As you discover more about WordPress, you may occasionally come across the term blogroll.
A blogroll is a list of hyperlinks pointing to external websites or 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 display a featured links section on your blog using the WordPress Link Manager plugin.
Before WordPress version 3.5 was released, Links were a built-in feature of the WordPress CMS. From v 3.5 onwards, the Link Manager section was hidden by default in new installations …
Before …
(WordPress Links Menu – pre v.3.5)
After …
(Post version 3.5 – no WP Links feature)
If you have used an earlier version than v.3.5 and updated your installation, then the Links 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 item on the main menu when you log into your WP admin area, you can add this feature by installing a plugin. In this step-by-step tutorial, you will learn how to add and manage blogroll links on your sidebar using WordPress plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager – Plugin For WordPress)
Download URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Plugin Description
Use this plugin to restore the built-in Links Manager, even if you update WordPress to a later version 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 template code.
Simple Links
(Simple Links)
Plugin Download URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Plugin Description
Simple Links recreates the concept of the built-in Link Manager while removing the shortcomings of the deprecated feature.
Installing Link Manager
Let’s install the Link Manager plugin.
From the WordPress admin menu, go to Plugins > Add New …
(Plugins Menu – 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 results screen and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin after installation …
After activation, WordPress will display a ‘Links’ section in the sidebar menu area …
(Links menu section)
Plugin Configuration
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 the link category you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a link category, select Links > Link Categories in your WP admin menu …
(WP Links – Link Categories)
The ‘Link Categories’ page will display in your web browser.
Enter information into the following sections:
- Name: Enter the category name here.
- Slug: The slug is the SEO friendly URL part of the link category name. Only use lower case letters and do not include spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display your link category description.
after entering your information, click the Add New Link Category button to save …
(Link Categories)
The new category will now show in the table …
(Link Categories)
Tip: The default WordPress link category is called Blogroll . Unless you specify a category when creating a new link, WordPress automatically assigns new links to the default category …
(Default link category)
You may want to change this default WordPress link category name to something that will make sense to readers. This will not only make it easier for visitors, but any new links that you add to your site will automatically display under the new category name …
(we recommend changing the default ’blogroll’ to something better suited to your business)
To edit the default category name, hover your mouse over the item and click on the Quick Edit link …
(Edit the 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 the Update link Category button …
(Edit the default link category name)
In our example, we’ve replaced the link category ‘Blogroll’ with a more suitable name (e.g. ‘Recommended’).
Let’s add a description for this link category. To add a description to an existing link category, hover over the item name and click Edit …
(You can add/edit the category description)
Add your description in the ‘Edit Link Category’ page and click Update done to save your settings …
(Edit Link Category screen)
Repeat the above process to add as many new link categories as your site requires.
After configuring your link categories, you can add your links.
How To Add Links
To add a new link, select Links > Add New in your dashboard navigation menu …
(Links – Add New)
This brings up the Add New Link’ screen in your browser …
(Add New Link screen)
You can also reach this page by clicking on the ‘Add New’ button at the top of the main Links page …
(Links page – Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page is divided into a number of sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
Enter details about your link in this section …
(Add New Link page – Name, Web Address, Description section)
Type in the following information:
- Name: Enter the link category name.
- Slug: The slug is the web address part of your link category. Use lowercase letters only without 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 link details, select a Category and Target for the new link …
(Add New Link page – Categories & Target fields)
In the Categories section, select a link category you have already created, 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 the link should open when clicked on:
- _blank means that when visitors click on your link, a new browser window will open up to display the content associated with the link.
- _none means that when visitors click on the 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. 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 screen – Link Relationship (XFN) area)
Link Relationship (XFN) – XFN stands for XML Friends Network – lets you define your relationship to the linked person. For example, if you have a professional relationship with Billie Gould and you link to her blog, you would probably check co-worker or colleague.
XFN relationships are optional for WordPress links. You can leave everything in this section blank and your links will still work. XFN makes your links 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, enter nofollow into this field. Separate multiple ‘rel’ keywords using spaces.
You can learn more about XFN by visiting the site below:
Advanced
The last section lets you specify Advanced features for your links (You can ignore this section, unless there’s a good reason to use it) …
(Advanced area)
The Advanced section fields include the following:
- 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 can display next to your link.
- Notes: Add notes about the link in this section for your own internal reference.
- Rating: Add a rating score to the link if you want to sort links by rating (see the ‘Links’ widget section below).
Enter information into the above fields or just leave this section blank.
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 select the checkbox next to Keep this link private, your link will not be visible in your Links section …
(You can make links private by checking the box)
Making links private allows you to toggle their visibility on or off without deleting these (this is useful if you would like links to display during certain periods and hide them afterwards) …
(Making links private toggles their visibility on and off)
To view a list of all the links you have added to the Link Manager, choose Links > All Links in the WP admin menu …
(Links Menu – All Links)
The ‘Links’ table will load in your browser. The list of links displays all of your links and link information (e.g. URL, categories, rating, etc.) …
(Links screen)
Tip: To view or hide fields in the Links page, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab at the top of your screen …
(Links table – Screen Options)
Display/hide fields on your table of links by selecting/deselecting their checkboxes …
(Show/hide links)
How To Edit Links
To modify a link, choose Links > All Links in the navigation menu to bring up your list of links …
(Links – All Links)
Locate the item you want to edit and click on Edit to bring up the item’s link information …
(Editing link information)
Edit the link fields …
(Edit Link screen)
After editing your link, you can:
- Click the Update Link button to save and update your link details,
- Click on Visit Link to check that you have set up its URL correctly (your link will open up in a new window),
- Click Delete to remove the link from your list …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
How To Remove Links
To delete links, go to the main dashboard menu and select Links > All Links …
(Links – 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 cursor over the link that you want to remove from the link table and click on Delete …
(Delete links)
To delete multiple links, either tick the check boxes next to individual links that you would like to be removed, 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 delete your selected links …
(Bulk-delete links)
Your selected links will be deleted …
(Deleted links message)
Using The Link Manager Plugin
Now that you know how to set up link categories and how to add, edit and delete links, it’s time to make links display on your website or blog.
Using The Links Widget
Installing the Link Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ screen.
To access and configure your Link widgets, choose Appearance > Widgets in the main navigation menu …
(Appearance Menu – Widgets)
The ‘Widgets’ page will load in your web browser.
You will notice 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 widget bars and drop it wherever you would like the links section to display …
(Adding a links widget to your WordPress widget bar using drag and drop)
The Links widget offers a number of settings. For example, you can specify what information you want displayed about your links and how many links you would like displayed on your sidebar …
(Link widget - settings)
You can add as many link widgets to your sidebar and footer as you want. This lets you create and feature link categories on your site …
(You can add a number of link widgets to your widget bars)
Select a link category from the ‘Select Link Category:’ dropdown 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 – Sort by options)
When you have finished setting up the links widget, click the Save button to update your settings. Your link section should now appear 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 with widgets? Go here to learn more about adding widgets:
Link Manager – Additional Information
If you have loads of links, the Link Manager plugin allows you to easily administer these with filter, sort, and search functions.
Sorting Links Function
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 your links)
Searching Your Links
Find links using the ‘Search Links’ function …
(You can easily search your links with the search function)
Filter Your Links
You can filter links by link category …
(Filter your links by 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 page)
This displays a list of all links grouped under a specific link category …
(Links filtered by link category)
Links – Additional Options
If you plan to add a lot of links to your site, 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, like Link Library.
Link Library
(Link Library)
Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
Link Library gives you the ability to publish a list of your link categories and a complete list of links plus notes and descriptions …
(List of links created with Link library. Image source: Link Library plugin documentation.)
This plugin creates a page on your site that contains a list of all of the link categories in your Links section, and 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 of your links that lets your site users be made aware of any additions made to to your link library.
To learn more about the Link Library plugin:
Congratulations! Now you know how to how to add and manage links to other websites and pages in your WordPress sidebar menu.
We have written a detailed article about adding links into WordPress posts. To learn more, go here:
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"This is an awesome training series. I have a pretty good understanding of WordPress already, but this is helping me to move somewhere from intermediate to advanced user!" - Kim Lednum