NewCodeByte

Take full control of your WordPress site’s links with Smart External Links Manager! 
The professional solution for managing external links on modern WordPress sites. Reliably handles dynamic content (AJAX, infinite scroll) and gives you complete control over SEO and style.
This powerful plugin ensures all external links open in a new browser window or tab, enhancing user experience and keeping visitors on your site longer. Built with SEO best practices and XHTML Strict compliance in mind, it offers a seamless integration for both users and search engines.
Its highly configurable settings panel allows you to precisely tailor link behavior to your needs. The core mechanism uses JavaScript to open links, the preferred method for XHTML 1.0 Strict compliance, avoiding <code>target</code> attribute modifications that could invalidate your markup. If JavaScript is disabled, links gracefully open in the current window. 
Ideal for blogs, affiliate sites, magazines, and business websites that rely heavily on external links.
<h3>Who is this plugin for?</h3>
<ul>
<li>Bloggers and Content Creators who want to improve user engagement.</li>
<li>Affiliate Marketers who need to manage rel=”sponsored” and “nofollow” attributes correctly.</li>
<li>Website owners using modern themes with infinite scroll or AJAX-loaded content.</li>
<li>Developers who need a reliable, XHTML Strict compliant, and lightweight solution for their clients.</li>
<li>Anyone who wants a simple, set-and-forget tool to manage external links professionally.</li>
</ul>
Key Features Include:
<ul>
<li>Automatic New Tab for External Links: Improve site engagement by default.</li>
<li>Optional Link Icon: Visually indicate links that open in a new tab with a customizable Dashicon or symbol (e.g., 🔗, ↗).</li>
<li>Custom Styling via CSS Class: Optionally add a specific CSS class to modified links, giving you a clean hook to style them exactly as you want from your theme.</li>
<li>Link Tooltip: Option to display a customizable text tooltip on mouse hover for all modified links.</li>
<li>XHTML Strict Compliant: Uses JavaScript for <code>window.open()</code>, preserving markup validity.</li>
<li>Security First: Automatically adds <code>rel="noopener"</code> to all modified links.</li>
<li>SEO Enhancements:
<ul>
<li>UGC Ready: Works seamlessly with WordPress’s default rel=”ugc” on comment links, ensuring best practices for user-generated content.</li>
<li>Option to add <code>rel="noreferrer"</code> for enhanced privacy.</li>
<li>Option to add <code>rel="nofollow"</code> for specific link types.</li>
<li>Option to add <code>rel="sponsored"</code> for paid or affiliate links.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Granular Control with Lists:
<ul>
<li>Force List: Specify URLs or patterns (e.g., internal PDFs, specific pages) that should always open in a new tab.</li>
<li>Ignore List: Define URLs or patterns that should never open in a new tab, even if external (highest priority).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>User-Friendly Settings: Intuitive interface to manage all options, including dynamic lists.</li>
<li>Lightweight & Efficient: Designed to be performant and not slow down your site. Dynamically processes new links added via AJAX.</li>
<li>Internationalization Ready: Easily translatable into any language.</li>
</ul>
Why Choose Smart External Links Manager?
<ul>
<li>User Experience: Keep users on your site while allowing them to explore external resources.</li>
<li>SEO Friendly: Proper use of <code>rel</code> attributes (<code>noopener</code>, <code>noreferrer</code>, <code>nofollow</code>, <code>sponsored</code>) without altering <code>href</code> for search engines.</li>
<li>Compliance: Adheres to XHTML Strict standards for modern web development.</li>
<li>Flexibility: Extensive configuration options to suit any website’s needs.</li>
<li>Developer Support: From the creator of NewCodeByte, with a commitment to quality and updates.</li>
</ul>
Future Enhancements Planned: 
* Excluding specific links via CSS selectors. 
* Advanced management for internal link behavior. 
* And much more!
<h3>Support</h3>
If you need help or have a question, the best place to ask is the <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/smart-external-links-manager/" rel="ugc">support forum on WordPress.org</a> (once the plugin is listed). 
You can also visit <a href="https://newcodebyte.altervista.org" rel="nofollow ugc">NewCodeByte</a> for more information.
Found this plugin useful? Please consider <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/smart-external-links-manager/reviews/#new-post" rel="ugc">leaving a ★★★★★ review</a>! 
Want to support future development? <a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/codebytewp" rel="nofollow ugc">Buy me a coffee ☕</a>!

External Links Manager – Open new window in a new tab + nofollow, noreferrer

Manage external links: new tabs, add rel attribute nofollow, noopener, noreferrer, sponsored, show icon on/off. SEO, secure, XHTML Strict compliant.

Jose Varghese

Leaving Notice Popup for External Links is a lightweight WordPress plugin that displays a customizable exit confirmation popup whenever a visitor clicks an external link, giving them a moment to continue or stay on your site.
Beyond the leaving notice, the plugin lets you fully manage your outbound links: automatically apply <code>rel</code> attributes like <code>nofollow</code>, <code>noopener</code>, <code>noreferrer</code>, <code>sponsored</code>, <code>ugc</code>, and <code>external</code>; display SVG icons next to external links; choose whether the Continue button opens links in a new tab or the same tab; and whitelist trusted domains so they bypass the popup entirely.
It is an essential tool for affiliate marketers, government sites, educational portals, and any site that needs exit confirmation dialogs or legal disclaimers for third-party content.
Why use this plugin? 
* Leaving Notice Popup: Show a fully customizable exit confirmation modal whenever a visitor clicks an outbound link, protecting your traffic and reducing unintended exits. 
* nofollow, noopener & More: Automatically add <code>rel="nofollow"</code>, <code>rel="noopener"</code>, <code>rel="noreferrer"</code>, <code>rel="sponsored"</code>, <code>rel="ugc"</code>, or <code>rel="external"</code> attributes to external links for better SEO control and security. 
* Open in New Tab Control: Choose whether the Continue button opens external links in a new tab or the same tab. 
* External Link Icons: Display one of 5 built-in SVG icons next to outbound links, with left/right positioning and an option to skip icons on linked images. 
* Smart Domain & URL Whitelist: Exclude trusted affiliate partners or sister sites by domain, exact URL, or wildcard pattern (e.g. <code>https://www.facebook.com/sharer/*</code>); they will open without triggering the popup. 
* CSS Class Exclusion: Skip the popup and rel attribute processing entirely for links that carry specific CSS classes. 
* Advanced Page Filtering: Restrict the leaving notice to specific Page IDs, or enable it conditionally on archives, categories, and the home page using built-in filters.
<h3>Key Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Customizable Popup: Change the title, message, and button text to match your brand</li>
<li>Button Color Control: Choose custom colors for both the “Continue” and “Stay” buttons</li>
<li>rel Attributes: Add nofollow, noopener, noreferrer, sponsored, ugc, or external to outbound links</li>
<li>New Tab Toggle: Control whether Continue opens the external link in a new tab or same tab</li>
<li>SVG Link Icons: Show one of 5 icons beside external links, positioned left or right</li>
<li>Domain Whitelist: Exclude specific domains from triggering the notice</li>
<li>URL Whitelist with Wildcard Support: Exclude specific URLs or wildcard patterns (e.g. <code>https://example.com/share/*</code>) from triggering the notice</li>
<li>CSS Class Exclusion: Skip links that carry a specified CSS class</li>
<li>Page-Level Filtering: Show the popup only on chosen pages, posts, archives, or categories</li>
<li>Widget Support: rel attribute processing also applies to widget text areas</li>
<li>Responsive Design: Works perfectly on all devices and screen sizes</li>
<li>Accessible: Built with accessibility best practices</li>
<li>Lightweight: Minimal impact on page load time with deferred script loading</li>
<li>Easy Setup: No coding required, just activate and configure</li>
</ul>
<h3>Use Cases</h3>
<ul>
<li>Show an exit confirmation dialog when visitors click outbound links</li>
<li>Add nofollow to external links to protect SEO link equity</li>
<li>Add noopener and noreferrer to external links for security</li>
<li>Mark affiliate links with rel=”sponsored” per Google’s guidelines</li>
<li>Display an external link icon to signal outbound navigation</li>
<li>Provide a legal disclaimer before visitors leave for third-party sites</li>
<li>Whitelist trusted domains so affiliate partners open without interruption</li>
<li>Meet legal or compliance requirements for certain jurisdictions</li>
</ul>
<h3>Privacy</h3>
This plugin does not collect or store any personal data from your visitors.
<h3>My other small free plugins projects on WordPress</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/super-web-share/" rel="ugc">Super Web Share</a> – For Native social sharing</li>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/super-web-share/" rel="ugc">Copy Link to Heading</a> – quickly add a copy icon near to your headings</li>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/profile-frame-generator/" rel="ugc">Social Profile Frame Generator</a> – Custom Social Media Frames Creator</li>
</ul>

Leaving Notice Popup For External Links – nofollow, noopener & New Tab

Show a leaving notice popup when visitors click external links. Add nofollow, noopener, noreferrer & more rel attributes. Add icons on external links.

External Links Manager – Open new window in a new tab + nofollow, noreferrer vs Leaving Notice Popup For External Links – nofollow, noopener & New Tab