As you continue to discover more about the benefits of using WordPress, you may occasionally come across something called a blogroll.
WordPress refers to a list of links pointing to other websites or web pages that display on your sidebar 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 link section using the Links menu in your WP Dashboard. These links will display on your blog once you add the Links widget.
Prior to the release of v.3.5, Links were a core feature of the WordPress CMS. After v3.5, the Links manager and blogroll sections were removed …
Before …
(WP Links Manager Feature – pre version 3.5)
After …
(The Link Manager feature – no longer displayed in WordPress after WordPress v 3.5)
If you have used an earlier version of WordPress than v.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 the Links feature is not visible when you log into your WP admin area, you can add this feature via a plugin. This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to add and manage blogroll links on your site’s sidebar using WordPress plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager WordPress Plugin)
Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Plugin Description
You can use this plugin to restore the built-in Link Manager, even if you update to a later version of WordPress 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 a while, but it should still work fine. If you don’t want to use the Link Manager plugin, then use the one below instead, or contact us for help editing your site’s template code.
Simple Links
(Simple Links WordPress Plugin)
Download URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Plugin Description
Simple Links recreates the concept of the built-in WP Link Manager while removing the shortcomings of the deprecated feature.
Plugin Installation
To install the Link Manager plugin, follow the instructions below:
In the WordPress dashboard menu, go to Plugins > Add New …
(Plugins Menu – Add New)
Click on the Install Plugins > Search tab, type in “link manager” into the search field and hit Enter …
Locate the plugin in the search results area and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin after installation …
After activation, a ‘Links’ item will show in the dashboard menu …
(Links menu)
Setting Up Link Manager
Before you start adding links, we recommend setting up your link categories. This way, when adding a new link, you can assign your link to a link category you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a new link category, go to your navigation menu and click on Links > Link Categories …
(Links – Link Categories)
This brings up the ‘Link Categories’ page.
Enter information into the following fields:
- Name: Whatever you enter here will display as the link category name.
- Slug: The slug is the web address bit of your link category name. It must 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 to save …
(Link Categories)
Your category details will display in the list …
(Link Categories screen)
Tip: The default WordPress link category is called Blogroll . Unless you specify a category when adding a new link, WordPress will assign new links to the default category …
(Default link category name)
You may want to change this 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 default category name, hover your mouse over the category name and click on Quick Edit …
(Quick Edit)
Change both the Name and the Slug with a new category name, then click on Update Link Category …
(Editing the link category name)
In our example, the link category name ‘Blogroll’ has been replaced with a more suitable category name (e.g. ‘Recommended’).
Let’s now add a link category description. To add a link category description, click on Edit under the category name …
(You can add/edit your category description)
Add your link category description field and click Update when finished …
(Edit Link Category screen)
Repeat the above process and add as many link categories as you need.
After setting up your link categories, you can add new links.
Adding Links
To create a new link, go to your WP navigation menu and choose Links > Add New …
(Links – Add New)
You will be taken to the ‘Add New Link’ page …
(Add New Link page)
You can also access this screen by clicking on ’Add New’ at the top of the main Links screen …
(Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page has several sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
Enter your link details in this section …
(Add New Link – Name, Web Address, Description area)
Enter the following information:
- Name: Whatever you enter here is the link category name that will display on your site.
- Slug: The slug appears in the web address 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 a link category description in the links section, or as a tool tip when visitors hover over the link name.
Categories & Target
After adding your link details, select a Category and Target for your new link …
(Add New Link – Categories & Target)
In the Categories section, tick a link category you have already created, or click on ’+ Add New Category’ to add a new category link.
Next, select a target frame radio button for your link in the Target section. This lets you specify how the link should open when visitors click on it:
- _blank means that when visitors click on the link, a new, separate web 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 a visitor clicks on the 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. 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 – allows you to define your relationship with the linked person. For example, if you work with Daisy Jenkins 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 your links will still work. 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 lets you specify the ‘rel’ attribute that will be assigned to your link. The rel attribute specifies 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.
You can learn more about XFN by visiting the site below:
Advanced
The last section of the Add New Link’ screen lets you specify Advanced features for your links (some themes will ignore this. You can leave these fields blank unless there’s a good reason to use them) …
(Advanced fields)
The Advanced section fields are as follows:
- Image Address: Lets you specify an image to be displayed with the link. 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 link.
- Notes: This section lets you add notes 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).
Enter information in the above fields or just leave this section blank, as these fields are not essential.
When you have finished adding information about your link, click on Add Link to save your new link …
(Click on the Add Link button to update your link settings)
Note: If you tick the Keep this link private checkbox, the link will not be visible in your Links section …
(Make links private by selecting the checkbox)
Making links private allows you to toggle link visibility on and off without deleting these (this is useful if you want to have seasonal links) …
(Making links private toggles their visibility on and off)
To view all the links you have added to the Link Manager, go to your dashboard navigation menu and select Links > All Links …
(Links Menu – All Links)
This brings up the ‘Links’ screen in your web browser. The Links screen displays your links and link information (e.g. URL, link categories, relationship, etc.) …
(Table of links)
Tip: To display or hide options in the table of links, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab at the top of the screen …
(Screen Options – Links screen)
Enable/disable fields on your table of links by ticking/unticking their check boxes …
(Show/hide links)
How To Edit Your Link Information
To edit links, go to your dashboard navigation menu and choose Links > All Links to bring up your list of links …
(WordPress Links Menu – All Links)
Select the item to be edited and click on Edit to bring up the link’s details …
(Editing links)
Edit the link fields …
(Edit Link page)
After editing your link, you can:
- Click on Update Link to save and update your link details,
- Click on Visit Link to make sure that you have set up your link’s URL correctly (your link will open in a new window),
- Click Delete to remove the link …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
Removing Your Links
To delete a link from the Link Manager, choose Links > All Links in the dashboard menu …
(WP Links – 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 that you want to remove and click Delete …
(Deleting your links)
To delete multiple links, either click on the check boxes next to individual items that you would like to remove, or select all links by clicking on the main check box next to the ‘Name’ column header at the top of the list …
(Delete multiple links)
Select Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ menu, and click the Apply button to remove all selected links …
(Bulk-deletion of links)
The links you have selected will be deleted …
(Link deletion notice)
Using The Plugin
Now that you know how to configure link categories and how to add, edit and delete links, it’s time to display links on your site.
Using The Links Widget
The Link Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ section.
To access and configure your Link widgets, choose Appearance > Widgets in the WP navigation menu …
(Appearance Menu – Widgets)
This brings up the ‘Widgets’ screen in your browser.
You will notice a ‘Links’ widget in the Available Widgets section …
(Links widget)
Drag the ‘Links’ widget to one of your active widget areas in the Widgets page and drop it wherever you want the links section to show up …
(Adding a links widget to your WordPress sidebar)
The Links widget provides various settings. 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 add and feature several link lists throughout your site …
(You can add a number of link widgets to your widget bars)
Display a list of items for a specific category …
(Link widget settings – Select Link Category)
You can sort links by Link title, Link ID, Link rating, or display links in Random order …
(Link widget settings – Sort by options)
Once you are done setting up your Links widget, click the Save button to update your settings. A links should show up immediately on your 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 with widgets? We have written a comprehensive article about using widgets here:
Links Manager – Additional Information
If you have added many links, the Links Manager plugin lets you easily administer these using searching, filtering, and sorting functions.
Sort Links Function
You can sort links by hovering your cursor over the title of the column you want to sort and clicking on the little triangle displayed next to the column title …
(Sorting your links)
Searching Links
Type a search term into the search field and click the Search Links button to search for links …
(Search links function)
Filter Links Function
You can filter links by categories …
(Filtering your links by category)
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 …
(searching and filtering 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 lots of links to your site, or if you want 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 Plugin)
Download Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
Link Library lets you publish a list of all your link categories and a complete list of all your links together with notes and descriptions …
(Link Library links. Image source: Link Library plugin website.)
This plugin can be used to create a page on your website containing all 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 links so that your site users can be made aware of additions to your link library.
To learn more about the benefits of using this plugin, visit this site:
Congratulations! Now you know how to how to add and manage links to other sites in WordPress.
We have written a comprehensive article on adding HTML links in WordPress posts and pages. For more details:
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