As you discover more about WordPress, you may occasionally come across the term blogroll.
A blogroll is a list of links pointing to other websites or blogs displayed 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.”
The Links Manager lets you easily add and manage external links to your WordPress sidebar area (e.g. a “Recommended Resources” section) using widgets.
Before WordPress v3.5 was released, Links were a core feature of the WordPress CMS. After version 3.5, the Link Manager section was hidden by default in new installations …
Before …
(WordPress Links Feature – pre v 3.5)
After …
(Post v.3.5 – no WP Links feature)
If you have used an earlier version of WordPress than 3.5 and upgraded your installation, then the Links 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 section on the main menu when you log into your WP admin area, you can add this feature via a plugin. In this tutorial, you will learn how to add and manage links on your sidebar using plugins.
Link Manager
(Link Manager)
Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-manager
Plugin Description
The Link Manager plugin restores the built-in Links menu on your WordPress dashboard, even if you upgrade to a later version of WordPress or remove all of your current links.
Note: All this plugin does is add a single line of code to WordPress 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 this plugin, then use the one below instead, or contact us for help editing your template code.
Simple Links
(Simple Links Plugin)
Plugin Download URL
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-links/
Description
This plugin attempts to recreate the concept of the built-in WordPress Links Manager while addressing the shortcomings of the deprecated functionality.
Installing The Plugin
To install the Link Manager plugin, do the following:
In your WP administration area, go to Plugins > Add New …
(Plugins – Add New)
Select the Install Plugins > Search tab, type ”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 …
After activation, WordPress adds a ‘Links’ item to your WP admin menu area …
(Links management menu)
Plugin Configuration
We recommend setting up link categories first before you start adding any new links. This way, you can assign any new links to the link category you have already created.
Link Categories
To create a new link category, click on Links > Link Categories in your WP navigation menu …
(Links Menu – Link Categories)
This brings up the ‘Link Categories’ screen in your web browser.
Type in information into the following fields:
- Name: Enter the category name.
- Slug: The slug is the search-engine friendly URL bit of your link category name. Use lowercase letters only and do not include spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display your link category description. (Optional)
Click Add New Link Category …
(Link Categories)
The category details will now show in the table …
(Link Categories)
Tip: The default WordPress link category is called Blogroll . Unless you specify the category when adding a new link, WordPress automatically assigns new links to the default category …
(Default link category name)
You may want to change this to something that your visitors can relate to. This will not only make it easier for visitors, but any new links that you add to the Links section 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 category name and click on Quick Edit …
(Quick Edit)
Replace both the Name and the Slug with a new category name, then click on Update Link Category …
(Quick Edit)
Replace the category ‘Blogroll’ with a more suitable name (e.g. ‘Recommended’, ‘Our Partners’ etc).
Let’s now add a description for this link category. To add a link category description, click on the Edit link under the category name …
(You can add/edit the category description)
Add your description in the ‘Edit Link Category’ screen and click Update …
(Edit Link Category screen)
Repeat this process to add as many new link categories as you need.
After configuring your link categories, you can add new links.
Adding New Links
To create a new link, select Links > Add New in your admin menu …
(Links – Add New)
You will be taken to the ‘Add New Link’ page …
(Add New Link screen)
You can also reach this screen by clicking on ’Add New’ in the main Links screen …
(Add New Link button)
The ‘Add New Links’ page is divided into various sections:
Name, Web Address & Description
Enter details about your link in this section …
(Name, Web Address, Description – Add New Link)
Type in information into the following fields:
- Name: What you enter here will display as the category your links will be assigned to.
- Slug: The slug is the search-engine friendly URL part of your link category. It must all be in lowercase letters and contain no spaces (use hyphens to separate words).
- Description: Some themes may display your link category description. (Optional)
Categories & Target
After typing in your link details, select a Category and Target for your new link …
(Add New Link screen – Categories & Target)
In the Categories section, select one of the link categories you have already created, or click on ’+ Add New Category’ to add 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 you want your link to open when clicked on by visitors:
- _blank means that a new browser window will open up to display the information for that link. This allows your visitors to see the link information without leaving your site
- _none means that when a visitor clicks on your link, they will leave your site and a new website or page will load in your web browser window instead.
- _top opens links at the top level of the frame system if you’re using frames. Don’t worry about this option if you don’t use frames, or if you don’t know what frames are.
Link Relationship XFN
This section provides some additional link functionality …
(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 Aditi Schwartz and you link to her blog, you would probably check co-worker or colleague.
XFN relationships are optional. 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 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 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 with spaces.
To learn more about XFN, visit this site:
Advanced
The last section allows you to specify Advanced features for your links (You can leave the fields in this section blank unless you have a reason to use them) …
(Advanced link settings)
The Advanced section fields include the following:
- Image Address: Specify an image to be displayed with the link. To use this feature, add the image URL and make sure that your 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 the links.
- Notes: Add notes about the link in this section 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 into the above fields or just leave this section blank, as these fields are not required.
When you have finished adding information about your link, click on the Add Link button to save your new link …
(Click on Add Link to save your new link)
Note: If you select Keep this link private, the link will not be visible when links are displayed on your site …
(Private link checkbox)
Making links private allows you to toggle their visibility on and off without deleting your links (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 see all your links, go to your WP dashboard navigation menu and choose Links > All Links …
(WordPress Links Menu – All Links)
The ‘Links’ page will display in your browser. The table of links displays all your links and link information (e.g. link URL, categories, rating, etc.) …
(Links page)
Tip: To view or hide fields in the Links table, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab at the top of your screen …
(List of links – Screen Options)
Show/hide information on your Links table by selecting/deselecting their checkboxes …
(Hide or show – Links table)
Editing Your Links
To edit links in the Link Manager, choose Links > All Links in the navigation menu to bring up the links page …
(Links – All Links)
Locate the item you want to edit and click on Edit to bring up the item’s link information …
(Editing your link information)
Edit the link …
(Edit Link screen)
After you’re done 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 everything correctly (the link will open in a new window),
- Click Delete to delete the link from your table if it’s no longer required …
(Edit Link: Update Link button)
Deleting Your Links
To remove a link, select Links > All Links in your dashboard menu …
(Links Menu – All Links)
You will be taken to the ‘Links’ table.
You can delete links individually, delete multiple links by selecting their check boxes, or perform a bulk delete.
To delete links individually, hover over the link title that you want to remove and click on Delete …
(Delete links)
To delete multiple links, either click on the check boxes next to individual items that you would like to be removed, 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)
Select Delete from the ‘Bulk Actions’ pull-down menu, and click the Apply button to delete your selected links …
(Links: bulk-deletion function)
All the links you have selected will be removed …
(Link deletion notification)
Using The Plugin
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 display your links on your website or blog.
Using The Links Widget
Installing the Link Manager plugin adds a ‘Links’ widget to your ‘Widgets’ page.
To access and configure your Link widgets, go to the WP admin menu and click on Appearance > Widgets …
(Appearance Menu – Widgets)
This takes you to the ‘Widgets’ page.
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 the active widget sections and drop it wherever you would like your links to show up …
(Add a links widget to a widgetized menu)
The Links widget includes various configurable settings. You can specify what information you want to show about your links and how many links you want displayed on your sidebar …
(Link widget - configurable options)
You can add as many link widgets to your sidebars and footers as you want. This lets you create and display specific different link sections on your site …
(You can add multiple link widgets to your sidebar)
You can select a link category from the ‘Select Link Category:’ pulldown menu …
(Link widget options – Select Link Category)
You can sort links by Link rating, Link title, Link ID, or display links in Random order …
(Link widget settings – Sorting options)
When you have finished configuring your Links widget, click the Save button to update your settings. A links will become visible on your sidebar, footer or wherever you place the links widget in …
(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? If you want to learn more about configuring widgets, refer to this article:
Links Manager – Additional Information
If you have added many links, the Link Manager plugin lets you easily administer these with filtering, searching, and sorting features.
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 black triangle displayed next to the column title …
(Sort links)
Searching Links Function
Search for links using the ‘Search Links’ function …
(Searching your links)
Filter 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 category 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 link category)
Additional Link Options
If you plan to use links extensively on your website or blog, 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 links.
Link Library
(Link Library WordPress Plugin)
Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/link-library/
Plugin Description
This plugin lets you display a list of your link categories with a complete list of links together with descriptions and notes …
(List of links created with Link library. Screenshot taken from Link Library plugin website.)
Link Library creates a page on your web site that contains a list of all of the link categories in your Links area, 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 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 in your WordPress sidebar menu.
We have written a comprehensive article on how to easily add links in your WordPress posts and pages. For more info, see this article:
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