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 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 Manager lets you easily add a links section to a widget-ready theme.
Before the release of WordPress version 3.5, Links were a built-in feature of the WordPress CMS. From v3.5 onwards, the Links manager and blogroll sections were kept hidden by default in new WordPress installations …
Before …
(The Links Manager was part of the dashboard menu until the release of WP v3.5)
After …
(Post v 3.5 – no WordPress Links Manager)
If you were using the Link Manager in previous versions of WordPress, then it will still be available when you upgrade to newer WordPress versions. If you’ve never used Links Manager, however, or if your website 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 item is not visible when you log into your WordPress backend, you can add it via a plugin. This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to add and manage blogroll links on your site’s sidebar using plugins.
Link Manager
(Links Manager WordPress Plugin)
Plugin Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Plugin Description
You can use this plugin to restore the built-in Links feature on your WordPress dashboard, even if you upgrade to a later version of WordPress or remove all of your current links.
Note: All this plugin does is add a single line of template 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 this plugin, then use the one below instead, or contact us for help editing your template code.
Simple Links
(Simple Links)
Plugin URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Description Of Plugin
Simple Links recreates the same concept as the built-in Link Manager while removing the shortcomings of the deprecated feature.
Installing The Plugin
To install the Link Manager plugin on your website or blog, follow the instructions below:
From the WP admin area, select Plugins > Add New …
(Plugins – Add New)
Select the Install Plugins > Search tab, then type in “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 installation …
After activation, a ‘Links’ section is added to the navigation menu …
(WordPress links management menu section)
Plugin Configuration
We recommend setting up your link categories first before adding links. This way, when you create a new link, you can assign the link to a link category you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a new link category, click on Links > Link Categories in the dashboard navigation menu …
(Links Menu – 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 web address 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 Add New Link Category to save your new link category name …
(Link Categories page)
Your new category will now show in the list …
(Link Categories area)
Tip: Blogroll is the default link category name. Unless you specify the category for a link, WordPress automatically assigns new links to the default category …
(Default link category name)
You may want to change this to something that will make sense to visitors. 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 assigned to the new category name …
(Consider changing the default ’blogroll’ to something better suited to your business)
To change the ‘Blogroll’ link 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), then click on the Update link Category button …
(Update Link Category)
In our example, we’ve replaced the link category ‘Blogroll’ with an appropriate links section category name (e.g. ‘Recommended’).
Let’s insert a description for this link category. To add a description to an existing link category, hover over the item name and click Edit …
(Link category description)
Enter your link category description field and click Update …
(Edit Link Category screen)
Repeat this process and add as many link categories as your site needs.
After setting up your link categories, you can add your links.
How To Add Links
To create a new link, select Links > Add New in your WP dashboard menu …
(WP Links – Add New)
The ‘Add New Link’ page will display in your browser …
(Add New Link screen)
You can also access this screen by clicking on ’Add New’ in the main Links page …
(Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page includes several sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
Enter your link details in this section …
(Name, Web Address& Description)
Enter the following information:
- Name: Enter the link category name.
- Slug: The slug shows up in the URL of the link category. 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.
Categories & Target
After typing in your link details, select a Category and Target for the new link …
(Categories & Target)
In the Categories section, tick one of the link categories you have already set up, or click on the ‘+ Add New Category’ link to add a new category.
Next, select a target frame radio button for your link in the Target section. This lets you specify how you want the link to open when clicked on by visitors:
- _blank means that a new window will open up in their browser to display the information for that link.
- _none means that when visitors click on the link, they will leave your site and a new site or page will load in your 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) section)
Link Relationship (XFN) – XFN stands for XML Friends Network – allows you to define your relationship with the linked person. For example, if you work with Jade Smith and you link to her blog, you would probably check co-worker or colleague.
XFN relationships are optional for WordPress links. You can leave everything in this section blank and all your links will work just fine. 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 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. Separate multiple ‘rel’ attributes using spaces.
You can learn more about XFN by visiting the site below:
Advanced
The last section of the Add New Link’ page lets you specify Advanced features for your links (You can leave these fields empty unless you have a reason to use them) …
(Advanced area)
The Advanced section fields include the following:
- Image Address: 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 will display next to the link.
- Notes: Add notes about the link in this section 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).
Type in your information into the above fields or just leave this section blank, as these are not essential.
When you are done adding your new link information, click on the Add Link button to update your link settings …
(Click on Add Link to update your link settings)
Note: If you tick the checkbox next to Keep this link private, your link will not be visible in your Links section …
(Make your links private)
Making a link private allows you to toggle its visibility on and off without deleting it (this is useful if you want your link to display during certain times and hide it afterwards) …
(Toggle link visibility on and off)
To see all your links, click on Links > All Links in the navigation menu …
(Links Menu – All Links)
You will be taken to the ‘Links’ table. The Links table displays your links and link information (e.g. link URL, link categories, relationship, etc.) …
(List of links)
Tip: To show or hide columns in the list of links, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab at the top of your screen …
(Screen Options – List of links)
Enable/disable information on your table of links by selecting/deselecting their checkboxes …
(Show/hide – Table of links)
How To Edit Your Link Information
To modify links in the Link Manager, go to the admin menu and choose Links > All Links to bring up your list of links …
(WP Links Menu – All Links)
Locate the link you want to edit and click on Edit to bring up the item’s link details …
(Editing your links)
Make the changes you want to the link information …
(Edit Link screen)
After you’re done editing your link, you can:
- Click the Update Link button to save your link details,
- Click on Visit Link to see 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 …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
Deleting Your Links
To remove links from the Link Manager, go to the dashboard menu and click on Links > All Links …
(Links – All Links)
The ‘Links’ table will display in your browser.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links by selecting their check boxes, or delete all of your links.
To delete individual links, hover your cursor over the link title that you want to remove and click on Delete …
(Deleting your links)
To delete a number of links at once, either tick the check box next to each item that you want deleted, or select all links by clicking on the main checkbox next to the ‘Name’ column header …
(Delete multiple links)
Select Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ pull-down menu, and click Apply to delete all selected links …
(Links: bulk-deletion function)
Your selected links will be deleted …
(Link deletion notification)
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 make links display on your site.
Links Widget
Installing the Links Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ screen.
To access and configure your Link widgets, go to the main dashboard navigation menu and click on Appearance > Widgets …
(Appearance – Widgets)
This brings up the ‘Widgets’ page in your web browser.
You will see a ‘Links’ widget in the Available Widgets section …
(Links widget)
To make the ‘Links’ widget active, drag the widget to one of the active widget areas and drop it wherever you want your links to show up …
(Adding a links widget to your WordPress sidebar using drag and drop)
The Links widget provides a number of settings. 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 …
(Link widget - configurable options)
You can add multiple link widgets to your sidebars and footers. This allows you to create and feature link categories on your site …
(Add a number of link widgets to your sidebar)
You can select a link category from the ‘Select Link Category:’ drop-down menu …
(Link widget options – Select Link Category)
You can sort links by Link ID, Link rating, Link title, or display links in Random order …
(Link widget options – Sort by options)
When you have finished configuring the links widget, click Save to update your settings. A links should become visible on your site …
(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 help using widgets? We have written a comprehensive article about using widgets. Go here to learn more:
Link Manager – Additional Information
If you have added many links, the Links Manager plugin allows you to easily administer these using searching, sorting, and filtering features.
Sort Links Function
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 …
(Sorting links)
Search Your Links
Find links using the ‘Search Links’ function …
(Finding your links)
Filtering Your Links
You can filter links by link category …
(Filtering your links by 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 …
(searching and filtering links in the Link Categories screen)
This brings up a list of all links listed under a specific link category …
(Links filtered by category)
Additional Link Options
If you plan to add a lot of links to your site, or if you would like 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 consider using a plugin that can help you administer links, like Link Library.
Link Library
(Link library – WordPress Link Management Plugin)
Download 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 descriptions and notes …
(Link Library links. Image source: Link Library plugin documentation.)
Link Library can be used to create a page on your web site containing all the link categories in your Links area, and 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 of your links so that your site users can be made aware of additions to your link library.
To learn more this handy plugin, visit this website:
Congratulations! Now you know how to add a link section to WordPress.
We have written a detailed article on inserting HTML links into your WordPress posts. For more details, go here:
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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