WebFactory

<p><strong>Manage all external & internal links on your site</strong>. Control icons, nofollow, noopener, ugc (User Generated Content), sponsored and if links open in new window or new tab.</p>
<p><a href="https://getwplinks.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">WP Links</a> plugin was completely rebuilt in v2 and has lots of new features, like noopener, ugc and sponsored values for rel; font icons, internal links options and full WPMU support.</p>
<h4>Link Scanner – PRO feature</h4>
<p>Check every single link on your site! See if it’s broken or not, if it’s redirected, what’s the target and rel attribute and what page exactly it’s linking to. This feature is a part of the <a href="https://getwplinks.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">WP Links PRO</a> plugin.</p>
<p><strong>Having problems with spam, bots, or AI scrapers? Have a look at our <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/advanced-google-recaptcha/" rel="ugc">free Captcha plugin</a> used on over 200,000 sites.</strong></p>
<h4>Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Manage external and internal links</li>
<li>Open links in new window or tab</li>
<li>Add follow or nofollow (for SEO)</li>
<li>Add noopener and noreferrer (for security)</li>
<li>Add ugc (User Generated Content) and sponsored values to rel (<a href="https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2019/09/evolving-nofollow-new-ways-to-identify.html" rel="nofollow ugc">Google announcement</a>)</li>
<li>Add link icons (FontAwesome and Dashicons)</li>
<li>Set other attributes like title and CSS classes</li>
<li>Scan complete page (or just posts, comments, widgets)</li>
<li>SEO friendly</li>
<li>Link Scanner – check all links on your site – PRO feature</li>
<li>Exit Confirmation – protect visitors and traffic when external links are clicked – PRO feature</li>
<li>Link Rules – create advanced link rules for chosen link groups – PRO feature</li>
</ul>
<h4>And more…</h4>
<ul>
<li>Network Settings (WPMU support)</li>
<li>Use template tag to apply plugin settings on specific contents</li>
<li>Set data-attribute to change how individual links will be treated</li>
<li>Use built-in actions and filters to implement your specific needs</li>
</ul>
<h4>Easy to use</h4>
<p>After activating you can set all options for external and internal links on the plugins admin page.</p>
<h4>On the fly</h4>
<p>The plugin filters the output and changes the links on the fly. The real contents (posts, pages, widget etcetera) will not be changed in the database.<br />
When deactivating the plugin, all contents will be the same as it was before.</p>
<h4>GDPR compatibility</h4>
<p>We are not lawyers. Please do not take any of the following as legal advice.<br />
WP External Links does not track, collect or process any user data. Nothing is logged or pushed to any 3rd parties. We also don’t use any 3rd party services or CDNs. Based on that, we feel it’s GDPR compatible, but again, please, don’t take this as legal advice.</p>
<p><strong>Like the plugin?</strong> <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/view/plugin-reviews/wp-external-links" rel="ugc">Rate it</a> to support the development.</p>
<p>If you’re having <strong>problems with SSL or HTTPS</strong> try our free <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-force-ssl/" rel="ugc">WP Force SSL</a> plugin. It’s a great way to enable SSL and fix SSL problems.</p>
<h3>Documentation</h3>
<p>After activating you can set all options for external and internal links.</p>
<h4>Data attribute “data-wpel-link”</h4>
<p>Links being processed by this plugin will also contain the data-attribute <code>data-wpel-link</code>.<br />
The plugin could set the value to <code>external</code>, <code>internal</code> or <code>exclude</code>, meaning how the<br />
link was processed.</p>
<p>You can also set the data-attribute yourself. This way you can force how the plugin will process<br />
certain links.</p>
<p>When you add the value <code>ignore</code>, the link will be completely ignored by the plugin:</p>
<pre><code><a href="http://somedomain.com" data-wpel-link="ignore">Go to somedomain</a>
</code></pre>
<h4>Action “wpel_link”</h4>
<p>Use this action to change the link object after all plugin settings have been applied.</p>
<pre><code>add_action( 'wpel_link', ( $link_object ) {
    if ( $link_object->is_external() ) {
        // get current url
        $url = $link_object->getAttribute( 'href' );

        // set redirect url
        $redirect_url = '//somedom.com?url='. urlencode( $url );
        $link_object->setAttribute( 'href', $redirect_url );
    }
}, 10, 1 );
</code></pre>
<p>The link object is an instance of <code>WPEL_Link</code> class.</p>
<h4>Action hook “wpel_before_apply_link”</h4>
<p>Use this action to change the link object before the plugin settings will be applied on the link.<br />
You can use this filter f.e. to ignore individual links from being processed. Or change dynamically how<br />
they will be treated by this plugin.</p>
<pre><code>add_action( 'wpel_before_apply_link', function ( $link ) {
    // ignore links with class "some-cls"
    if ( $link->has_attr_value( 'class', 'some-cls' ) ) {
        $link->set_ignore();
    }

    // mark and treat links with class "ext-cls" as external link
    if ( $link->has_attr_value( 'class', 'ext-cls' ) ) {
        $link->set_external();
    }
}, 10 );
</code></pre>
<h4>Filter hook “wpel_apply_settings”</h4>
<p>When filter returns false the plugin settings will not be applied. Can be used when f.e. certain posts or pages should be ignored by this plugin.</p>
<pre><code>add_filter( 'wpel_apply_settings', '__return_false' );
</code></pre>
<p>See <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-external-links/faq/" rel="ugc">FAQ</a> for more info.</p>


External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window


Broken Link Checker is a better free option. It does what this plugin does and also scans your links for free.


there are better free options

Internal links & external links manager: open in new window or tab, control nofollow, ugc, sponsored & noopener. SEO friendly.

Jose Varghese

<p><strong>Leaving Notice Popup for External Links</strong> 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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>It is an essential tool for <strong>affiliate marketers</strong>, <strong>government sites</strong>, <strong>educational portals</strong>, and any site that needs exit confirmation dialogs or legal disclaimers for third-party content.</p>
<p><strong>Why use this plugin?</strong><br />
*   <strong>Leaving Notice Popup</strong>: Show a fully customizable exit confirmation modal whenever a visitor clicks an outbound link, protecting your traffic and reducing unintended exits.<br />
*   <strong>nofollow, noopener & More</strong>: 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.<br />
*   <strong>Open in New Tab Control</strong>: Choose whether the Continue button opens external links in a new tab or the same tab.<br />
*   <strong>External Link Icons</strong>: 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.<br />
*   <strong>Smart Domain & URL Whitelist</strong>: 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.<br />
*   <strong>CSS Class Exclusion</strong>: Skip the popup and rel attribute processing entirely for links that carry specific CSS classes.<br />
*   <strong>Advanced Page Filtering</strong>: Restrict the leaving notice to specific Page IDs, or enable it conditionally on archives, categories, and the home page using built-in filters.</p>
<h3>Key Features</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Customizable Popup</strong>: Change the title, message, and button text to match your brand</li>
<li><strong>Button Color Control</strong>: Choose custom colors for both the “Continue” and “Stay” buttons</li>
<li><strong>rel Attributes</strong>: Add nofollow, noopener, noreferrer, sponsored, ugc, or external to outbound links</li>
<li><strong>New Tab Toggle</strong>: Control whether Continue opens the external link in a new tab or same tab</li>
<li><strong>SVG Link Icons</strong>: Show one of 5 icons beside external links, positioned left or right</li>
<li><strong>Domain Whitelist</strong>: Exclude specific domains from triggering the notice</li>
<li><strong>URL Whitelist with Wildcard Support</strong>: Exclude specific URLs or wildcard patterns (e.g. <code>https://example.com/share/*</code>) from triggering the notice</li>
<li><strong>CSS Class Exclusion</strong>: Skip links that carry a specified CSS class</li>
<li><strong>Page-Level Filtering</strong>: Show the popup only on chosen pages, posts, archives, or categories</li>
<li><strong>Widget Support</strong>: rel attribute processing also applies to widget text areas</li>
<li><strong>Responsive Design</strong>: Works perfectly on all devices and screen sizes</li>
<li><strong>Accessible</strong>: Built with accessibility best practices</li>
<li><strong>Lightweight</strong>: Minimal impact on page load time with deferred script loading</li>
<li><strong>Easy Setup</strong>: 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>
<p>This plugin does not collect or store any personal data from your visitors.</p>
<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 – nofollow, noopener & new window vs Leaving Notice Popup For External Links – nofollow, noopener & New Tab