As you discover more about WordPress, you may occasionally come across the term blogroll.
A blogroll is a list of links pointing to external websites or web pages that display 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 set of links using the Links menu in your WP Dashboard. These links will then display on your website 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 Links manager and blogroll sections were hidden by default in new WordPress installations …
Before …
(Links displayed in the WordPress dashboard menu until the release of WordPress v.3.5)
After …
(The Link Manager – excluded from the menu after WP version 3.5)
If you’ve used an earlier version than v.3.5 and upgraded your installation, the Link 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 WordPress backend, you can add this feature by installing a plugin. In this step-by-step tutorial, you will learn how to add, edit, delete and manage blogroll links on your sidebar using plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager – WordPress Link Management Plugin)
Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Description
Use this plugin to restore the built-in Links menu on your WordPress dashboard, 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 WordPress 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 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 Download URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Description
Simple Links recreates the same concept as the built-in Link Manager while addressing the shortcomings of the deprecated feature.
How To Install The Plugin
Let’s install the Link Manager plugin.
In the WP administration menu, select Plugins > Add New …
(Plugins – Add New)
Select the Install Plugins > Search tab, type in “link manager” into the search field and hit Enter …
Find the plugin in the results area and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin after installation …
Once the plugin has been activated, the ‘Links’ feature is restored to your admin menu area …
(WordPress links management menu section)
Configuring Link Manager
Before you start adding new links, it’s a good idea to set up your link categories. This way, when you add a new link, you can assign the link to link categories you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a link category, go to your dashboard menu and click on Links > Link Categories …
(WordPress Links Menu – Link Categories)
The ‘Link Categories’ screen will display in your browser.
Type in information into the following fields:
- Name: Enter the link category name.
- Slug: The slug is the SEO friendly URL part of the link category name. Use only lowercase letters without spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display your link category description.
Click the Add New Link Category button to save your new link category …
(Link Categories)
Your new category will display in the list …
(Link Categories)
Tip: The default WordPress link category is called Blogroll . Unless you specify a category when adding a new link, WordPress automatically assigns new links to the default category …
(Default link category name is ‘blogroll’)
You may want to change this to something better suited to your business. This will not only make it easier for visitors, but any new links that you add to your site will automatically appear under the new category name …
(we recommend changing the default link category name to something better suited to your business)
To edit the default category name, hover your mouse over the item and click on Quick Edit …
(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 …
(Editing the link category name)
In our example, we’ve replaced the link category ‘Blogroll’ with a more suitable name (e.g. ‘Recommended’).
Let’s create a link category description. To add a link category description, click on Edit under the category name …
(Link category description)
Enter your description in the ‘Edit Link Category’ screen and click Update …
(Edit Link Category area)
Repeat this process and add as many new link categories as you need.
Once you have configured your link categories, you can add new links.
How To Add New Links
To create a new link, go to the main dashboard menu and choose Links > Add New …
(Links Menu – Add New)
This brings up the Add New Link’ page in your web browser …
(Add New Link page)
You can also access this page by clicking on ’Add New’ at the top of the main Links screen …
(Links – Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page has a number of sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
This section lets you enter your link details …
(Add New Link – Name, Web Address& Description)
Enter the following information:
- Name: Whatever you enter in this field will display as the category your links will be assigned to.
- Slug: The slug shows up in the SEO friendly URL of the 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 adding link details, select a Category and Target for the new link …
(Add New Link – Categories & Target area)
In the Categories section, tick a link category you have already added, or click on the ‘+ Add New Category’ link to create a new category.
Also, select a target frame radio button for your link in the Target section. This lets you specify how you want the link to open when clicked on:
- _blank means that a separate window will open up in their browser to display the content for that link.
- _none means that when a visitor clicks on the link, they will exit 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 screen – Link Relationship (XFN))
Link Relationship (XFN) – XFN stands for XML Friends Network – lets you define your relationship with the linked person. For example, if you have a professional relationship with Pari Fields and you link to her blog, you would probably tick 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 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, start, index, etc.
You can learn more about XFN by visiting the site below:
Advanced
The last section 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) …
(Add New Link – Advanced area)
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 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 be displayed next to your link.
- 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 Add Link to save your new link …
(Click on Add Link to save your new link)
Note: If you tick the Keep this link private checkbox, your link will not be visible in your Links section …
(Make links private by checking the box)
Making links private lets you toggle their visibility on and off without deleting these (this is useful if you want to add seasonal links) …
(Making links private toggles their visibility on and off)
To view a list of all your links, go to the dashboard menu and select Links > All Links …
(WP Links Menu – All Links)
The ‘Links’ screen will display in your web browser. The list of links displays all your links and link information (e.g. link URL, link categories, visibility, etc.) …
(Links table)
Tip: To display additional information in the Links table, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab at the top of your screen …
(Links table – Screen Options)
Enable/disable information on your table of links by selecting/deselecting their check boxes …
(Links table – Hide or show screen options)
Editing Your Link Information
To edit links in the Link Manager, go to the admin menu and select Links > All Links to bring up the list of links …
(Links – All Links)
Locate the item to be edited and click on Edit to bring up the item’s link information …
(Editing links)
Edit your link fields …
(Edit Link page)
After you’re done editing the link, you can:
- Click the Update Link button to save your link details,
- Click on Visit Link to view your link and make sure that you have set up its URL correctly (the link will open up in a new window),
- Click Delete to remove the link …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
Removing Links
To delete a link, go to the WP navigation menu and choose Links > All Links …
(Links Menu – All Links)
You will be taken to the ‘Links’ table.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links, or delete all links.
To delete individual links, hover your mouse cursor over the link title that you want to remove and click on Delete …
(Delete your links)
To delete a number of links at once, either tick the checkboxes next to individual links that you would like deleted, or select all links by clicking on the main checkbox next to the ‘Name’ column header at the top of the list …
(Deleting multiple links)
Choose Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ drop-down menu, and click Apply to delete your selected links …
(Links: bulk-delete function)
The links you have selected will be deleted …
(Deleted links notice)
Plugin Usage
Now that you know how to set up link categories and how to add, edit and delete links, it’s time to learn how to make links display on your site.
Using The Links Widget
The Links Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ section.
To access and configure your Link widgets, choose Appearance > Widgets in the main dashboard menu …
(Appearance Menu – Widgets)
The ‘Widgets’ page will display in your browser.
You will see that a ‘Links’ widget has been added to the Available Widgets section …
(Links widget)
To make the ‘Links’ widget active, drag it to one of your active widget bars and drop it wherever you would like your links section to display …
(Drag and drop the links widget to add it to a widgetized area)
The Links widget provides various configurable options. You can specify what information you would like to display about your links and how many links you want displayed on your sidebar …
(Link widget - settings)
You can also add as many link widgets as you want. This allows you to create and feature specific lists of links on your site …
(You can add a number of link widgets to your widget bars)
You can select a link category from the ‘Select Link Category:’ drop-down menu …
(Link widget options – Select Link Category)
You can sort links by Link title, Link rating, Link ID, or display links in Random order …
(Link widget settings – Sorting options)
After setting up the links widget, click Save to update your settings. A links will now be visible on your site …
(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 using widgets? We have written a detailed article on configuring widgets here:
Link Manager – Additional Information
If you have many links, the Links Manager plugin allows you to easily administer these with searching, filtering, and sorting functions.
Sort Links
You can sort links by hovering your mouse over the title of the column you want to sort and clicking on the black triangle displayed next to the column title …
(Sorting your links)
Find Links Function
You can search for links using the ‘Search Links’ function …
(Find links)
Filtering Links
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 find link categories, or click on the links in the ‘Links’ column …
(searching and filtering links in the Link Categories screen)
This brings up 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 ‘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
This plugin lets you display a list of all your link categories and a complete list of links together with descriptions and notes …
(Link Library links. Screenshot taken from Link Library plugin website.)
This plugin creates a page on your web site that contains 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 of your links so that your site users can be made aware of any additions made to to your link library.
To learn more about the benefits of using this WordPress plugin, go here:
Congratulations! Now you know how to add a blogroll to WordPress.
We have written a detailed article on adding HTML hyperlinks in your WordPress content. If you are interested in learning more about this 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