how to easily add anchor links in wordpress step by step

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How to Easily Add Anchor Links in WordPress (Step by Step)

By Naveed Ahmed | Reviewed by Syed Balkhi | June 11, 2024 | Reader Disclosure

Are you looking for an easy way to add anchor links to your blog posts and pages? Anchor links are a powerful tool for enhancing user experience and boosting your SEO. They allow readers to jump to specific sections of a long-form article, improving navigation and engagement. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through every step of adding anchor links in WordPress, drawing from my 15 years of experience in the field.

Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand how anchor links can transform a website. Imagine a user landing on a lengthy blog post about “Building a WordPress Website.” Instead of scrolling through the entire article, they can quickly jump to the section they’re interested in, like “Choosing the Right Theme,” thanks to a well-placed anchor link. This results in happier users, a more engaging experience, and a better chance of retaining their interest. And that’s what we all want, right?

What Are Anchor Links?

An anchor link is a specific type of link on a webpage that takes the user to a designated location within that same page. It’s like a bookmark within your content, allowing users to skip directly to the section they’re looking for.

Think of it like this: You’ve got a long book with multiple chapters. Each chapter might have a title, and you can use an anchor link to create a clickable “Chapter 2” link in your table of contents, taking you directly to that specific chapter.

Why and When Should You Use Anchor Links?
In today’s fast-paced digital world, people have short attention spans. They’re constantly bombarded with information, and they want to find what they’re looking for quickly.

Here’s why anchor links are so valuable:

  • Improved User Experience: Anchor links make it easy for users to navigate your content, saving them time and effort. This leads to a smoother, more enjoyable experience on your website.
  • Increased Engagement: By making your content more accessible, anchor links encourage users to explore more of your website. This leads to longer session durations, lower bounce rates, and increased engagement.
  • Better SEO: Search engines can see anchor links as internal links, improving your website’s structure and relevance. This can lead to higher search engine rankings, increased visibility, and more organic traffic.
  • Enhanced Accessibility: Anchor links help users with disabilities, such as those with visual impairments, navigate your website more easily.
  • Improved Readability: Anchor links are particularly useful for long-form content, breaking up large chunks of text and making it easier for readers to digest.

If you’re creating long-form content, adding anchor links to your blog posts is a must. It’s a simple change that can make a huge difference in user experience and SEO.

How to Manually Add Anchor Links in WordPress

If you’re only adding a few anchor links, the manual method is a quick and easy way to get started. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Creating an Anchor Link

  1. Open the WordPress editor for the post or page you want to edit.
  2. Select the text you want to turn into an anchor link.
  3. Click the “Insert Link” button in the editor toolbar (the one with the chain icon).
  4. In the “insert link” popup, enter the following in the URL field:

    5. #anchor-text

    (Replace “anchor-text” with the actual text you want to use as the anchor. This is often a keyword related to the section you’re linking to.)

  5. Click the “Apply” or “Enter” button to create the link. The link will appear in your content, but it won’t be active yet.

Step 2: Add the ID Attribute to the Linked Section

  1. Scroll down to the section of your content where you want the user to be taken when they click the anchor link. Usually, this is a heading.
  2. Select the heading block.
  3. In the block settings on the right-hand side, click the “Advanced” tab.
  4. In the “HTML Anchor” field, enter the same text you used for the anchor link, but without the “#” prefix.

    5. For example, if your anchor link was #best-coffee-shops-new-york, you would enter best-coffee-shops-new-york in the HTML Anchor field.

  5. Save your changes and preview the post or page to see your anchor link in action.

Step 3: Adding Anchor Links to Blocks That Aren’t Headings

What if you want to link to a paragraph or another block that’s not a heading? Here’s how to do it:

  1. Select the block you want to link to.
  2. Click the three-dot menu in the block settings and choose “Edit as HTML.”
  3. Identify the HTML tag for the element you want to target. For example, it might be

    for a paragraph,

    for a table, or

    for a custom block.
  4. Add the id attribute to that tag and then add your anchor link slug without the “#” prefix. For example:

    5. This is a paragraph with an anchor link.

  5. Click “Edit Visually” to return to the visual editor. Your anchor link should now be active.

    6. How to Manually Add Anchor Links in the Classic Editor

    If you’re still using the classic editor, here’s how to add anchor links manually:

    Step 1: Create the Anchor Link

    1. Open the post or page in the classic editor.
    2. Select the text you want to turn into an anchor link.
    3. Click the “Insert Link” button in the editor toolbar.
    4. In the “URL” field, enter #anchor-text (replace “anchor-text” with your chosen anchor text).
    5. Click “Add Link.”

    Step 2: Add the ID Attribute to the Linked Section

    1. Switch to “Text” mode in the classic editor.
    2. Scroll down to the section you want to link to.
    3. Locate the HTML tag for that section (e.g.,

      ,

      ,

      ).

    4. Add the id attribute to the tag, followed by your anchor link slug without the “#” prefix. For example:

      5. Best Coffee Shops in New York

    5. Save your changes and preview the post or page to test your anchor link.

    How to Manually Add Anchor Links in HTML

    For those who prefer working directly with HTML, here’s how to manually create an anchor link:

    1. In the “Text” mode of the classic editor or the “Edit as HTML” mode of the block editor, create the anchor link using the tag, like this:

      2. Best Coffee Shops in Manhattan

    2. Scroll down to the section you want to link to (usually a heading).
    3. Add the id attribute to the HTML tag of that section, followed by your anchor link slug without the “#” prefix. For example:

      4. Best Coffee Shops in Manhattan

    4. Save your changes and preview your website to test the anchor link.

    How to Automatically Add Headings as Anchor Links in WordPress (Recommended)

    For those who regularly publish long-form content, the manual method can become tedious. The best way to automatically add anchor links is by using the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin.

    AIOSEO is a comprehensive SEO plugin that includes a built-in WordPress block for creating a table of contents with anchor links. This method is a time-saver, and it ensures your content is optimized for SEO.

    Step 1: Install and Activate AIOSEO

    1. Install and activate the AIOSEO plugin from your WordPress dashboard.
    2. Follow the setup wizard to configure the plugin’s settings.

    Step 2: Add the AIOSEO Table of Contents Block

    1. Open the post or page you want to edit in the block editor.
    2. Click the “+” button in the editor toolbar and search for “AIOSEO – Table of Contents.”
    3. Add the AIOSEO Table of Contents block to your content.

    Step 3: Customize the Table of Contents

    The AIOSEO Table of Contents block will automatically detect the headings in your content and generate a table of contents with anchor links.

    1. You can customize the block’s settings, such as changing the list style, renaming headings, rearranging the order of items, and hiding specific headings.
    2. Save your changes and preview your post or page to see the table of contents in action.

    Conclusion

    Adding anchor links to your WordPress site is a simple yet powerful way to enhance user experience and boost your SEO. Whether you choose the manual method or the automated approach with AIOSEO, the benefits are clear: faster navigation, increased engagement, and better search engine visibility.

    Remember: Anchor links are a key element of effective content strategy. By making your content more accessible and user-friendly, you’re creating a positive experience for your visitors and increasing your chances of success online. If you’re interested in learning more about tech news, feel free to visit my website: www.naveedahmed.me.

    FAQs

    Yes, anchor links work on any page within your WordPress site. You can use them to link to sections within the same page or to specific sections on other pages. The key is to make sure you use the correct URL and anchor text.

    Yes, anchor links can be beneficial for your SEO. They help search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your website, and they can improve your website’s internal linking, which can lead to higher rankings and more traffic. When using anchor links for SEO purposes, make sure to use relevant keywords in your anchor text and target sections of content that are valuable to your audience.

    Absolutely! Anchor links are a great way to create a table of contents for your blog posts or other long-form content. This makes it easier for readers to find the information they’re looking for and can improve your SEO by helping search engines understand the structure of your content.

    Yes, anchor links work on both desktop and mobile devices. However, you might need to adjust the layout and styling of your anchor links to ensure they are displayed properly on smaller screens. Many themes and plugins provide options for customizing your site’s appearance on mobile devices.

    Yes, you can add anchor links to any WordPress block, including headings, paragraphs, images, and custom blocks. The method for adding an anchor link depends on the type of block. For headings, you can use the “Advanced” settings in the block editor. For other blocks, you might need to switch to “Edit as HTML” mode and add the id attribute directly to the HTML tag.

    There are a number of plugins that can help you add anchor links in WordPress. Some popular plugins include Table of Contents Plus, Easy Table of Contents, and AIOSEO. These plugins can help you automatically generate a table of contents with anchor links, create custom anchor links, and customize the appearance of your anchor links.

    Yes, each anchor link should have a unique id attribute. This ensures that the link targets the correct section of your content. If you use the same id attribute for multiple anchor links, only the first one will be recognized by the browser.

    When choosing keywords for your anchor links, focus on terms that are relevant to the section of content you’re linking to. Use keywords that your audience is likely to search for. Aim for clear, concise, and descriptive anchor text that accurately reflects the content of the section you’re linking to.

    Yes, you can create anchor links to specific sections on different pages. Simply use the full URL of the destination page, followed by the “#” symbol and the anchor text. For example, Our Mission. This will take the user to the “Our Mission” section on the “About Us” page.

    Your WordPress theme can affect the appearance and functionality of anchor links. Some themes might provide built-in features for adding anchor links or customizing their appearance. Others might require you to use CSS or JavaScript to style your anchor links properly.

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