What link icons do
If you've ever read a Healthline article, you've probably noticed certain external links have a small icon next to them — usually a checkmark or institution mark — signalling "this is a trusted source." Examples include the National Library of Medicine (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) for medical articles.
Linkilo lets you do something similar on your site: switch on an icon for your external links, pick the style (an arrow or a "verified" check), and then list the domains that should not get it. Everything else shows the icon.
Why it helps your readers
- Credibility cue — visitors immediately recognise trusted sources
- Click confidence — readers know what they're clicking before they click
- Brand polish — gives your articles a professional, well-cited feel
Google already understands the source is reputable, but your readers need a visual cue. Link icons give them one.
Before you start
Link icons use Font Awesome. If your theme doesn't already load it, the icon won't show. Most modern themes and page builders include it.
Step-by-step
- Go to Linkilo → Settings → External Links (under FRONT-END DISPLAY in the left navigation)
- Scroll to the Link icons card
- Under Icon style, choose Arrow icon or Verified (check) icon. The default is No icon.
- Pick the exact icon you like from the row of icons that appears
- Choose the Position (Right or Left of the link text), the Size in pixels and the Color
- Leave Hide icon when link wraps an image on so icons don't appear inside linked thumbnails
- In Hide icon on these domains, type a comma-separated list of domains that should not get the icon (for example your affiliate network or social profiles)
- Click Save Settings
The icon now appears next to every external link on your site, except links to the domains you excluded.
Note: Linkilo applies one icon style to all external links. It does not assign different icons to different domains, and you can't upload your own icon file. If you only want the "verified" check on a handful of authority sites, the practical approach is to choose the check icon and exclude every other domain you link to regularly.
A few patterns that work well
- Government / institutional — .gov, .edu, university research, NIH, CDC, WHO
- Major publications — NYT, WSJ, BBC, The Guardian, Nature, Science
- Industry standards — for tech sites: MDN, W3C, IETF; for design: Smashing, A List Apart
Internal links can have icons too
Linkilo → Settings → Internal Links has its own Link icons card with the same choices, plus its own Hide icon on these domains list. Most sites leave internal icons off so the external ones stand out.
Want links to look different in other ways?
Link icons are part of Linkilo's link styling controls. On the same External Links pane you can turn on Style external links to set a Link color and Text style (bold, underline, italic), add a Custom CSS class, and control rel tags such as nofollow, sponsored and ugc. See External Link Styling and Internal Link Styling for the full kit.
Last reviewed for Linkilo 3.0.0 (October 2026).