How To Enter Links In A WordPress Post

Entering links in a WordPress post is pretty easy. We’ll cover linking to external content and internal content.

Please note that the screen shots are taken from WordPress 3.3.2 with the TinyMCE Advanced plugin active. If you are using a different version of WP and are not using TinyMCE Advanced, your screens may look a bit different but you should still be able to follow along.

Linking To External Content

First, highlight the text you want to link. For example, suppose you are writing a piece about Mozart and want to provide a link to additional information on Wikipedia.

Now, click the link icon in the tool bar.

This will open the link window.

There are 3 things to do here.

1. Enter the URL. ALWAYS use the full URL … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart. If you don’t include the http:// part, the link may not work.
2. Give the link a title. This will show up as the hover text if someone places their mouse over the link in the document. It’s also good for your SEO.
3. Decide if the link should open in a new window. The rule of thumb I use is: If it’s a link to a site other than my own site, I open the link in a new window. If it’s a link to a page or post at my site, I open the link in the same window (un-check the box)

Now, click Add Link and here is the result.

Click here for more information on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

 

Linking To Internal Content

If you want to link to internal content, WordPress makes it very easy for you. We’ll use our subscribe link as an example.

Follow all of the steps above except this time when the link window opens, click on “Or link to existing content”

 This opens up a window below with a scrollable list of your content. If you have a lot of content, just type in a search, in this case “subscribe” and then click on the appropriate content.

Notice how the URL gets filled in for you as does the title. You can edit the title to your liking.

UN check the “Open link in a new window/tab” option as we want this to open in the same window.

Now, click Add Link and here is the result.

Remember to subscribe to synaptic i!

I hope this has been useful to you. Please feel free to ask questions or make suggestions in the comments area below.

 

Photo Credits

WordPress Logo Thumbnail – GNU General Public License