How to Add Links to Your WordPress Blog

If you are new to blogging with WordPress, you are probably wondering how to create links from your blog to other pages on the internet.

Creating links allows you to share useful information from other websites with your readers. This allows you to connect with the global internet community and that is why the internet is sometimes referred to as the “web”.

The process of creating links on your blog depends on where you want the link to appear. I will show you how to add links to your blog posts and also in your sidebar menu.

How to add a link to a blog post

Adding a link inside a blog post is actually pretty easy. The process I will explain also works for adding a link to a page.

1. To get started, log into your WordPress dashboard and create a new post or click to edit an existing post. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be on the post edit screen.
2. If you don’t have any text in your post yet, you’ll want to enter whatever you want the link text to be. This is what is called the “anchor text” of the link. For example, “Click here” is a common anchor text. Once you have the text you want for your link, you’ll need to select the text with your mouse to highlight it. In the example below, I have highlighted the text, “create hosting account”.
   
3. Now you need to click on the paperclip icon (circled in red) just above the text box of the blog post.



4. You will then see a pop-up box. In the text area named “URL”, you will enter the address of the page you want to link to. IMPORTANT: The address must start with http:// or https://
   
5. Once you have entered the address of the page you want to link to, click “Add link”. You will then need to click the blue “Update” button to update your post. Now the link will be visible on your blog for all to see!

How to add a link to your menu

Now we will see how to insert links into your blog’s sidebar menu. The sidebar is an area where you can see things like links to your recent posts, recent comments, or categories. It’s also a common place for bloggers to put something called a “blogroll,” which is simply a list of links to other recommended blogs. Here’s how to add a link to your sidebar menu:

1. Go to “Plugins ==> Add New” and type “link manager” in the search box. Click “Search Plugins”.
   
2. You should see the Link Manager plugin first in the search results. Click “Install Now” and then click “Activate Plugin” on the next page.
   
3. This plugin has created a new item in the left menu of your WordPress dashboard called “Links”. Go to “Links ==> Add New” to add a link.
   
4. You can now enter anchor text in the “Name” box and the address of the page you are linking to in the “Web Address” box. When you’re done, click the blue “Add Link” button on the right.
   
5. Now that you have created the link, you need to choose where the link will appear on your blog. To do this, go to the menu on the left side of your dashboard and select “Appearance ==> Widgets”.
6. You are now on the widgets page. Widgets are simply useful tools that you can add to the menu of your WordPress blog. On the left side of the widgets page you will see the available widgets. On the right side of the page you will see your menu areas (your menu areas may differ from the example depending on the theme you are using for your blog). To add a widget, simply drag and drop it from the available widgets onto the menu where you want it to appear. We want to add a “Link” widget, so we’ll drag and drop it into the appropriate menu.
   
7. Once you’ve placed the “Links” widget where you want it, you can choose any options you want and then click the “Save” button.
   
8. Your link is now active in your blog sidebar!