugins – 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 installing it …
After activation, the ‘Links’ feature will be restored to the WP dashboard menu …
(Links menu section)
Plugin Configuration
Before adding any new links, it’s a good idea to first set up your link categories. This way, you can assign any new links to the link category you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a new link category, go to the main dashboard menu and choose Links > Link Categories …
(Links Menu – Link Categories)
The ‘Link Categories’ page will load in your browser.
Type in the following information:
- Name: What you enter in this field will display as the category your links will be assigned to.
- Slug: The slug is the web address part of your link category name. Use lowercase letters only without spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display your link category description. (Optional)
Click the Add New Link Category button to save your new link category name …
(Link Categories)
The new category will now show in the list …
(Link Categories area)
Tip: The default WordPress link category is called Blogroll . Unless you specify a category when adding a new link, WordPress automatically assigns new links to the default category …
(Default link category)
You may want to change this default link category name to something that will make sense to readers. This not only makes it easier for visitors, but any new links that you add to the Links section will automatically be assigned to the new category name …
(Change the default ’blogroll’ to something your visitors will relate to)
To change 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 (remember to keep the slug in lowercase letters and replace all spaces with a hyphen), and click on Update Link Category …
(Quick Edit)
In our example, the category ‘Blogroll’ has been replaced with a more suitable category name (e.g. ‘Recommended’).
Let’s add a link category description. To add a link category description, click on the Edit link under the category name …
(You can add/edit your category description)
Enter your description in the ‘Edit Link Category’ screen and click Update …
(Edit Link Category screen)
Repeat the above process and add as many link categories as your site needs.
Once you have set up your link categories, you can being adding your links.
Adding New Links
To create a new link, go to your dashboard menu and click on Links > Add New …
(WordPress Links – Add New)
You will be taken to the ‘Add New Link’ page …
(Add New Link page)
You can also access this page by clicking on ’Add New’ at the top of the main Links page …
(Links – Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page has the following sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
Enter details about your link in this section …
(Name, Web Addressand Description)
Enter the following information:
- Name: Enter the link category name here.
- Slug: The slug shows up in the URL 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 a link category description. (Optional)
Categories & Target
Select a Category and Target for the new link …
(Add New Link – Categories & Target)
In the Categories section, tick a link category you have already added, or click on ’+ Add New Category’ to create a new category.
Next, select a target frame radio button for your link in the Target section. This lets you specify where 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 for that link. Your visitor can see the information without leaving your page
- _none means that when visitors click on your link, they will exit your site and a new website 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. 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 section provides some additional link functionality …
(Link Relationship (XFN))
Link Relationship (XFN) – XFN (XML Friends Network) allows you to define your relationship with the linked person. For example, if you have a professional relationship with Alexander Larsson and you link to his blog, you would probably tick co-worker or colleague.
XFN relationships are optional. You can leave everything in this section blank and all of your links will still work. Defining relationships with XFN makes your links more understandable to some websites 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 is used to define 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. Other ‘rel’ attributes include author, help, index, start, etc. Separate multiple ‘rel’ keywords with spaces.
You can learn more about XFN by visiting the site below:
Advanced
The last section of the Add New Link’ screen lets you specify Advanced features for your links (You can leave the fields in this section empty unless you have a reason to use them) …
(Add New Link – Advanced link settings)
The Advanced section fields are as follows:
- Image Address: Lets you specify an image to be displayed with the link. To use this feature, add an image URL 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 your 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).
Enter information into the above fields or just leave this section blank, as these fields are not essential.
When you have finished adding your new link information, click on the Add Link button to save your new link …
(Click on Add Link to save your new link)
Note: If you select Keep this link private, your link will not be visible when links are displayed on your site …
(Make your links private)
Making links private lets you toggle their visibility on or off without deleting these (this is useful if you want to add seasonal links) …
(Making links private toggles their visibility on and off)
To see all the links you have created, go to the main admin menu and select Links > All Links …
(Links – All Links)
The ‘Links’ screen will display in your web browser. The table of links displays all of your links and link information (e.g. link URL, categories, relationship, etc.) …
(Links screen)
Tip: To view or hide columns in the Links table, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab near the top of the screen …
(List of links – Screen Options)
Display/hide fields on your Links table by ticking/unticking their checkboxes …
(Show/hide links)
Editing Link Information
To edit a link in the Link Manager, select Links > All Links in your admin menu to bring up the table of links …
(WP Links Menu – All Links)
Locate the link you want to edit and click on Edit to bring up the link’s information …
(Editing links)
Edit your link fields …
(Edit Link screen)
After you’re done editing your link, you can:
- Click the Update Link button to save and update your link details,
- Click on Visit Link to view your link and make sure that you have set up its URL correctly (the link will open up in a new window),
- Click Delete to delete the link from your table of links …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
How To Delete Links
To remove a link, go to the dashboard navigation menu and click on Links > All Links …
(Links – All Links)
This brings up the ‘Links’ table in your web browser.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links, or remove all of your links.
To delete links individually, hover over the link title you want removed and click on Delete …
(Deleting your links)
To delete multiple links, either click on the check boxes next to individual links that you would like to remove, or select all links by clicking on the main checkbox next to the ‘Name’ column header …
(Deleting multiple links)
Choose Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ drop-down menu, and click Apply to delete your selected links …
(Bulk-delete links)
The links will be removed …
(links deleted 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 learn how to display links on your site.
Links Widget
The Links Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ page.
To access and configure your Link widgets, go to your WP dashboard navigation menu and select Appearance > Widgets …
(WordPress Appearance Menu – Widgets)
The ‘Widgets’ page will display in your 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 widget sections in the Widgets page and drop it wherever you would like your links section to show up …
(Adding a links widget to your widget bar using drag and drop)
The Links widget offers various options. For example, you can specify what information you want displayed about your links and how many links you want displayed on your sidebar menu …
(Link widget - configurable settings)
You can also add multiple link widgets to your sidebar and footer. This allows you to add and feature several links on your site …
(You can add multiple link widgets to your widget bars)
Select a link category from the ‘Select Link Category:’ pulldown menu …
(Link widget settings – Select Link Category)
You can sort links by Link ID, Link title, Link rating, or display links in Random order …
(Link widget options – Sort by options)
After configuring the Links widget, click the Save button to update your settings. Your link section should show up immediately on your sidebar …
(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 with widgets? We have written a detailed article on adding widgets. Go here to learn more about this:
Links Manager – Additional Information
If you have loads of links, the Link Manager plugin allows you to easily administer these using sort, search, and filter features.
Sorting Links Function
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 …
(Sorting links function)
Searching Your Links
Type a search term into the search field and click the Search Links button …
(Searching links)
Filtering Your Links
You can filter links by link categories …
(Filtering your links by categories)
You can also search and filter links in the Link Categories screen. Use the ‘Search Link Categories’ button to find link categories, or click on the links in the ‘Links’ column …
(searching and filtering links in the Link Categories screen)
This brings up a list of all links listed for a specific link category …
(Links filtered by link category)
Additional Link Options
If you plan to add lots of links to your website or blog, or if you want 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 your links.
Link Library
(Link Library)
Download Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
This plugin gives you the ability to display a list of your link categories and a complete list of all your links plus notes and descriptions …
(Link Library links. Image sourced from Link Library plugin website.)
This useful plugin creates a page on your website containing 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 link collection so that your site users can become aware of any additions made to to your link library.
Go here to learn more about the benefits of using this powerful plugin:
Congratulations! Now you know how to how to add a blogroll and manage links to external websites and pages in WordPress.
We have written a comprehensive article about inserting HTML links into your WordPress posts. For more details, go here:
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