by NewCodeByte 5 (1 reviews)

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

Name: External Links Manager – Open new window in a new tab + nofollow, noreferrer
Rating: 5.0 (1 reviews)
Author: NewCodeByte

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

External Links Manager ranks #20,462 among WordPress.org plugins with 50+ active installations, a 5/5 rating from 1 reviews, and was last updated May 25, 2026. Data from WordPress.org, refreshed twice daily — see methodology.

Tested up to WP 7.0.8 (Current: 7.1.4)

v1.3.4 Current Version v1.3.4

Updated 5 months ago Last Update on 25 May, 2026

Refreshed 1 week ago Last Refreshed on

Top 50% by installs

View on WordPress.org

Rank

#20,462

— No change

Active Installs

50+

— No change

KW Avg Position

— No change

Downloads

1.6K

+1 today

Support Resolved

— No change

Rating

100%

Review 5 out of 5

5 (1 reviews)

Next Milestone 60

Total Progress 60%

50+ 60+

1,513

Ranks to Climb

Growth Needed

8,000,000

Active Installs

Pro

Unlock Exact Install Count

See the precise estimated active installs for this plugin, calculated from real-time ranking data.

Exact install estimates within tiers
Track install growth over time
Milestone progress predictions

Upgrade to Pro

Need 4 more installs to reach 60+

Rank Changes

Current #20,462

Change

Best #

Upgrade to Pro

Unlock 30-day and 90-day rank history charts with a Pro subscription.

Upgrade Now

Active Installs Growth

Upgrade to Pro

Active Installs 0,000,000+

Growth +0.0%

Peak 0,000,000

Downloads Growth

Downloads

Growth

Peak

Upgrade to Pro

Unlock 30-day, 90-day, and yearly download history charts with a Pro subscription.

Upgrade Now

Reviews & Ratings

5.0

1 reviews

Overall 100%

1 (100%)

0 (0%)

Track This Plugin

Get detailed analytics, keyword tracking, and position alerts delivered to your inbox.

Start Tracking Free

Plugin Details

Version: 1.3.4
Last Updated: May 25, 2026
Requires WP: 4.5+
Tested Up To: 7.0.8
PHP Version: 7.0 or higher
Author: NewCodeByte

Support & Rating

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
Reviews: 1
Support Threads: 0
Resolved: 0%

Keywords

external links new tab new window nofollow noopener

Upgrade to Pro

Unlock keyword rankings, search positions, and detailed analytics with a Pro subscription.

Upgrade Now

Similar Plugins

Adminify – White Label, Admin Menu Editor, Login Customizer

6K+ installs

#2,757

Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits

30K+ installs

#1,015

Frequently Asked Questions

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

This plugin is designed to be SEO-friendly. By using JavaScript to open links in a new tab and correctly managing rel attributes (like noopener, noreferrer, nofollow, sponsored), it doesn't negatively impact SEO. The href attribute itself is not modified for search engine crawlers. Opening links in a new tab is primarily a user experience choice.

Using window.open() via JavaScript is the recommended method for XHTML 1.0 Strict compliance. Directly adding target="_blank" can invalidate strict markup. This JavaScript approach also allows for dynamic addition of window features like noopener and noreferrer effectively.

It automatically identifies external links on your WordPress website and uses JavaScript to open them in a new tab or window. The plugin also manages important SEO attributes like rel="noopener", "nofollow", and "noreferrer", giving you full control.

Yes, you can use the Force List and Ignore List to specify URLs or URL patterns to always or never open in a new tab.

Absolutely! From the settings page, you can enable the "Display External Link Icon" option. Once enabled, a new dropdown menu will appear, allowing you to choose from a wide variety of Dashicons and modern Unicode symbols (like ↗ or 🔗) to best match your site's style.

The plugin is fully compatible with WordPress's handling of User-Generated Content (UGC). By default, WordPress adds rel="nofollow ugc"to links in comments. Our plugin respects this and applies its own rules on top, such as opening these links in a new tab. If you enable the "Add nofollow" option in the settings, it will ensure nofollow is present, harmonizing perfectly with WordPress's SEO best practices.

Yes, it is lightweight and works well alongside most caching and optimization plugins.

Ignore List: Links matching patterns here will always open in the same tab. Force List: If not ignored, links matching patterns here will always open in a new tab. Default Behavior: If not in ignore or force lists, external links open in a new tab, internal links in the same tab.

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

Next Milestone 60

Unlock Exact Install Count

Rank Changes

Upgrade to Pro

Active Installs Growth

Downloads Growth

Upgrade to Pro

Reviews & Ratings

Track This Plugin

Plugin Details

Support & Rating

Keywords

Upgrade to Pro

Similar Plugins

Frequently Asked Questions

Sign In / Register