Utilizing The Flexibility Of WordPress Links Categories
Learning more about the ability and flexibility of WordPress can really help to improve the functionality of your WordPress site. The Links and Link Categories panels or sub menus can be used beyond the intended purpose of just adding links to the sidebar. In fact with the addition of a simple WordPress plugin the WordPress links sidebar widget can not only be split into separate categories but each link category can be placed anywhere on any sidebar.
The first step is to get a handy little WordPress plugin called Single Bookmark Category List. The one file plugin installs like any other, just upload the file to your wp-admin/plugins folder and activate it. Now here is where you see the flexibility of WordPress. Say you want to have some type of site menu on your sidebar. You can use it to link to your best posts, post categories, or pages. Or if you have a few affiliate links you want to promote and of course links to your friends or sites you want to share with others.
The next step is to add a new link category or as many categories as you need. In the WordPress dashboard, click Manage, Links Categories.

Now add a new link category, if you don’t give it one, the category slug will default to the same as the title. If you want to fill in the optional description, scroll down and click the Add Category button.

The next step is adding a link to the proper link category. Click Manage then Links and add a new link. Remember this can be anything you want, like a page, a post, an affiliate link or any other link. When adding a new link it is important to expand the lower Categories box and I suggest choosing only one category for the link to be placed in unless you want it to show in different places on the sidebar.

After you have the link categories and links added now it is time to add them to the sidebar. Click Design then Widgets. Scroll down and add as many Single Bookmark Category Widgets (up to nine) as you need.

Now you simply add the Bookmarks From Category widgets to the sidebar, click the edit link on the added widget to expand them and choose what link category you want each one to display. Drag the widgets vertically into the desired position and scroll down and click the Save Changes button.

I hope you see the possibilities here, in fact I think this is a good solution for those running WordPress for a more traditional website. Another option with this is to remove the pages sidebar widget and manually add your WordPress pages into link categories for better site navigation and a more user friendly site.
Similar Posts:
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Comments
I just installed and now its very easy to maintain the categories
Good work mate …Thanks
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That is clearly one of the best WordPress tutorials I have ever seen. I actually stumbled here looking for a way to remove the yahoo and google verify pages I setup on my wordpress blog that are pages now. I think I have been a little limited using wordpress.com rather than the stand alone but I am 50 posts into it and having a blast. Thanks – I am going to scour your site soonish. Cheers
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I wish I had a greater understanding of wordpress, to learn its functionality would be great. Thanks for the post.
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Hi, Jeff:
Great info and insight into WordPress blogs and using the Link Categories. I do not yet have a WordPress blog, but it is on my list because so many say how great it is and how much easier WordPress is compared to others. Some day…
GT Bulmer
StarrBizz.com
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Great step by step instructions Jeff for what appears to be a very useful and flexible plug in.
Graham
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I love you Max….your site is gold mine….and I found another solution for my recent dilema here…Thank you a lot!
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Jeff Replied:
March 19th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Glad to help… “if the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy”.
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Thanks for the brilliant guide Jeff; you have explained every thing in a very simple manner. Any IT illiterate will now be able to do it.
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