As you discover more about WordPress, you may occasionally come across references to the term blogroll.
In WordPress terminology, a list of links displayed on your sidebar menu 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.”
You can manage a blogroll using the Links menu in your WP Dashboard. These links will then display on your sidebar once you add the Links widget.
Before the release of v 3.5, Links were a visible feature of the WordPress CMS. After the release of WordPress v.3.5, the Link Manager section was kept hidden by default in new installations …
Before …
(WordPress Links Manager – pre v3.5)
After …
(The Links Manager feature – no longer included in the admin menu after WordPress v.3.5)
If you have used an earlier version than 3.5 and upgraded your installation, the Link Manager would be 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 the Links feature is not visible when you log into your WordPress admin area, you can add it via a plugin. This tutorial shows you how to add, edit, delete and manage blogroll links on your site’s sidebar using WordPress plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager – Plugin For WordPress)
Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Description Of Plugin
The Link Manager plugin restores the built-in Link Manager, even if you update to a later version of WordPress or remove all of your existing links.
Note: This plugin adds a single line of 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 Plugin)
Plugin Download URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Description Of Plugin
This plugin 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, do the following:
In your 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 …
Find the plugin in the results area and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin …
After activation, WordPress will display a ‘Links’ section on your WP dashboard menu …
(Links menu)
Plugin Configuration
Before you start adding links, we recommend setting up your link categories. This way, when you create a new link, you can assign your link to a link category you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a new link category, select Links > Link Categories in the dashboard navigation menu …
(Links – Link Categories)
This takes you to the ‘Link Categories’ page.
Enter the following information:
- Name: Whatever you type here will display as the link category name.
- Slug: The slug shows up in the SEO friendly URL of the link category name. Only use lower case letters and do not include spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display a link category description.
after entering your information, click Add New Link Category to save your new link category …
(Link Categories page)
The link category will now show in the table …
(Link Categories area)
Tip: Blogroll is the default link category name. Unless you specify a category for a new link, WordPress automatically assigns new links to the default category …
(Default link category name)
You may want to change this default link category name to something that your visitors can understand. This not only makes it easier for visitors, but any new links that you add to your site will automatically appear under the new category name …
(Change the default link category name 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), and click on Update Link Category …
(Quick Edit)
Replace the link category ‘Blogroll’ with (e.g. ‘Recommended’, ‘XYZ Products’ etc).
Let’s insert a description for this link category. To add a description to an existing link category, click on the Edit link under the category name …
(Link category description)
Add your description in the ‘Edit Link Category’ screen and click Update when done …
(Edit Link Category area)
Repeat this process to add as many new link categories as you need.
After setting up your link categories, you can add new links.
Adding New Links
To create a new link, go to the navigation menu and choose Links > Add New …
(Links – Add New)
The ‘Add New Link’ screen will load in your browser …
(Add New Link screen)
You can also access this page by clicking on ’Add New’ in the main Links page …
(Links – Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page has the following sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
The first section lets you enter your link details …
(Add New Link page – Name, Web Address, Description section)
Enter the following information:
- Name: What you type in this field will display 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 and do not include spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display a link category description.
Categories & Target
After adding your link details, select a Category and Target for your link …
(Categories & Target)
In the Categories section, select a link category you’ve already added, 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 how the link should open when a visitor clicks on it:
- _blank means that a new, separate browser window will open up to display the content associated with the link. Your visitor will be able to access the link information without leaving your website
- _none means that when visitors click on your link, they will exit your site and a new site or page will load in your web browser window instead.
- _top opens the link 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 just ignore this option.
Link Relationship XFN
This area provides some additional link functionality …
(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 Mia Fields and you link to her blog, you would probably check 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. Defining relationships with XFN makes the links defined on your site 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 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. Separate multiple ‘rel’ attributes with spaces.
You can learn more about XFN by visiting this site:
Advanced
The last section of the Add New Link’ screen allows you to enter Advanced features for your links (some themes will ignore this. You can leave these fields empty unless you have a reason to use them) …
(Advanced link settings)
The Advanced section fields include the following:
- Image Address: Lets you specify an image to be displayed with the link. Add an image URL and make sure that your 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 would like 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 update your link settings …
(Click on the Add Link button to save your new link)
Note: If you tick the checkbox next to Keep this link private, the link will not be visible when links are displayed on your site …
(Make links private by selecting the checkbox)
Making a link private lets you toggle link visibility on or off without deleting it (this is useful if you want to add seasonal links) …
(Toggle link visibility on and off)
To see a list of all your links, go to your WP navigation menu and click on Links > All Links …
(Links – All Links)
You will be taken to the ‘Links’ table. The table of links displays your links and link information (e.g. URL, link categories, relationship, etc.) …
(List of links)
Tip: To view additional information in the list of links, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab near the top of the screen …
(Table of links – Screen Options)
Display/hide fields on your table of links by ticking/unticking their checkboxes …
(Show/hide – List of links)
How To Edit Your Link Information
To modify a link, click on Links > All Links in the main dashboard menu to bring up your links screen …
(WordPress Links – All Links)
Locate the link to be edited and click on Edit to bring up the item’s link details …
(Editing your link information)
Change your link …
(Edit Link page)
After editing your link, you can:
- Click the Update Link button to save your link details,
- Click on Visit Link to view your link and check that you have set up its URL correctly (the link will open up in a new window),
- Click Delete to delete the link from your list if you no longer require it …
(Update Link button)
Deleting Your Links
To remove links from the Link Manager, choose Links > All Links in the WP dashboard menu …
(WP Links – All Links)
This brings up the ‘Links’ screen in your browser.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links by selecting their check boxes, or delete all your links at once.
To delete individual links, hover over the link that you want removed and click Delete …
(Deleting links)
To delete a number of links at once, either click on the checkboxes next to individual items that you would like deleted, 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’ menu, and click the Apply button to remove all selected links …
(Links: bulk-deletion function)
Your selected links will be deleted …
(links deleted message)
Using The Plugin
Now that you know how to configure link categories and how to add, edit and delete links, it’s time to make links display on your site.
Using The Links Widget
Installing the Link Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ screen.
To access and configure your Link widgets, go to the main navigation menu and click on Appearance > Widgets …
(Appearance – Widgets)
This brings up the ‘Widgets’ page in your web browser.
You will see that a ‘Links’ widget has been added to the Available Widgets section …
(Links widget)
Drag the ‘Links’ widget to one of the active widget bars and drop it wherever you would like the links to show up …
(Drag & drop your links widget to add it to a widgetized area)
The Links widget offers various configurable options. You can specify what information you would like to show about your links and how many links you would like displayed on your sidebar menu …
(Link widget - configurable options)
You can add multiple link widgets to your sidebar. This lets you create and display lists of links throughout your site …
(You can add multiple link widgets to your widget bars)
Display a list of items for a specific category …
(Link widget options – Select Link Category)
You can sort links by Link rating, Link ID, Link title, or display links in Random order …
(Link widget settings – Sorting options)
After configuring your Links widget, click the Save button to update your settings. A links will now appear on your website or blog’s sidebar …
(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? We have written a comprehensive article about adding widgets. For more details:
Link Manager – Additional Information
If you have loads of links, the Link Manager plugin lets you easily administer these using filter, search, and sort functions.
Sorting Your 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 …
(Sorting your links)
Searching 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 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 …
(Search and filter links in the Link Categories page)
This displays a list of all links listed under a specific link category …
(Links filtered by link category)
Links – Additional Options
If you plan to add a lot of links to your website or blog, or if you would like 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 For WordPress)
Download Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
Link Library gives you the ability to publish a list of your link categories with a complete list of all your links together with notes and descriptions …
(Link Library links. Image sourced from Link Library plugin website.)
This useful plugin creates a page on your site 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 of your link collection so that your site users can become aware of any additions made to to your link library.
Visit this site to learn more about using this plugin:
Congratulations! Now you know how to how to add and manage links to external websites in WordPress.
We have written a detailed article about how to add HTML hyperlinks in your WordPress posts & pages. For more details, go here:
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