As you learn more about WordPress, you may occasionally come across the term blogroll.
In WordPress terminology, a list of links displayed on your sidebar section 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 hyperlinks to your WordPress sidebar menu (e.g. a “Resources” section) using a widget.
Before WordPress v 3.5 was released, Links were a core feature of the WordPress CMS. After the release of WordPress v3.5, the Link Manager section was removed …
Before …
(Links displayed in the admin menu until the release of WP v.3.5)
After …
(Links – no longer included in WordPress after WP v3.5)
If you have had an earlier version than v3.5 installed 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 Manager is not visible when you log into your WordPress admin area you will need to install a plugin. This tutorial shows you how to add and manage links on your site’s sidebar using WordPress plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager – WordPress Links Management Plugin)
Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Description Of Plugin
This plugin displays the 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 template code to WordPress to restore the hidden feature. When we last 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 one below instead, or contact us for help editing your template code.
Simple Links
(Simple Links)
Download URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Description
This plugin recreates the concept of the built-in WP Link Manager while addressing the shortcomings of the deprecated functionality.
Installing Link Manager
Let’s install the Link Manager plugin.
In the WP dashboard menu, go to Plugins > Add New …
(Plugins – Add New)
Click on the Install Plugins > Search tab, then type in “link manager” into the search field and hit Enter …
Find the plugin in the search results screen and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin after it has been installed …
After activating the plugin, WordPress displays a ‘Links’ item in your navigation menu …
(Links management menu)
Plugin Setup
Before you start adding any new links, it’s a good idea to set up your link categories. This way, you can assign any new links to link categories you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a new link category, choose Links > Link Categories in the main dashboard menu …
(Links – Link Categories)
This brings up the ‘Link Categories’ page in your web browser.
Enter the following information:
- Name: What you enter here will display as the link category name.
- Slug: The slug appears in the 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)
Click the Add New Link Category button to save your new link category name …
(Link Categories area)
The category details will display in the list …
(Link Categories)
Tip: Blogroll is the default link category name. Unless you specify the category when adding a link, WordPress will automatically assign new links to the default category …
(Default link category name is ‘blogroll’)
You may want to change the default link category name to something that will make sense to your blog readers. This will not only make it easier for users of your site, but any new links that you add to your site will automatically be assigned to the new category name …
(Change the default ’blogroll’ to something your visitors will relate to)
To change the ‘Blogroll’ link name, hover your mouse over the list item and click on the Quick Edit link …
(Editing the default link category name)
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), and click on Update Link Category …
(Editing the link category name)
Replace the category ‘Blogroll’ with (e.g. ‘Recommended’, ‘XYZ Products’ etc).
Let’s insert a link category description. To add a link category description, hover over the link category name and click Edit …
(You can add/edit the category description)
Add your description in the ‘Edit Link Category’ screen and click Update done to save your settings …
(Edit Link Category area)
Repeat the above process to add as many link categories as your site needs.
Once you have finished configuring your link categories, you can add new links.
How To Add Links
To create a new link, go to your navigation menu and click on Links > Add New …
(WP Links Menu – Add New)
This brings up the ‘Add New Link’ screen …
(Add New Link screen)
You can also reach this screen by clicking on the ‘Add New’ button in the main Links screen …
(Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page includes a number of sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
This section is where you enter details about your link …
(Add New Link screen – Name, Web Address& Description fields)
Type in information into the following sections:
- Name: Enter the category name.
- Slug: The slug displays 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 your link category description in the links section, or as a tool tip when visitors hover over the link name.
Categories & Target
Select a Category and Target for the new link …
(Categories & Target – Add New Link)
In the Categories section, tick a link category you’ve already created, or click on ’+ Add New Category’ to add 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 a separate window will open up in their web browser to display the information associated with the link.
- _none means that when a visitor clicks on your link, they will leave your site and a new site 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 …
(Link Relationship (XFN) fields)
Link Relationship (XFN) – XFN (XML Friends Network) is a way to define your relationship with the linked person. For example, if you work with William Jones and you link to his 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 still work. XFN makes your links 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 specifies 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.
To learn more about XFN, visit the site below:
Advanced
The last section of the Add New Link’ screen allows you to enter Advanced features for your links (You can ignore this section, unless there’s a good reason to use it) …
(Add New Link page – Advanced fields)
The Advanced link settings section includes the following options:
- Image Address: 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 RSS feed associated with the link will display next to the 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 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 are done adding your new link information, click on the Add Link button to save your new link …
(Click on Add Link to update your link settings)
Note: If you select the checkbox next to Keep this link private, your link will not be visible in your Blogroll section …
(You can make links private by selecting the checkbox)
Making a link private allows you to toggle its visibility on and off without deleting it (this is useful if you want to add seasonal links) …
(Toggle link visibility on and off)
To view a list of all the links you have added, select Links > All Links in the WP navigation menu …
(Links – All Links)
You will be taken to the ‘Links’ screen. The Links screen displays a list of your links and link information (e.g. link URL, link categories, rating, etc.) …
(List of links)
Tip: To display additional options in the Links table, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab at the top of the screen …
(Links page – Screen Options)
Display/hide information on your Links table by selecting/deselecting their checkboxes …
(Links page – Hide or display screen options)
Editing Your Links
To edit a link in the Link Manager, click on Links > All Links in the WP admin menu to bring up your links screen …
(Links – All Links)
Select the link you want to edit and click on Edit to bring up the link’s details …
(Editing link information)
Edit the link …
(Edit Link page)
After you’re done editing your link, you can:
- Click the Update Link button to save your link details,
- Click on Visit Link to see 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 link table if it’s no longer required …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
How To Delete Your Links
To delete a link from the Link Manager, go to the dashboard menu and choose Links > All Links …
(Links Menu – All Links)
You will be taken to the ‘Links’ screen.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links, or remove all of your links at once.
To delete links individually, hover your cursor over the link that you want to remove and click on Delete …
(Delete your links)
To delete a number of links at once, either click on the checkboxes next to individual items that you want to remove, or select all links by clicking on the checkbox next to the ‘Name’ column header …
(Deleting multiple links)
Choose Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ pulldown menu, and click the Apply button to delete your selected links …
(Links: bulk-delete function)
Your selected links will be removed …
(Deleted links message)
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 Links Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ page.
To access and configure your Link widgets, choose Appearance > Widgets in your navigation menu …
(Appearance – 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 your active widget sections and drop it wherever you want the links to show up …
(Adding a links widget to a widgetized menu)
The Links widget includes various configurable settings. For example, you can specify what information you would like to show about your links and how many links you want displayed on your sidebar …
(Link widget - configurable settings)
You can also add multiple link widgets to your sidebar and footer. This allows you to create and feature specific links on your site …
(Add a number of link widgets to your widget bars)
Select a link category to display a specific list of items …
(Link widget settings – Select Link Category)
You can sort links by Link title, Link rating, Link ID, or display links in Random order …
(Link widget options – Sort by options)
After configuring the links widget, click Save to update your settings. A link section will show up immediately on your website …
(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 using widgets? We have written a detailed article on adding widgets. To learn more, go here:
Links Manager – Additional Information
If you have loads of links, the Link Manager plugin allows you to easily administer these with sort, search, and filter functions.
Sort Your Links
You can sort links by hovering your mouse cursor over the title of the column you want to sort and clicking on the little triangle displayed next to the column title …
(Sorting links function)
Finding Links Function
Type a search term into the search field and click the Search Links button …
(Find your links)
Filter Your Links
You can filter links by category …
(Filtering your links by link categories)
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 …
(Search and filter links in the Link Categories screen)
This brings up a list of all links grouped under a specific link category …
(Links filtered by link category)
Links – Additional 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 look at using a plugin that can help you administer your links.
Link Library
(Link Library WordPress Plugin)
Plugin Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
Link Library lets you output a list of all your link categories and a complete list of all your links with notes and descriptions …
(Link Library links. Image sourced from Link Library plugin site.)
This useful plugin creates a page on your website that contains all the link categories in your Links section, and all links listed in these categories. 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 additions to your link library.
Visit the plugin website to learn more this handy plugin:
Congratulations! Now you know how to how to add and manage links to other websites in your WordPress sidebar menu.
We have written a detailed article on how to add HTML hyperlinks into your WordPress content. Go here to learn more:
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