As you continue to discover more about WordPress, you may occasionally come across the term blogroll.
A blogroll is a list of links pointing to other websites or blogs 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 manage a set of links using the Links menu in your WP Dashboard. These links will then display on your blog once you add the Links widget.
Before WordPress v.3.5 was released, Links were a visible feature of the WordPress CMS. After v.3.5, the Link Manager section was removed …
Before …
(WordPress Links Manager Feature – pre version 3.5)
After …
(Links – no longer shown in the menu after WP v.3.5)
If you’ve had an earlier version than 3.5 installed and upgraded your installation, the Links Manager would be 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 a Links item on the main menu when you log into your WP admin area, you can add it via a plugin. This step-by-step tutorial explains how to add, edit, delete and manage links on your sidebar using WordPress plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager – WordPress Links Management Plugin)
Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Plugin Description
The Link Manager plugin displays the default Links Manager, even if you upgrade WordPress to a later version or remove all of your current links.
Note: All this plugin does is add a single line of template code 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 – WordPress Link Management Plugin)
Download URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Description
Simple Links recreates the concept of the built-in WordPress Links Manager while addressing the shortcomings of the deprecated feature.
Plugin Installation
Let’s install the Link Manager plugin.
From the WP dashboard menu, select Plugins > Add New …
(Plugins Menu – Add New)
Select the Install Plugins > Search tab, then type ”link manager” into the search field and hit Enter …
Locate the plugin in the results area and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin after installing it …
After activation, WordPress adds a ‘Links’ item to your WP navigation menu …
(WordPress links management menu)
Plugin Configuration
Before you start adding any new links, we recommend setting up your link categories. This way, you can assign any new links to link categories you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a new link category, select Links > Link Categories in the main dashboard menu …
(Links – Link Categories)
The ‘Link Categories’ page will display in your browser.
Type in the following information:
- Name: What you type in this field will display as the category your links will be assigned to.
- Slug: The slug is the URL bit of your link category name. It must be in lowercase letters and contain no 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 …
(Link Categories screen)
Your link category will display in the list …
(Link Categories page)
Tip: WordPress calls its default link category Blogroll . Unless you specify the category when creating a link, WordPress will assign new links to the default category …
(Default link category name)
You may want to change the default WordPress link category name to something that your visitors can understand. This will not only make 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 …
(we recommend changing the default link category name to something your visitors will understand)
To edit the default category name, hover your mouse over the list item and click on the Quick Edit link …
(Editing the default link category name)
Replace both the Name and the Slug with a new category name, then click on the Update link Category button …
(Edit the default link category)
Replace the category ‘Blogroll’ with (e.g. ‘Recommended’, ‘Related Items’ etc).
Let’s create a description for this link category. To add a description to an existing link category, hover over the link category name and click Edit …
(You can add/edit your category description)
Enter your description in the ‘Edit Link Category’ page and click Update …
(Edit Link Category area)
Repeat this process and add as many different link categories as your site needs.
After configuring your link categories, you can start adding your links.
Adding New Links
To create a new link, choose Links > Add New in your admin menu …
(Links Menu – Add New)
You will be taken to the ‘Add New Link’ page …
(Add New Link page)
You can also reach this screen by clicking on ’Add New’ at the top of the main Links page …
(Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page has a number of sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
Enter your link details in this section …
(Name, Web Address, Description area – Add New Link)
Enter the following information:
- Name: Whatever you type in this field displays as the link category name.
- Slug: The slug displays in the web address of the link category. Use lowercase letters only without spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display a link category description in the links section, or as a tool tip when visitors hover over the link name.
Categories & Target
Select a Category and Target for your new link …
(Add New Link screen – Categories & Target fields)
In the Categories section, tick a link category you have already created, or click on the ‘+ Add New Category’ link to create a new category.
Also, select a target frame for your link in the Target section by choosing one of the radio buttons. This lets you specify where you want the link to open when clicked on:
- _blank means that when a visitor clicks on your link, a separate window will open up in their browser to display the information associated with the link.
- _none means that when a visitor clicks on the link, they will exit 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) fields – Add New Link screen)
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 Pradesh Cooper and you link to his blog, you would probably tick co-worker or colleague.
XFN relationships are optional. You can ignore this section and all 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 lets you specify 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 of the Add New Link’ page allows you to enter Advanced features for your links (some themes will ignore this. You can leave the fields in this section blank unless you have a reason to use them) …
(Advanced area)
The Advanced section fields are as follows:
- 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 can be displayed next to your 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 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 blank, as these fields are not essential for links to work.
When you have finished adding information about your link, 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, your link will not be visible when links are displayed on your site …
(Make links private by selecting the checkbox)
Making links private allows you to toggle link visibility on or off without deleting these (this is useful if you want links to display during certain periods and hide them afterwards) …
(Making links private toggles their visibility on and off)
To view all the links you have added to the Link Manager, go to your admin menu and select Links > All Links …
(Links Menu – All Links)
You will be taken to the ‘Links’ page. The list of links displays all of your links and link information (e.g. link URL, categories, rating, etc.) …
(Links table)
Tip: To display additional information in the list of links, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab at the top of your screen …
(List of links – Screen Options)
Enable/disable information on your table of links by ticking/unticking their check boxes …
(Show/hide links)
Editing Your Link Information
To modify links in the Link Manager, select Links > All Links in your WP dashboard menu to bring up your table of links …
(Links Menu – All Links)
Select the link to be edited and click on Edit to bring up the item’s link information …
(Editing your link information)
Edit the link …
(Edit Link page)
After you’re done editing the link, you can:
- Click on Update Link to save your link details,
- Click on Visit Link to see your link and check that you have set up the link’s URL correctly (your link will open in a new window),
- Click Delete to remove the link from your list …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
How To Delete Links
To delete links, choose Links > All Links in the admin menu …
(Links Menu – All Links)
This brings up the ‘Links’ page.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links by selecting their check boxes, or remove all links at once.
To delete individual links, hover your mouse cursor over the link title you want removed and click on Delete …
(Delete links)
To delete multiple links, either tick the checkboxes next to individual links that you want to delete, or select all links by clicking on the check box next to the ‘Name’ column header …
(Deleting multiple links)
Choose Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ drop menu, and click the Apply button to delete your selected links …
(Bulk-deletion of links)
Your links will be removed …
(Link deletion notification)
Using The 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 make links display on your website.
Links Widget
The Link Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ page.
To access and configure your Link widgets, go to your WP navigation menu and click on Appearance > Widgets …
(Appearance Menu – Widgets)
The ‘Widgets’ page will display in your browser.
You will notice a ‘Links’ widget in the Available Widgets section …
(Links widget)
Drag the ‘Links’ widget to one of your widget bars in the Widgets page and drop it wherever you would like the links section to display …
(Add a links widget to a widgetized menu)
The Links widget includes a number of options. You can specify what information you would like displayed about your links and how many links you want displayed on your sidebar menu …
(Link widget - configurable settings)
You can also add as many link widgets to your sidebar as you want. This allows you to create and feature specific multiple link lists on your site …
(You can add a number of link widgets to your widget bars)
You can select a link category …
(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)
Once you are done setting up the Links widget, click the Save button to update your settings. Your link section will become visible on your website or blog’s sidebar menu …
(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? To learn more about adding widgets, refer to this article:
Link Manager – Additional Information
If you have many links, the Link Manager plugin allows you to easily administer these with sorting, filtering, and searching functions.
Sorting Links
To sort links, hover your 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)
Find Links Function
Search for links using the ‘Search Links’ feature …
(Finding links)
Filter Links Function
You can filter links by link category …
(Filtering your links by category)
You can also search and filter links in the Link Categories page. Use the ‘Search Link Categories’ button to search for link categories, or click on the links in the ‘Links’ column …
(Search and filter 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)
Links – Additional Options
If you plan to use links extensively on your website or blog, or if you intend 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 links.
Link Library
(Link Library WordPress Plugin)
Download Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
Link Library gives you the ability to display a list of all your link categories and a complete list of all your links with notes and descriptions …
(Link Library links. Image source: Link Library plugin documentation.)
This useful plugin can be used to create a page on your site containing a list of all of the link categories in your Links section, and all links defined for 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 any additions made to to your link library.
To learn more about the Link Library plugin:
Congratulations! Now you know how to how to add and manage links to external websites and pages in your WordPress sidebar menu.
We have written a comprehensive article on how to create HTML hyperlinks in WordPress. Go here to learn more about this:
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