As you continue to learn more about the benefits of using WordPress, you may occasionally come across references to the term blogroll.
WordPress refers to a list of hyperlinks pointing to other sites 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 WordPress v3.5, Links were a visible feature of the WordPress CMS. After v 3.5, the Links manager and blogroll sections were kept hidden by default in new installations …
Before …
(The Links Manager – part of the WordPress menu until the release of WP version 3.5)
After …
(Post v 3.5 – no WP Links feature)
If you have had an earlier version of WordPress than v.3.5 installed and upgraded your installation, the Link Manager would have been 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 you can’t see a Links section on your main menu when you log into your WordPress admin area, you can add it by installing a plugin. This step-by-step tutorial shows you how to add, edit, delete 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 default Links feature on your WP dashboard, 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 template code to your installation 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 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 Of Plugin
This plugin attempts to recreate the concept of the built-in WP Link Manager while addressing the shortcomings of the deprecated functionality.
How To Install The Plugin
To install the Link Manager plugin, do the following:
From your WordPress 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 …
Locate the plugin in the results area and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin …
After activation, a ‘Links’ item will show up in the WP navigation menu area …
(Links management menu section)
Setting Up The Plugin
Before you start adding links, it’s a good idea to set up your link categories. This way, when you create a new link, you can assign the link to link categories you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a link category, go to the WP navigation menu and click on Links > Link Categories …
(Links – Link Categories)
The ‘Link Categories’ page will display in your web browser.
Type in the following information:
- Name: Whatever you enter in this field is the link category name that will display on your site.
- Slug: The slug displays in the web address 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 Add New Link Category …
(Link Categories area)
The category details will be added to the table …
(Link Categories)
Tip: WordPress calls its default link category Blogroll . Unless you specify a category when adding a link, WordPress automatically assigns new links to the default category …
(Default link category)
You may want to change the default link category name to something that your visitors can understand. This not only makes 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 …
(Consider changing the default link category name to something better suited to your business)
To change the ‘Blogroll’ link title, hover your mouse over the list item and click on Quick Edit …
(Editing the link category)
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 default link category)
In our example, we’ve replaced the category ‘Blogroll’ with an appropriate links section category name (e.g. ‘Recommended’).
Let’s now add a link category description. To add a description to an existing link category, 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 link categories as you need.
Once you have set up your link categories, you can add your links.
How To Add Links
To add a new link, select Links > Add New in the dashboard navigation menu …
(Links – Add New)
This brings up the ‘Add New Link’ screen …
(Add New Link screen)
You can also reach this page by clicking on the ‘Add New’ button in the main Links screen …
(Links screen – Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page is divided into several sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
Enter your link details in this section …
(Name, Web Addressand Description – Add New Link)
Type in information into the following fields:
- Name: Whatever you type here displays as the link category name.
- Slug: The slug appears in the SEO friendly URL of the 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 in the links section, or as a tool tip when visitors hover over the link name. (Optional)
Categories & Target
After typing in your link details, select a Category and Target for the link …
(Categories & Target section)
In the Categories section, select one of the link categories you have already added, or click on ’+ Add New Category’ to add a new category.
Also, select a target frame for your link in the Target section by choosing one of the radio buttons. This lets you specify where you want your link to open when a visitor clicks on it:
- _blank means that when visitors click on your link, a new window will open up in their browser to display the information associated with the 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 leave your site and a new website 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 section provides some additional link functionality …
(Link Relationship (XFN) fields – Add New Link)
Link Relationship (XFN) – XFN (XML Friends Network) allows you to define your relationship to the linked person. For example, if you have a professional relationship with Emily Cooper and you link to her blog, you would probably check co-worker or colleague.
XFN relationships are optional. You can leave everything in this section blank and 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, enter nofollow into this field.
You can learn more about XFN by visiting the site below:
Advanced
The last section lets you enter Advanced features for your links (You can ignore this section, unless there’s a good reason to use it) …
(Advanced area – Add New Link)
The Advanced section contain the following fields:
- Image Address: Lets you specify an image to be displayed with the link. Add the URL of your image 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 be displayed next to your links.
- 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 are not essential.
When you are done 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 Keep this link private, your link will not be visible when links are displayed on your site …
(Make links private by checking the box)
Making a link private allows you to add a link and then 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 see a list of all the links you have added to the Link Manager, select Links > All Links in the main dashboard navigation menu …
(Links – All Links)
This takes you to the ‘Links’ table. The list of links displays your links and link information (e.g. link URL, categories, visibility, etc.) …
(List of links)
Tip: To view or hide columns in the Links page, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab near the top of the screen …
(Screen Options – Table of links)
Enable/disable information on your table of links by ticking/unticking their checkboxes …
(Hide or display – Links table)
Editing Link Information
To edit links in the Link Manager, go to your WP navigation menu and select Links > All Links to bring up the links table …
(Links Menu – All Links)
Locate the link to be edited and click on Edit to bring up the item’s link information …
(Editing link information)
Change your link details …
(Edit Link page)
After editing your link, you can:
- Click the Update Link button to save your link details,
- Click on Visit Link to check that you have set up everything correctly (your link will open in a new window),
- Click Delete to remove the link if it’s no longer required …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
How To Delete Links
To remove a link, go to your WP navigation menu and click on Links > All Links …
(Links – All Links)
This loads the ‘Links’ table in your browser.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links by selecting their check boxes, or delete all links at once.
To delete links individually, hover over the link title that you want to remove and click Delete …
(Deleting links)
To delete multiple links, either click on the check box next to every item that you want removed, or select all links by clicking on the checkbox next to the ‘Name’ column header …
(Delete multiple links)
Select Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ drop menu, and click Apply to delete all selected links …
(Links: bulk-deletion function)
All the links you have selected will be removed …
(links deleted notice)
Plugin Usage
Now that you know how to configure link categories and how to add, edit and delete links, it’s time to learn how to make links display on your site.
Links Widget
The Links Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ screen.
To access and configure your Link widgets, select Appearance > Widgets in the admin menu …
(Appearance – Widgets)
You will be taken to the ‘Widgets’ screen.
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 want the links to show up …
(Drag & drop the links widget to add it to a widgetized menu)
The Links widget includes a number of configurable settings. You can specify what information you would like to display about your links and how many links you want displayed on your sidebar menu …
(Link widget options)
You can also add as many link widgets to your sidebar and footer as you want. This allows you to add and feature specific link lists on your site …
(Add multiple link widgets to your sidebar)
Select a link category to display links 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 – Sorting options)
Once you are done configuring the Links widget, click Save to update your settings. A links should show on your site’s sidebar menu …
(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 more help using widgets? We have written a comprehensive article on widgets. Go here to learn more about this:
Links Manager – Additional Information
If you have many links, the Links Manager plugin lets you easily administer these using sort, search, and filter functions.
Sorting Links
You can sort links by hovering your mouse over the title of the column you want to sort and clicking on the little triangle displayed next to the column title …
(You can sort your links)
Search Links Function
Type a search term into the search field and click the Search Links button to search for links …
(Search your links)
Filter Links Function
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 find 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 listed for a specific link category …
(Links filtered by link category)
Additional Link Options
If you plan to add a lot of links to your website, or if you would like to add a page containing a list of links 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, like Link Library.
Link Library
(Link Library)
Plugin Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
This plugin gives you the ability to publish a list of all your link categories and a complete list of links with descriptions and notes …
(Link Library links. Image source: Link Library plugin website.)
This useful plugin creates a page on your website that contains all the link categories in your Links section, plus all links defined for 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 become aware of any additions made to to your link library.
For more information about this WordPress plugin, go here:
Congratulations! Now you know how to how to add a blogroll and manage links to other websites and pages in your WordPress sidebar menu.
We have also written a comprehensive article on how to add HTML hyperlinks to your WordPress content here:
***
"I am beyond impressed with what you have put together. I can tell that you put a ton of hard work into building what you have. You have the absolute best content on WordPress I have ever seen!" - Robert T. Jillie