Handle External Links
Handle External Links helps you to control when to set rel=”nofollow” on external links in WordPress. You can set nofollow depending on the PageRank, 404 status, whether the URL is blacklisted or not, and many more…
Consider an alternative
Handle External Links shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 2.7/5 and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 23/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Low rating so far — 2.7/5 from only 3 reviews
- No update in 13 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.5 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Handle External Links stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| follow | >100 |
| meta | >100 |
| nofollow | >100 |
| pagerank | #46 |
| rel | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 2.7 from 3 reviews
About Handle External Links
From the official readme · v1.1.5Description
Handle External Links helps you to control when to set rel=”nofollow” on external links in WordPress. You can set nofollow depending on the PageRank, 404 status, whether the URL is blacklisted or not, and many more flexible criterias! Visit getwebinspiration.com for more Plugin details.
Support
Donations
Donations are very much appreciated and will be used to dedicate time to support and updates.
Installation
- Upload the directory
handle-external-linksto the/wp-content/plugins/directory. - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
- Choose settings by clicking on the ‘Settings’ tab in WordPress and navigate to ‘Handle External Links’.
Changelog
1.1.5
- Added a whitelist and blacklist to improve the filter
- It’s now possible to add target=”_blank” to external URLs
- Option to set nofollow on URLs that doesn’t return a PageRank value
- Now echos a warning if the cURL extension isn’t installed on the server (required)
1.1
- Minor code improvements – changed the way the plugin handles internal links
1.0
- First version was released with three different settings.
Screenshots
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
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FAQ
Handle External Links: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 1, 2026
Is Handle External Links free?
Yes. Handle External Links is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Handle External Links safe to use in 2026?
Handle External Links shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 2.7/5 and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 23/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Handle External Links?
Handle External Links is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 2,871 times since it launched in December 2012. It was downloaded 49 times in the last 30 days.
Does Handle External Links work with WordPress 7.1?
Handle External Links is officially tested up to WordPress 3.5.2, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Handle External Links last updated?
The latest version, 1.1.5, was released on December 20, 2012 (14 years ago).
Who makes Handle External Links?
Handle External Links is developed and maintained by getwebinspiration.
What are the best alternatives to Handle External Links?
The most popular alternatives to Handle External Links are Superb Social Media Share B… (6K+ installs), Twitter Follow Button (100+ installs) and Simple X Buttons (80+ installs).
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