We are often asked by viewers how they can add external links to their blogpost and should they open it in a new tab or use the current tab.
The best option is to open external links in a new tab in order for viewers not to leave your website
Opening external links in a new window allows your users to visit the link without leaving your website.
Opening external links in a new window allows your users to visit the link without leaving your website.
Many beginners and even advanced users struggle with finding the option to open a link in a window mainly because it is not instantly visible when you are adding a link in WordPress.
In this article, we will show how to open external links in a new window on your WordPress site easy and faster. We will also show different methods to do that, so you can select the one that best suits you and your website.
How Do You open external links in a new window
Why and When You Should Open External Links in a New Window?
External links are links to websites that you don’t own or control. Normally, if you add a link to an external website your visitors will simply leave your site by clicking on the link.
While some user experience experts say that you should not open external links in a new window, we will not advice you to go with that.
The Reason is that, most users easily forget the last website they were visiting. If they have multiple tabs open then chances are that they will never be able to find your website again.
For better user experience, we recommend opening external links in a new window or tab. This way the original web page is not lost and users can resume browsing your website by switching back.
Another benefit of opening external links in a new window is increased page views and user engagement on your site. Users are more likely to return to the previous tab and finish reading the article.
Users who spend more time on your site are more likely to join your email newsletter, follow you on social media, leave a comment, and buy your products.
That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily open external links in a new Window in WordPress..
Open External Link in New Window in Gutenberg Editor
The new and advanced WordPress block editor has a built-in feature that helps you open external links in a new window. However the option is hidden behind a button which is why beginners often don’t notice it.
Simply edit a blog post or page where you want to add an external link. Next, select the text you want to link and then click on the insert link button (or press CTRL + K on Windows / Command + K on Mac).
Open link in new tab With Modern Editor
This will bring up the insert link popup. Simply enter the link and then click on the down arrow next to it. This will reveal the option to open the link new tab.
Click to toggle the option and then press enter. Your selected text will now be linked, and you can preview it by visiting your website.
Open External Link in a New Window Using Old Editor
WordPress introduced a new block editor with WordPress 5.0. Many users prefer to use the old editor by installing the classic editor plugin.
If you are still using classic editor, then we will recommend you to start using the new editor. It is modern, faster, and includes many new features that you are missing out.
However, if you still want to use the classic editor, then this is how you would open a link in a new window using the classic editor.
First, you need to edit the post or page where you want to add the link. Next, select the text that you want to link and then click on the add link button.
Add new link in Old editor
A popup would appear where you can add your external link. After that, click on the gear icon next to it. This will bring up the advanced insert link popup.
Open link in new tab using the classic editor
From here you need to check the box next to ‘Open link in a new tab’ checkbox and then click on the ‘Update’ button to add your link.
You can now save your post and preview it to see the link in action.
Open a Link in New Tab Using Text Tab in Old Editor
If you are using the HTML editor labeled ‘Text‘ in the old classic editor, then here is how you would open an external link in a new window.
Add link button in the Text editor
Simply select the text that you want to link and then click on the Add Link button. This will bring up the advanced Insert link popup.
Adding a link in plain text editor using the Old editor
From here, you can add the link and check the box next to ‘Open link in new tab’ option. After that click on the Add Link button and the popup will disappear. You will now see the HTML code for the link in the text editor.
Open Navigational Menu Links in a New Tab
On your WordPress website, you can add external links in your site’s navigational menu like your sidebar or the footer.
To open your outbound links in the menu in a new tab, head over to Appearance » Menu from your WordPress admin area.
Next, click the ‘Screen Options’ button at the top right corner.
Open screen options
When you click the button, you’ll now see more options. Go ahead and check the option for ‘Link Target’ under Show advanced menu properties.
Select Link Target option
After that, you can add a Custom Link to your navigational menu by entering the URL and Link Text, and clicking the ‘Add to Menu’ button.
Your Custom Link will now appear in the Menu Structure column. You can now select the option for ‘Open link in a new tab’ to open your external link in a different tab.
Open external link in a new tab in menu
Once you’re done, click the ‘Save Menu’ button.
Automatically Open All External Links in New Window Using A WordPress Plugin
It may sound like extra work to manually check the option for every external link that you add. However, over time you will get used to it.
If you run a multi-author blog or often forget to make external links open in a new tab, then you can use a plugin for that such as TinyMCE .
First, you need to install and activate the Open External Links in a New Window plugin.
The plugin works out of the box, and it will automatically open external links in a new window.
It does not actually change the external links in your blog posts. Instead, it uses JavaScript to open external links in a new window.
Take Note: Keep in mind that removing the plugin will stop opening external links in a new window.
We hope this article helped you learn how to easily open external links in a new window in WordPress. You may also want to see our ultimate list of the most useful WordPress tips, tricks, and hacks that you can use on your website.
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