Editing links in WordPress involves several methods, depending on where the link is located within your site—whether it's an existing link managed in a dedicated section, embedded within your content, or part of a navigation menu or widget.
Editing Existing Links via the Links Menu (Blogroll)
For older WordPress installations or themes that utilize the dedicated "Links" section (sometimes referred to as "Blogroll"), you can manage a collection of external links.
- Access Admin Area: Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
- Navigate to Links: From the left-hand menu, go to Links > Edit.
- Locate Link: You will see a list of your existing links. To modify a specific link, hover over it.
- Edit Link: Click on the Edit option that appears when you hover. This will open the link's settings, allowing you to change its URL, name, description, category, target window (e.g., open in a new tab), and more.
- Save Changes: After making your desired modifications, click the Update Link button.
- Delete Links: From this same
Links > Edit
page, you also have the option to Delete individual links if they are no longer needed.
Editing Links within Posts, Pages, and Other Content
The most common way to edit links is directly within the content of your posts, pages, or custom post types using the WordPress editor.
- Open Editor:
- Go to Posts or Pages in your WordPress dashboard.
- Find the post or page containing the link you wish to edit and click on its title to open it in the editor.
- Locate Linked Text: In the editor, find the text that contains the link.
- Edit in Gutenberg Block Editor:
- Click on the block that contains the linked text (e.g., Paragraph block, Heading block).
- Select the linked text. A small toolbar will appear directly above or below the text.
- Click the link icon (resembles a chain link) in the block toolbar.
- A pop-up will appear where you can edit the URL, change the linked text, or toggle the "Open in new tab" option.
- Press Enter or click the "Apply" arrow to save the changes to the link.
- Edit in Classic Editor:
- Highlight the existing linked text.
- Click the Insert/Edit link icon in the editor toolbar (also resembles a chain link).
- A small window will appear where you can modify the URL or link text.
- Click the Update button.
- Update Post/Page: After editing the link, remember to click the Update or Publish button for the post or page to save all your changes to the content.
Editing Links in Widgets
Links frequently appear in sidebar or footer widgets, such as in text widgets, custom HTML widgets, or custom menu widgets.
- Access Widgets: Go to Appearance > Widgets from your WordPress dashboard.
- Locate Widget Area: Find the widget area (e.g., "Sidebar," "Footer") that contains the link.
- Expand Widget: Click on the title of the specific widget (e.g., "Text," "Custom HTML," "Navigation Menu") to expand its settings.
- Edit Link:
- For Text or Custom HTML widgets, you will see the content directly. Edit the link URL or anchor text as needed.
- For Navigation Menu widgets, you might need to go to Appearance > Menus to edit the menu itself (see next section).
- Save Widget: Click Save or Update for the widget to apply your changes.
Managing Links in Navigation Menus
Links that form your site's primary navigation (header, footer, or specific menus) are managed under the Menus section.
- Access Menus: Navigate to Appearance > Menus in your dashboard.
- Select Menu: Choose the specific menu you want to edit from the "Select a menu to edit" dropdown and click Select.
- Edit Menu Item: Locate the menu item that contains the link you wish to modify.
- Click the downward arrow next to the menu item's title to expand its options.
- Here you can change the Navigation Label (the display text of the link) and the URL itself.
- Save Menu: After making your edits, click the Save Menu button to update your navigation.
Summary of Link Editing Methods
Method | Location in Admin | Purpose |
---|---|---|
Dedicated Links Section (Blogroll) | Links > Edit |
Managing an older collection of external links |
Posts and Pages (Content Editor) | Posts / Pages |
Editing links embedded within your written content |
Widgets | Appearance > Widgets |
Changing links found in sidebars, footers, or other widget areas |
Navigation Menus | Appearance > Menus |
Managing the main navigation links of your website |
Tips for Effective Link Management
- Check Broken Links: Regularly scan your website for broken links. Tools like the Broken Link Checker plugin or online services can help identify and fix dead links, which improves user experience and SEO.
- Use Descriptive Anchor Text: The visible, clickable text of a link (anchor text) should be descriptive and relevant to the destination page. This helps both users and search engines understand what the linked content is about.
- Understand Link Attributes:
target="_blank"
: Use this attribute to make a link open in a new browser tab or window, which can be useful for external links to keep visitors on your site.rel="nofollow"
: This attribute tells search engines not to pass authority to the linked page. It's often used for sponsored content, untrusted links, or affiliate links.rel="ugc"
(User Generated Content) andrel="sponsored"
: Newer attributes for user-generated content (like comments) and sponsored links, respectively.
By understanding these different methods, you can efficiently manage and edit all the links across your WordPress website.