How to Add External Links in WordPress?

How to Add External Links in WordPress (Step-by-Step Guide)

External linking means adding links on your website that point to another website or domain. External links help provide additional information to users, improve content credibility, and show search engines that your content is well-researched and trustworthy. WordPress makes it very easy to add external links using its built-in editor and tools.

Below are all methods explained step by step.

Method 1: Add External Links Using the Block Editor (Gutenberg)

Step 1: Open Page or Post

• Go to WordPress Dashboard

• Click Posts or Pages

• Open the content you want to edit

Step 2: Select Anchor Text

• Highlight the word or sentence you want to link

Step 3: Insert External Link

• Click the Link icon in the toolbar

• Paste the external website URL (example: https://example.com)

Step 4: Set Link Options

• Click the Settings (gear) icon next to the link

• Enable Open in new tab (recommended for external links)

Step 5: Apply and Update

• Press Enter or click Apply

• Update or publish the page

Method 2: Add External Links to Images

Step 1: Select Image

• Edit the page or post

• Click on the image you want to link

Step 2: Add URL

• Click the Link icon

• Paste the external website URL

Step 3: Save Changes

• Update or publish the page

Use case: Affiliate links, brand logos, partner websites

Method 3: Add External Links Using Classic Editor

Step 1: Open Content

• Edit your post or page using Classic Editor

Step 2: Highlight Text

• Select the anchor text

Step 3: Insert Link

• Click Insert/Edit Link

• Paste the external URL

• Optionally check Open link in a new tab

Step 4: Add Link

• Click Add Link

• Update the page

Method 4: Add External Links in Navigation Menus

Step 1: Open Menu Settings

• Dashboard → Appearance → Menus

Step 2: Add Custom Link

• In the Custom Links section:

  • Enter the external URL

  • Enter the link text (label)

Step 3: Add to Menu

• Click Add to Menu

• Save the menu

Best for: External tools, portals, partner sites

Method 5: Add External Links Using HTML (Manual Method)

Step 1: Use Custom HTML Block

• Add a Custom HTML block in Gutenberg

Step 2: Insert HTML Code

Step 3: Update Page

• Publish or update the page

Best for: Advanced users, SEO control

Method 6: Add External Links with Nofollow / Sponsored Attributes

When to Use

• Affiliate links

• Paid or sponsored links

How to Add

• After inserting link, open link settings

• Add:

Example

Best Practices for External Linking

• Link only to trusted and relevant websites

• Open external links in a new tab

• Use nofollow for paid or affiliate links

• Avoid too many external links on one page

• Regularly check for broken links

Why External Links Are Important

• Improve content credibility

• Provide value to users

• Help SEO when used correctly

• Build topical relevance