Do you want to use WordPress to create a hyperlink? One of our users recently inquired about how to add a link in WordPress.

In WordPress, there are various ways to add links. For example, links can be added to posts, pages, the main menu, sidebar widgets, the footer area, and other areas. 

We’ll show you how to add a link to WordPress posts, pages, widgets, navigation menus, and more in this complete beginner’s guide. 

What are website links?

A link (sometimes known as a hyperlink) is a clickable element on a page that takes the user to another page. It can be shown as text, a button, or an image. Regarding links on your website, we can distinguish between internal and exterior (outbound) links. 

When you click on an internal link, you’ll be taken to another web page on the same site. As a result, these links can potentially improve the amount of time consumers spend on your site, enhancing your website’s authority and search engine rating. 

External links, on the other hand, take users to pages on another domain. These are frequent links that provide more information to your readers, increasing your website’s value. In addition, because Google ranks sites based on their reliability and experience, these links can help you rank better. 

Why are links important?

Links are the lifeblood of the internet; hence they are extremely vital.

Most websites on the internet are linked together, which is why the name “web” or “World Wide Web” was coined in the first place.

These are the text, buttons, and other items you click to navigate from one page or website to the next.

Consider visiting a website where there are no links to click on. Instead, you’ll have no choice but to press the back button on your browser.

Links on specific websites direct viewers to where they can get further information.

You may increase the time users spend on your website by strategically arranging links. It also assists users in discovering additional material, making an online purchase, or subscribing to your email newsletter.

How to add links to your WordPress website

How to add links to WordPress posts and pages

Using the block editor in WordPress, you can easily add links to your blog posts and pages.

Update your post or page or start from scratch.

Next, select the text to which you wish to add the link. The anchor text for the link in the selected text. Now select the ‘Link’ option: 

A box will appear where you may type a URL.

A web address is referred to as a URL.

For example, https://linkilo.co/types-of-internal-links/ is the URL for Linkilo’s guide on the different types of internal links.

Copy and paste the URL of the post or page you want to link to, for example:

To include the link in your article, click the Apply (Enter) button. Looking for information on your own site might be easier if you’re linked to it. WordPress will find your content if you type a word or two from the title:

The URL will be automatically added when you click on the title of the page or post you want to link to. To insert the URL into your post, click the Apply button.

Click the right-hand arrow to make your link open in a new tab. Then, by clicking the toggle, you may make your link open in a new tab.

Note: This option should only be used for links to third-party websites. This prevents users from leaving your website while they are browsing it.

Using the Old WordPress Editor to Add a Link

Creating a link is similar if you use the conventional editor rather than the block editor.

Open the post you want to edit or start from scratch. Then, find and highlight the text you wish to use as the link’s anchor.

Then, click the Link button on the first row of the toolbar buttons.

The URL you want to connect to can then be copied and pasted into the block editor, or you can search for it. Then, add your URL to the anchor text directly.

Put the URL into the anchor text in both the block and traditional editors to add a link.

To begin, copy the link’s URL. Then, in your post, underline your chosen anchor text.

The URL can then be pasted by right-clicking and selecting ‘Paste’ or pressing Ctrl+V (Windows) or Command+V (Mac).

WordPress will recognize that you’re pasting a URL rather than text and convert the anchor text to a link. To learn more about how to use the block editor efficiently, check out our advice for mastering the WordPress content editor. 

How to add nofollow in WordPress links

External links may also benefit from a nofollow tag. Because you don’t own or manage the content on that website, search engines won’t send your site’s SEO score to that link.

Nofollow is also not supported by WordPress by default.

Method 1: Use the Linkilo Internal Linking plugin in Gutenberg. The Linkilo plugin for WordPress automatically adds the title, nofollow, sponsored, and UGC properties to your links. 

Method 2: In Gutenberg or Classic editor, scroll down to Linkilo Overview and Analysis section. There you can simply check each URL as a nofollow or check all of the URLs and save changes to make them all a nofollow link:

Method 3: In Gutenberg, you can create a nofollow link by editing your text via HTML. You will need to click on the 3 dots and click “Edit in HTML”:

The HTML code for your block will now appear like this:

You can give the link a title and a nofollow attribute like this:

<p>You can find out more about our company on our <a href=”https://linkilo.co/types-of-internal-links/” title=”types of internal links” rel=”nofollow”>internal links</a>following sentences…</p>

You can edit the “internal link” to whatever you wish for the title. This should always be rel=”nofollow” when using the nofollow tag. Remember to use double quotation marks around the title and “nofollow”; otherwise, your link will not work.

Best linking practices

When it comes to leveraging links, just like any other internet technique, there are some guidelines to follow for the greatest outcomes. We’ve compiled a list of some of the finest linking strategies to help you get the most out of your links. 

Write a concise but informative anchor text.

This one, in our opinion, is a no-brainer. The better your anchor text is, the easier it will be for search engines to figure out what website you’re connecting to.

Furthermore, your users can quickly navigate through the material they are interested in. 

Your anchors should be able to convey a rough notion of the page you’re linking to while keeping it as concise as possible, according to Google’s SEO Starter Guide. Try limiting yourself to a few words or phrases that best represent your page while still fitting in with the rest of your content.

When adding internal links, you should include some of the most relevant keywords from the page or post you’re connecting to. However, you should not go excessive with your keyword usage. It’s essential to balance avoiding an excessive quantity of keywords and ensuring that your anchors appear natural, concise, and useful.

Make your links easy to spot.

You should constantly ensure that your links’ layout is easily seen, no matter what type of links you add to your site. You may accomplish this in various ways, including underlining your text, changing its color, and even changing its appearance when you hover over it. Whatever layout you choose, make it simple for visitors to distinguish between your regular and anchor text.

Place your links higher on your page.

Users can view some of your sites immediately if you place your links towards the top of your page, which can assist lower your bounce rate. And, because clicking on different links helps consumers spend longer time on your site, this can indicate to search engines that the sites they visit are valuable.

Of course, this doesn’t mean your links shouldn’t be scattered around your page. Still, if possible, place a link or two towards the top of your website.

Link strategically from your homepage

A homepage is almost always the spot on a website where the most links are found. Many consumers will visit your homepage, hoping to find more information about you and your company. You should take advantage of this and include as many internal links as possible on your homepage – provided that the navigation is organized in a clean, intuitive, and user-friendly manner.

For example, referring to your blog from your homepage can give authority to most of your blog posts (either by adding a navigation link to your blog posts page or by linking to some of your most frequently used blog categories).

The same is true if you have an online store (you can link to it or provide links to your most popular product categories), services, or other offerings. If it makes sense, you should include some of your CTA links (such as the Buy, Download, or Subscribe buttons), as they might help you enhance conversions. 

Link to your most important homepages

As we indicated at the outset, linking to another page on your site conveys link authority, which can help that page rank higher in search engines. Of course, you can always employ the help of some online SEO tools (such as aHrefs) to locate the pages on your site that have the greatest link authority to improve your internal linking strategy. Then all you have to do is to link from those high-authority pages to the ones you want to rank higher. 

Make sure your internal links are labeled as dofollow

We also discussed using the nofollow tag and adding it to your external links. However, you should use dofollow instead of nofollow for most of your internal links. This is a sensible technique because your links will be counted as part of your website’s authority when it comes to ranking. Regardless, until you change it, all links have a dofollow status by default.

Even so, certain plugins for managing external and internal links (such as our plugin) automatically add the nofollow tag to external links. In addition, these plugins may also contain a setting for making internal links nofollow, which can be activated for whatever reason or accidentally turned on. So, just in case, check to see if any of your plugins add a nofollow tag to your internal links. 

Stay relevant

While including multiple links throughout your material is necessary (and suggested), you should only include relevant links. If you have a post on adding photos to your WordPress site, for example, relevant links would be those that go to posts about resizing images, adding an image gallery, or any other article about images in general, rather than posts about typography or analytics.

These guidelines should, of course, apply to both internal and external links. Because the primary goal of including external links is to add value to your material, it’s only natural to include external links that provide further information on the issue.

Link to reputable sources

When adding external links to your site, ensure to include only sites deemed trustworthy and well-known in your industry. When it comes to your online reputation and, by extension, your search engine results, linking to potentially unprofessional sites or with clickbait components might do more harm than good. And improving your site’s reputation once Google has flagged it can be more difficult than you think. 

Conclusion

Links are important navigational features that can benefit your website in various ways. Internal links can assist your users in navigating your website more easily and improve your search engine rating. External linking can help your website’s authority and overall reputation in your field if done correctly.

Our comprehensive guide shows that WordPress allows you to add links to your site in various ways, including pages, posts, widget sections, navigation menus, and more. You may also quickly add features like buttons, link names, no follow tags, and embed related content into your site.

Follow our extensive guidelines and adhere to some (if not all) of the linking mentioned above practices. By doing so, you’ll be well on your path to increasing link authority, user engagement, and, eventually, industry success.