External Links for WordPress: New Tabs, Nofollow and Sponsored Rules

External links applies consistent rules to links that leave your WordPress site. It can open them in a new tab, add the right rel values and identify paid or affiliate links without rewriting the content stored in your posts.

Your saved content is not changed. External link attributes are added while WordPress builds the page. Turn the module off or add an exception and the stored post remains exactly as it was.

Where to find it

Go to Baza Helper > SEO & analytics > External links. The module is available in the free edition.

The screen contains the behavior settings, four domain lists and a scan card that shows which external domains appear in your content.

Choose how external links behave

• Open in a new tab: adds target="_blank" when the link has no target. Baza Helper always adds noopener to a new-tab link and can add noreferrer when requested.
• Nofollow: choose none, every external link, or every external link except links to trusted domains.
• Paid links: links to domains in the paid list receive sponsored nofollow.
• Affiliate links: when automatic detection is enabled, addresses that look like affiliate links also receive sponsored nofollow. Detection covers common parameters such as tag, aff and ref_id, known short domains and paths such as /go/ and /out/.
• CSS class: processed links receive external-link.

Existing rel values are extended rather than replaced, and an existing target is kept.

Choose where the rules apply

The module can process:

• post content and excerpts;
• text and block widgets;
• WordPress menu links.

Content and excerpt rules run when the page is rendered. Menu attributes are added through the WordPress menu API.

Manage domain lists

Each list contains one domain per line.

• Own domains: other addresses that belong to your site. Their links are treated as internal.
• Trusted domains: external sites that may be excluded when the nofollow rule is set to all except trusted domains.
• Paid domains: advertising, sponsorship or affiliate destinations that must receive sponsored nofollow.
• Never touch: domains whose link attributes must remain unchanged.

A domain also covers its subdomains. A leading dot can represent a whole zone, and www is ignored when domains are compared.

Scan existing content

Use the scan card to inspect external domains found in the latest 400 posts and pages. The scan reads the saved content, counts links and pages for each domain and keeps the result for ten minutes.

Choose a list beside a domain to assign it with one click. The change is saved immediately and the domain lists on the page are refreshed.

Leave one link unchanged

Add data-baza-links="keep" or the class no-external-links to a link when the module must not change it.

Use this exception for a specific link. Use the Never touch list when every link to a domain must stay unchanged.

How the page is changed

Baza Helper processes links when WordPress builds the output. It uses the WordPress HTML processor, adds only the required attributes and keeps attributes already present.

The module applies to the selected content areas only. It does not rewrite post content in the database.

For developers

• Settings are stored in baza_helper_external_links.
• The module key is external-links.
• The public opt-out markers are data-baza-links="keep" and class="no-external-links".
• Uninstall removes the module option.

Frequently asked questions