As you continue to discover more about WordPress, you may occasionally come across references to the term blogroll.
A blogroll is a list of links pointing to other sites or web pages displayed on your sidebar menu.
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 links on your website using the 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 and blogroll sections were removed …
Before …
(Links appeared in the WordPress dashboard menu until the release of WordPress v3.5)
After …
(The Link Manager feature – excluded from the menu after WordPress v 3.5)
If you have had an earlier version than 3.5 installed and upgraded your installation, the Link Manager would have been removed, unless you’ve 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 the Link Manager section when you log into your WordPress admin area you will need to install a plugin. This tutorial explains how to add, edit, delete and manage blogroll links on your site’s sidebar using WordPress plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager)
Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Description
Use this plugin to display the default Links feature on your WordPress dashboard, even if you upgrade 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 site’s template code.
Simple Links
(Simple Links Plugin)
Download URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Description Of Plugin
Simple Links recreates the concept of the built-in WP Link Manager while addressing the shortcomings of the deprecated feature.
How To Install The Plugin
Let’s install the Link Manager plugin.
In your WP administration area, go to Plugins > Add New …
(Plugins Menu – Add New)
Select the Install Plugins > Search tab, type in “link manager” into the search field and hit Enter …
Locate the plugin in the search results area and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin after it has been installed …
After the plugin is activated, WordPress will display a ‘Links’ item on your admin menu screen …
(WordPress links menu)
Plugin Setup
Before you start adding links, it’s a good idea to set up your link categories. This way, you can assign any new links to a link category you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a link category, go to the main admin menu and select Links > Link Categories …
(Links Menu – Link Categories)
The ‘Link Categories’ screen will display in your browser.
Enter information into the following fields:
- Name: Enter the category name.
- Slug: The slug is the URL bit of your link category. Use only lowercase letters without spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display your link category description.
after entering your information, click Add New Link Category to save your new link category name …
(Link Categories)
Your new category will display in the table …
(Link Categories)
Tip: Blogroll is the default link category name. Unless you specify a category for a new link, WordPress will assign 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 readers. This not only makes it easier for users of your site, but any new links that you add to your site will automatically be assigned to the new category name …
(we recommend changing the default ’blogroll’ to something your visitors will understand)
To change the ‘Blogroll’ link title, hover your mouse over the item and click on Quick Edit …
(Edit the default link category name)
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), then click on the Update link Category button …
(Quick Edit)
Replace the link category name ‘Blogroll’ with a name more suitable to your purposes (e.g. ‘Recommended’, ‘Special Deals’ etc).
Let’s add a description for this link category. To add a link category description, hover over the item name and click Edit …
(Link category description)
Enter your description in the ‘Edit Link Category’ page and click Update when done …
(Edit Link Category page)
Repeat this process and add as many link categories as you need.
Once you have set up your link categories, you can being adding new links.
Adding New Links
To add a new link, choose Links > Add New in the WP dashboard navigation menu …
(Links – Add New)
The ‘Add New Link’ page will display in your web browser …
(Add New Link screen)
You can also reach this screen by clicking on the ‘Add New’ button in the main Links page …
(Links – Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page includes the following sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
Enter details about your link in this section …
(Add New Link – Name, Web Address, Description area)
Type in information into the following sections:
- Name: What you enter here displays as the category your links will be assigned to.
- Slug: The slug shows up in the web address of the link category. 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 with their mouse. (Optional)
Categories & Target
Select a Category and Target for your new link …
(Add New Link – Categories & Target)
In the Categories section, select one of the link categories you have already set up, or click on the ‘+ Add New Category’ link to create a new category link.
Next, select a target frame radio button for your link in the Target section. This lets you specify how your link should open when clicked on by visitors:
- _blank means that a new, separate web browser window will open up to display the information for that link.
- _none means that when a visitor clicks on your link, they will exit 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. 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 …
(Link Relationship (XFN) section)
Link Relationship (XFN) – XFN (XML Friends Network) lets you define your relationship with the linked person. For example, if you work with Ivy Larsson 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 all of your links will work just fine. XFN makes the links defined on your site more understandable to some websites and search engines that use this information.
rel – This field specifies 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, type nofollow into this field. Separate multiple ‘rel’ attributes using spaces.
You can learn more about XFN by visiting the site below:
Advanced
The last section allows you to enter Advanced features for your links (some themes will ignore this. You can ignore this section, unless there’s a good reason to use it) …
(Add New Link – Advanced fields)
The Advanced link settings section contains the following options:
- Image Address: Lets you specify an image to be displayed with the link. To use this feature, add the image URL and make sure that the image is small (around 16×16 like a favicon).
- RSS Address: If your theme allows it, the link’s RSS feed will display 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 want to sort links by rating (see the ‘Links’ widget section below).
Enter information in the above fields or just leave this section ignore this section.
When you are done adding your new link information, click on Add Link to update your link settings …
(Click on the Add Link button to update your link settings)
Note: If you select the checkbox next to Keep this link private, your link will not be visible in your Blogroll section …
(Make your links private)
Making links private lets you toggle link visibility on or off without deleting these (this is useful if you want links to display during certain periods and hide them when they are no longer required) …
(Toggle link visibility on and off)
To see a list of all the links you have added to the Link Manager, go to the dashboard menu and choose Links > All Links …
(WP Links Menu – All Links)
This brings up the ‘Links’ screen in your browser. The Links table displays your links and link information (e.g. link URL, link categories, relationship, etc.) …
(Table of links)
Tip: To view or hide information in the Links page, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab at the top of the screen …
(Screen Options – List of links)
Display/hide fields on your table of links by ticking/unticking their check boxes …
(Show/hide – Links page)
Editing Link Information
To modify links, go to the WP navigation menu and click on Links > All Links to bring up the table of links …
(Links – All Links)
Locate the item to be edited and click on Edit to bring up the link’s information …
(Editing links)
Edit your link details …
(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 check that you have set up your link’s URL correctly (your link will open up in a new window),
- Click Delete to delete the link …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
How To Remove Links
To delete links from the Link Manager, choose Links > All Links in the dashboard menu …
(Links – All Links)
You will be taken to the ‘Links’ table.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links, or perform a bulk delete.
To delete links individually, hover your cursor over the link title that you want to remove from the link table and click Delete …
(Delete your links)
To delete multiple links, either tick the check box next to each link that you want removed, or select all links by clicking on the checkbox next to the ‘Name’ column header at the top of the list …
(Delete multiple links)
Choose Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ drop menu, and click Apply to remove all selected links …
(Links: bulk-deletion function)
The selected links will be deleted …
(Link deletion notification)
Using The Link Manager Plugin
Now that you know how to configure link categories and how to add, edit and delete links, it’s time to learn how to display links on your site.
Using The Links Widget
Installing the Links Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ screen.
To access and configure your Link widgets, select Appearance > Widgets in your admin menu …
(Appearance – Widgets)
You will be taken to the ‘Widgets’ screen.
You will notice a ‘Links’ widget in the Available Widgets section …
(Links widget)
To make the ‘Links’ widget active, drag the widget to one of your active widget bars and drop it wherever you want the links to display …
(Add a links widget to a widgetized menu using drag & drop)
The Links widget offers various options. You can specify what information you would like to display about your links and how many links you would like to display on your sidebar menu …
(Link widget - configurable settings)
You can add multiple link widgets to your sidebar and footer. This allows you to create and display specific link sections on your site …
(You can add multiple link widgets to your widget bars)
You can select a link category from the ‘Select Link Category:’ dropdown menu …
(Link widget settings – Select Link Category)
You can sort links by Link rating, Link title, Link ID, or display links in Random order …
(Link widget options – Sort by options)
When you have finished setting up the Links widget, click the Save button to update your settings. Your links will display on your website’s 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 with widgets? Go here if you would like to learn more about adding widgets:
Links Manager – Additional Information
If you have added many links, the Link Manager plugin allows you to easily administer these using filter, sort, and search features.
Sorting Your Links
To sort links, hover your cursor over the title of the column you want to sort and click on the little black triangle displayed next to the column title …
(Sort your links)
Finding Your Links
Find links using the ‘Search Links’ function …
(Search links)
Filter Links Function
You can filter links by link categories …
(Filtering links by category)
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 …
(Search and filter links in the Link Categories page)
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 a lot of links to your website, or if you want to add a page containing a list of links to your site (i.e. not just add a links section to your sidebar), then you may want to look at using a plugin that can help you administer links.
Link Library
(Link Library)
Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
This plugin gives you the ability to publish a list of your link categories with a complete list of links plus descriptions and notes …
(List of links created with Link library. Screenshot taken from Link Library plugin documentation.)
This plugin can be used to create a page on your website that contains a list of all of the link categories in your Links area, plus all links defined for 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 be made aware of any additions made to to your link library.
For more details about this plugin, visit this site:
Congratulations! Now you know how to how to add and manage links to other websites in your WordPress sidebar menu.
We have written a detailed article about adding hyperlinks to your WordPress content. If you would like to learn more about this here:
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