As you become more familiar with WordPress, you may occasionally come across references to the term blogroll.
A blogroll is a list of hyperlinks pointing to external sites or 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 add a blogroll using the Links menu in your Dashboard. These links will display on your sidebar if you have added the Links widget.
Before WordPress v.3.5 was released, Links were a core feature of the WordPress CMS. From version 3.5 onwards, the Links manager and blogroll sections were removed …
Before …
(WordPress Links Feature – pre v.3.5)
After …
(Post v 3.5 – no WP Links Manager)
If you have had an earlier version than v.3.5 installed and upgraded your installation, the Links Manager would have been 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 item on the main menu when you log into your WP admin area, you can add this feature by installing a plugin. In this step-by-step tutorial, you will learn how to add and manage links on your sidebar using WordPress plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager – WordPress Link Management Plugin)
Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Plugin Description
Use this plugin to display the built-in Links Manager, 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 code to restore the hidden feature. When we last checked, this plugin had not been updated for some time, 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 WordPress Plugin)
Plugin URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Description
This plugin attempts to recreate the concept of the built-in Link Manager while addressing the shortcomings of the deprecated feature.
Plugin Installation
Let’s install the Link Manager plugin.
In your WordPress administration 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 …
Locate the plugin in the search results screen and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin …
After the plugin has been activated, WordPress restores the ‘Links’ feature to your sidebar menu …
(WordPress links management menu)
Configuring The Plugin
Before you start adding new links, it’s a good idea to set up your link categories. This way, you can assign new links to link categories you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a new link category, choose Links > Link Categories in the WP dashboard menu …
(Links Menu – Link Categories)
You will be taken to the ‘Link Categories’ screen.
Enter information into the following fields:
- Name: What you type here is the category name that will display on your site.
- Slug: The slug is the URL bit of your link category. Use lowercase letters only and do not include spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display a link category description.
Click Add New Link Category to save your new link category …
(Link Categories)
The link category will be added to the list …
(Link Categories)
Tip: WordPress calls its default link category Blogroll . Unless you specify the category for a new link, WordPress will automatically assign new links to the default category …
(Default link category)
You may want to change this to something that your visitors can relate to. This will not only make it easier for visitors, but any new links that you add to your site will automatically be listed under the new category name …
(Change the default ’blogroll’ to something better suited to your business)
To change the ‘Blogroll’ link title, hover your mouse over the category name and click on the Quick Edit link …
(Edit the default link category)
Change 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 …
(Update Link Category)
Replace the category ‘Blogroll’ with an appropriate links section name (e.g. ‘Recommended’, ‘Links’ etc).
Let’s add a link category description. To add a link category description, hover over the item name and click Edit …
(You can add/edit your category description)
Add your link category description field and click Update when you’re done …
(Edit Link Category page)
Repeat the above process and add as many new link categories as you need.
After setting up your link categories, you can being adding new links.
Adding Links
To create a new link, go to the main dashboard navigation menu and choose Links > Add New …
(Links – Add New)
The ‘Add New Link’ screen will load in your web browser …
(Add New Link page)
You can also reach this screen by clicking on the ‘Add New’ button in the main Links screen …
(Links screen – Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page has various 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 is the SEO friendly URL part of your link category name. Use only lowercase letters and do not include spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display your link category description.
Categories & Target
After typing in link details, select a Category and Target for your link …
(Categories & Target section)
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.
Next, select a target frame radio button for your link in the Target section. This lets you specify where you want the link to open when clicked on:
- _blank means that a separate browser window will open up to display the content associated with the link.
- _none means that when a visitor clicks on your link, they will exit your site and a new site or page will load in your web browser window instead.
- _top opens links at the top level of the frame system if you’re using frames. Ignore this option if you don’t use frames, or if you don’t know what frames are.
Link Relationship XFN
This area provides some additional link functionality …
(Add New Link – Link Relationship (XFN))
Link Relationship (XFN) – XFN stands for XML Friends Network – is a way to define your relationship to the linked person. For example, if you have a professional relationship with Mason Smith and you link to his blog, you would probably tick co-worker or colleague.
XFN relationships are optional for WordPress links. You can ignore this section and all your links will still work. Defining relationships with 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 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.
To learn more about XFN, visit this site:
Advanced
The last section of the Add New Link’ page allows you to specify Advanced features for your links (You can leave the fields in this section blank unless there’s a good reason to use them) …
(Advanced fields – Add New Link)
The Advanced section contain the following fields:
- 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 RSS feed associated with the link will display next to the links.
- Notes: Add notes about the link in this section 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).
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 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 when links are displayed on your site …
(Make links private by checking the box)
Making a link private allows you to add a link and then toggle its visibility on or off without deleting it (this is useful if you want to use seasonal links) …
(Making links private toggles their visibility on and off)
To view all your links, click on Links > All Links in your dashboard navigation menu …
(Links – All Links)
The ‘Links’ screen will load in your web browser. The list of links displays all your links and link information (e.g. URL, categories, relationship, etc.) …
(Links page)
Tip: To view or hide columns in the Links table, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab at the top of the screen …
(Screen Options – List of links)
Display/hide information on your Links table by ticking/unticking their checkboxes …
(Table of links – Hide or display screen options)
How To Edit Links
To edit links in the Link Manager, select Links > All Links in the main navigation menu to bring up the links page …
(Links Menu – All Links)
Select the item to be edited and click on Edit to bring up the link’s details …
(Editing links)
Make the changes you want to your link details …
(Edit Link screen)
After editing the 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 everything correctly (the link will open in a new window),
- Click Delete to delete the link from your table of links if you no longer require it …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
Deleting Your Links
To delete links from the Link Manager, choose Links > All Links in your WP dashboard navigation menu …
(Links – All Links)
You will be taken to the ‘Links’ page.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links, or delete all your links at once.
To delete links individually, hover over the link title that you want to remove from the link table and click on Delete …
(Deleting your links)
To delete a number of links at once, either click on the checkboxes next to individual links that you would like to remove, or select all links by clicking on the check box next to the ‘Name’ column header …
(Deleting multiple links)
Select Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ pulldown menu, and click the Apply button to remove all selected links …
(Bulk-delete links)
The selected links will be deleted …
(Deleted links message)
Plugin Usage
Now that you know how to configure link categories and how to add, edit and delete links, let’s show you how to display links on your website or blog.
Links Widget
Installing the Links Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ screen.
To access and configure your Link widgets, go to your WP navigation menu and select Appearance > Widgets …
(WP Appearance Menu – Widgets)
You will be taken to the ‘Widgets’ page.
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 bars and drop it wherever you would like the links to show up …
(Adding a links widget to your sidebar using drag & drop)
The Links widget offers various options. For example, you can specify what information you want to display 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 as you want. This allows you to create and feature link categories throughout your site …
(You can add multiple link widgets to your sidebar)
Display a list of links for a specific category …
(Link widget settings – Select Link Category)
You can sort links by Link rating, Link ID, Link title, or display links in Random order …
(Link widget options – Sort by options)
When you have finished configuring your links widget, click Save to update your settings. A links will become visible on your site’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 more help with widgets? We have written a comprehensive article about adding widgets. Go here to learn more about this:
Links Manager – Additional Information
If you have added many links, the Link Manager plugin lets you easily administer these with searching, filtering, and sorting functions.
Sort Links Function
To sort links, hover your cursor over the title of the column you want to sort and click on the black triangle displayed next to the column title …
(Sorting links function)
Finding Links Function
Type a search term into the search field and click the Search Links button …
(Search your links)
Filter Your Links
You can filter links by link category …
(Filter links by 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 category links in the ‘Links’ column …
(searching and filtering links in the Link Categories screen)
This displays a list of all links listed for a specific link category …
(Links filtered by category)
Additional Link Options
If you plan to use links extensively on your site, or if you intend 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 look at using a plugin that can help you administer links.
Link Library
(Link library – WordPress Links Management Plugin)
Plugin Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
Link Library gives you the ability to output a list of your link categories and a complete list of all your links with notes and descriptions …
(List of links created with Link library. Image sourced from Link Library plugin documentation.)
This useful plugin creates a page on your website that contains all the link categories in your Links section, and all links listed in 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 of your link collection so that your site users can be made aware of additions to your link library.
To learn more about Link Library:
Congratulations! Now you know how to how to add and manage links in WordPress.
If you want to learn more about adding hyperlinks into your WordPress posts and pages, see this article:
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"I have used the tutorials to teach all of my clients and it has probably never been so easy for everyone to learn WordPress ... Now I don't need to buy all these very expensive video courses that often don't deliver what they promise." - Stefan Wendt, Internet Marketing Success Group