As you become more familiar with WordPress, you may occasionally come across something called a blogroll.
In WordPress terminology, a list of hyperlinks displayed on your sidebar menu 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 WP Dashboard. These links will then display on your blog once you add the Links widget.
Before the release of WP v 3.5, Links were a core feature of the WordPress CMS. From version 3.5 onwards, the Link Manager section was kept hidden by default in new installations …
Before …
(The Links Manager was part of the WordPress menu until the release of WordPress version 3.5)
After …
(The Links Manager – excluded from WordPress after WP version 3.5)
If you’ve had an earlier version of WordPress than v.3.5 installed and updated your installation, then the Links 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 the Links feature is not visible when you log into your WordPress dashboard you will need to install a plugin. In this tutorial, you will learn how to add and manage blogroll links on your site’s sidebar using plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager)
Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Description
The Link Manager plugin restores the built-in Links menu on your WP dashboard, even if you update to a later version of WordPress or remove all of your current links.
Note: This plugin adds a single line of template code to restore the hidden feature. When we last checked, the 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 attempts to recreate the concept of the built-in Link Manager while addressing the shortcomings of the deprecated feature.
How To Install Link Manager
To install the Link Manager plugin on your site, follow the instructions below:
From the WP admin menu, go to Plugins > Add New …
(Plugins – Add New)
Click on the Install Plugins > Search tab, then type ”link manager” into the search field and hit Enter …
Locate the plugin in the results screen and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin after installation …
Once the plugin has been activated, the ‘Links’ functionality will be restored to the admin menu area …
(WordPress links management menu section)
Plugin Setup
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 link category, select Links > Link Categories in your admin menu …
(Links Menu – Link Categories)
This loads the ‘Link Categories’ page in your web browser.
Type in information into the following fields:
- Name: Whatever you enter in this field is the link category name that will display on your site.
- Slug: The slug shows up in the web address of the link category name. Use only lowercase letters without spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display a link category description. (Optional)
Click Add New Link Category to save …
(Link Categories screen)
The category details will be added to the table …
(Link Categories)
Tip: WordPress calls its default link category Blogroll . Unless you specify a category when creating a link, WordPress will assign new links to the default category …
(Default link category)
You may want to change this to something better suited to your business. This not only makes 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 edit the ‘Blogroll’ link name, hover your mouse over the item and click on the Quick Edit link …
(Editing the default link category)
Change both the Name and the Slug with a new category name, then click on Update Link Category …
(Quick Edit)
In our example, we’ve replaced the link category ‘Blogroll’ with a more suitable category name (e.g. ‘Recommended’).
Let’s create a link category description. To add a link category description, hover over the item name and click Edit …
(Link category description)
Add your description in the ‘Edit Link Category’ screen and click Update when finished …
(Edit Link Category page)
Repeat this process to add as many link categories as your site needs.
Once you have finished setting up your link categories, you can being adding your links.
How To Add New Links
To add a new link, go to the WP navigation menu and select Links > Add New …
(WP Links – Add New)
This brings up the Add New Link’ screen in your browser …
(Add New Link page)
You can also access 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
This section lets you enter details about your link …
(Add New Link screen – Name, Web Address& Description section)
Type in the following information:
- Name: Enter the link category name.
- Slug: The slug is the web address part 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. (Optional)
Categories & Target
After typing in your link details, select a Category and Target for your new link …
(Categories & Target area)
In the Categories section, select one of the link categories 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 when a visitor clicks on your link, a separate web browser window will open up to display the information associated with the link. This lets your visitors access the link information without leaving your page
- _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 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 area provides some additional link functionality …
(Add New Link – Link Relationship (XFN) area)
Link Relationship (XFN) – XFN (XML Friends Network) is a way to define your relationship with the linked person. For example, if you work with Amanda Schwartz 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 of your links will still work. XFN makes the links defined on your site 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 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’ keywords with spaces.
To learn more about XFN, visit this site:
Advanced
The last section allows you to enter Advanced features for your links (You can leave these fields empty unless there’s a good reason to use them) …
(Advanced link settings)
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 link’s RSS feed can display next to the links.
- 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.
When you have finished adding your new link information, 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 Keep this link private checkbox, your link will not be visible when links are displayed on your site …
(Private link checkbox)
Making links private allows you to toggle their visibility on or off without deleting your links (this is useful if you want links to display during certain periods and hide them afterwards) …
(Toggle link visibility on and off)
To see a list of all the links you have added, select Links > All Links in the WP navigation menu …
(WordPress Links Menu – All Links)
The ‘Links’ table will display in your web browser. The Links table displays a list of your links and link information (e.g. URL, link categories, relationship, etc.) …
(Links table)
Tip: To show or hide information in the Links table, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab near the top of your screen …
(Table of links – Screen Options)
Show/hide fields on your Links table by ticking/unticking their checkboxes …
(Hide or display – Links table)
Editing Links
To edit links, go to the main admin menu and click on Links > All Links to bring up the list of links …
(WP Links – All Links)
Select the item you want to edit and click on Edit to bring up the link’s information …
(Editing your links)
Make the changes you want to the link …
(Edit Link screen)
After you’re done editing the link, you can:
- Click the Update Link button to save your link details,
- Click on Visit Link to make sure that you have set up everything correctly (your link will open up in a new window),
- Click Delete to remove the link …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
How To Delete Your Links
To delete links, click on Links > All Links in the main navigation menu …
(Links Menu – All Links)
You will be taken to the ‘Links’ page.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links by selecting their check boxes, or perform a bulk delete.
To delete links individually, hover your mouse cursor over the link title that you want removed and click Delete …
(Deleting your links)
To delete a number of links at once, either click on the check boxes next to individual links that you would like to delete, 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’ menu, and click Apply to delete your selected links …
(Links: bulk-delete function)
The links will be removed …
(links deleted notification)
Using The Link Manager Plugin
Now that you know how to configure link categories and how to add, edit and delete links, let’s show you how to display your links on your website or blog.
Links Widget
The Link Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ page.
To access and configure your Link widgets, click on Appearance > Widgets in your WP navigation menu …
(Appearance Menu – Widgets)
The ‘Widgets’ screen will load 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 active widget sections in the Widgets page and drop it wherever you would like your links to display …
(Drag & drop the links widget to add it to a widgetized area)
The Links widget provides a number of configurable settings. For example, 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 options)
You can also add as many link widgets to your sidebar and footer as you want. This allows you to add and feature link sections on your site …
(You can add multiple link widgets to your widget bars)
Select a link category from the ‘Select Link Category:’ dropdown menu …
(Link widget options – Select Link Category)
You can sort links by Link title, Link ID, Link rating, or display links in Random order …
(Link widget options – Sorting options)
When you have finished configuring the Links widget, click the Save button to update your settings. Your links will show up immediately on your website’s 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 comprehensive article about configuring widgets. Go here to learn more:
Links Manager – Additional Information
If you have many links, the Link Manager plugin allows you to easily administer these with filtering, searching, and sorting functionality.
Sort Links
To sort links, hover your mouse over the title of the column you want to sort and click on the black triangle displayed next to the column title …
(Sort your links)
Searching Links Function
Search for links using the ‘Search Links’ button …
(Search your links)
Filtering Links
You can filter links by link category …
(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 grouped under a specific link category …
(Links filtered by category)
Links – Additional Options
If you plan to add lots of links to your site, 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 your links.
Link Library
(Link Library)
Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
The Link Library plugin gives you the ability to display a list of your link categories and a complete list of links plus notes and descriptions …
(Link Library links. Image sourced from Link Library plugin documentation.)
Link Library creates a page on your site containing all 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 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 add external links to WordPress.
We have also created a comprehensive article about creating links in WordPress 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