As you continue to discover more about using WordPress, you may occasionally come across something called a blogroll.
In WordPress terminology, a list of hyperlinks displayed on your sidebar area 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.”
The Links Manager lets you add and manage external hyperlinks to your sidebar area (e.g. a “We Use And Recommend” section) using widgets.
Before the release of WP v.3.5, Links were a visible feature of the WordPress CMS. After the release of WordPress v 3.5, the Links manager and blogroll sections were removed …
Before …
(The Link Manager was part of the WordPress menu until the release of WordPress v.3.5)
After …
(The Links Manager – excluded from the WordPress admin menu after WordPress v3.5)
If you’ve used an earlier version of WordPress than 3.5 and upgraded your installation, then the Link 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 you can’t see the Link Manager section when you log into your WordPress admin area you will need to install a plugin. In this step-by-step tutorial, you will learn how to add and manage blogroll links on your site’s sidebar using plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager Plugin)
Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Description Of Plugin
This plugin displays the default Links menu on your WP dashboard, even if you update WordPress to a later version or remove all of your existing links.
Note: All this plugin does is add a single line of code to restore the hidden feature. The last time we checked, this plugin had not been updated for some time, but it should still work fine. If you don’t want to use this plugin, then use the plugin below instead, or contact us for help editing your template code.
Simple Links
(Simple Links WordPress Plugin)
Plugin Download URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Description
Simple Links attempts to recreate the concept of the built-in WordPress Link Manager while addressing the shortcomings of the deprecated functionality.
Plugin Installation
Let’s install the Link Manager plugin.
From the WordPress 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 …
Find the plugin in the search results area and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin …
Once you have activated the plugin, the ‘Links’ functionality is restored to the WP navigation menu area …
(Links management menu section)
Configuring The Plugin
We recommend setting up your link categories first before you start adding any new links. This way, you can assign any new links to the link category you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a new link category, click on Links > Link Categories in your navigation menu …
(WordPress Links Menu – Link Categories)
The ‘Link Categories’ page will display in your browser.
Type in information into the following sections:
- Name: Enter the category name here.
- Slug: The slug shows up in the search-engine friendly URL 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 a link category description. (Optional)
after entering your information, click the Add New Link Category button …
(Link Categories)
The link category will be added to the list …
(Link Categories)
Tip: Blogroll is the default link category name. Unless you specify the category when creating a new link, WordPress automatically assigns new links to the default category …
(Default link category name)
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 appear under the new category name …
(Change the default link category name to something better suited to your business)
To change the default category name, hover your mouse over the item and click on the Quick Edit link …
(Quick Edit)
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), then click on Update Link Category …
(Edit the default link category name)
Replace the link category name ‘Blogroll’ with a more suitable name (e.g. ‘Recommended’, ‘Special Deals’ etc).
Let’s now 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)
Enter your link category description field and click Update …
(Edit Link Category page)
Repeat the above process and add as many new link categories as your site needs.
Once you have configured your link categories, you can start adding your links.
How To Add New Links
To add a new link, go to the WP dashboard menu and select Links > Add New …
(Links Menu – Add New)
This takes you to the ‘Add New Link’ screen …
(Add New Link page)
You can also reach this page by clicking on the ‘Add New’ button at the top of the main Links page …
(Links – Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page includes a number of sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
Enter details about your link in this section …
(Name, Web Address, Description area – Add New Link screen)
Type in information into the following fields:
- Name: Whatever you type in this field displays as the link category name.
- Slug: The slug displays in the URL 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.
Categories & Target
After adding your link details, select a Category and Target for the link …
(Add New Link screen – Categories & Target)
In the Categories section, tick a link category you have already added, or click on ’+ Add New Category’ to create a new category.
Next, select a target frame for your link in the Target section by choosing one of the radio buttons. This lets you specify how you want your link to open when visitors click on it:
- _blank means that a new, separate browser window will open up to display the content for that link. Your visitor will be able to access the information without leaving your website
- _none means that when visitors click on the link, they will leave your site and a new website or page will load in your browser window instead.
- _top opens links 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 ignore this option.
Link Relationship XFN
This area provides some additional link functionality …
(Add New Link – Link Relationship (XFN))
Link Relationship (XFN) – XFN (XML Friends Network) allows you to define your relationship with the linked person. For example, if you have a professional relationship with Grace Cooper and you link to her blog, you would probably check co-worker or colleague.
XFN relationships are optional. You can ignore this section and all of your links will work just fine. 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 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. Other ‘rel’ attributes include author, index, start, help, etc.
To learn more about XFN, visit the site below:
Advanced
The last section of the Add New Link’ screen allows you to specify Advanced features for your links (some themes will ignore this. You can ignore this section, unless there’s a good reason to use it) …
(Advanced link settings – Add New Link screen)
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 your image is small (around 16×16 like a favicon).
- RSS Address: If your theme allows it, the RSS feed associated with the link can display 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.
When you have finished 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 select the checkbox next to Keep this link private, the link will not be visible when links are displayed on your site …
(Private link checkbox)
Making a link private allows you to toggle link visibility on or off without deleting it (this is useful if you want to have seasonal links) …
(Making links private toggles their visibility on and off)
To see all your links, go to the navigation menu and select Links > All Links …
(Links – All Links)
The ‘Links’ table will display in your browser. The table of links displays your links and link information (e.g. URL, link categories, visibility, etc.) …
(List of links)
Tip: To show or hide fields in the Links page, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab near the top of the screen …
(Links screen – Screen Options)
Display/hide information on your Links table by selecting/deselecting their checkboxes …
(Show/hide – Table of links)
Editing Your Link Information
To edit a link in the Link Manager, choose Links > All Links in the main admin menu to bring up the links page …
(Links – All Links)
Locate the link to be edited and click on Edit to bring up the link’s information …
(Editing links)
Change your link fields …
(Edit Link screen)
After you’re done editing the link, you can:
- Click on Update Link to save your link details,
- Click on Visit Link to view your link and check that you have set up its URL correctly (your 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)
Removing Your Links
To delete a link, choose Links > All Links in the WP admin menu …
(Links Menu – All Links)
This brings up the ‘Links’ table.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links, or perform a bulk delete.
To delete individual links, hover your mouse cursor over the link that you want to remove from the link table and click Delete …
(Deleting links)
To delete a number of links at once, either tick the check boxes next to individual items that you would like to be removed, or select all links by clicking on the checkbox next to the ‘Name’ column header at the top of the list …
(Deleting multiple links)
Choose Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ pull-down menu, and click the Apply button to remove all selected links …
(Bulk-delete links)
The links you have selected will be deleted …
(links deleted notice)
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 make links display on your website.
Using The Links Widget
The Link Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ screen.
To access and configure your Link widgets, select Appearance > Widgets in the admin menu …
(WP Appearance Menu – Widgets)
This loads 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 widget sections and drop it wherever you would like the links section to show up …
(Add a links widget to a widgetized menu)
The Links widget includes various settings. For example, you can specify what information you would like displayed about your links and how many links you would like displayed on your sidebar …
(Link widget settings)
You can also add multiple link widgets to your sidebars and footers. This lets you create and feature specific link lists throughout your site …
(You can add a number of link widgets to your sidebar)
You can select a link category from the ‘Select Link Category:’ pull-down menu …
(Link widget settings – Select Link Category)
You can sort links by Link ID, Link rating, Link title, or display links in Random order …
(Link widget settings – Sorting options)
After configuring the links widget, click the Save button to update your settings. Your link section will display on your site’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 help using widgets? We have written a detailed article on using widgets. To learn more, go here:
Links Manager – Additional Information
If you have loads of links, the Links Manager plugin allows you to easily administer these with sort, filter, and search functionality.
Sorting Your 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 …
(Sort links)
Searching Links
Type a search term into the search field and click the Search Links button to search for links …
(Searching your links)
Filter Links Function
You can filter links by category …
(Filtering links by link categories)
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 page)
This displays a list of all links grouped under a specific link category …
(Links filtered by category)
Links – Additional Options
If you plan to add a lot of links to your website or blog, 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 consider using a plugin that can help you administer links.
Link Library
(Link library – WordPress Link Management Plugin)
Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
Link Library gives you the ability to display a list of your link categories with a complete list of all your links with descriptions and notes …
(Link Library links. Image source: Link Library plugin documentation.)
Link Library can be used to create a page on your website containing a list of all of the link categories in your Links area, and 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 that lets your site users become aware of additions to your link library.
To learn more about Link Library:
Congratulations! Now you know how to how to add a blogroll and manage links to other websites and pages in WordPress.
Go here to learn more about adding HTML hyperlinks in WordPress posts:
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