Link previews have become an essential part of enhancing user experience. When users hover over a link and see a preview of the title, meta description, and image, it helps them gauge the content’s relevance.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to create these engaging link previews in WordPress, a widely-used content management system. This enhancement can increase click-through rates and overall engagement on your site.

Link previews serve more than just an aesthetic purpose; they:

  • Provide Context: Users get a brief summary of what the link contains.
  • Build Trust: They assure users that the link is relevant and safe to click.
  • Enhance Navigation: They make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for.
  • Increase Engagement: They can lead to higher click-through rates.

Basic Method – Using a WordPress Plugin

Step 1: Choosing a Plugin There are several plugins available in the WordPress repository for this purpose. A popular choice is “Linkilo”. By simply enabling our Link Preview Tool, you can automatically have all of your links in preview mode

Step 2: Installation Once you’ve selected the plugin, install and activate it through your WordPress dashboard.

Step 3: Configuration Most plugins offer customization options. Such as domain exclusion and link designs.

If you prefer to have more control over the appearance and behavior of the link previews, you can code them manually. Here’s how:

Step 1: HTML Structure Start by creating the HTML structure for the link previews.

<a href="http://example.com/url" class="link-preview">Link Text
  <span class="preview">
    <img src="http://example.com/image.png" alt="image description">
    <strong>Title of the Link</strong>
    <p>Meta description goes here.</p>
  </span>
</a>

Step 2: Styling with CSS Next, add CSS to style the preview, including hiding it until the link is hovered over.

.preview {
  display: none;
  position: absolute;
  background-color: #fff;
  border: 1px solid #ccc;
  padding: 10px;
  border-radius: 5px;
}
.link-preview:hover .preview {
  display: block;
}

Advanced Tip: Using JavaScript for Dynamic Content For a more advanced setup, you can use JavaScript to fetch the preview content dynamically from the linked URL.

document.querySelector('.link-preview').addEventListener('mouseover', function() {
  // Fetch and set the title, image, and meta description
});

Unfortunately, since we are using our own plugin for link preview, we can’t really show you an example of how it ends up looking.

Considerations for Mobile Users

Just like with tooltips, you’ll want to ensure that your link previews are responsive and provide an excellent experience on mobile devices. This might involve adjusting the font size, image size, or layout depending on the screen size.

Conclusion

Link previews are more than just a visual touch; they’re a functional tool that enhances the user’s experience on your site. By following the methods outlined above, whether through a convenient plugin or manual coding, you can implement this feature in your WordPress site and provide visitors with a more engaging and informative browsing experience.