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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →To make a WordPress post title send visitors to another website, use a per-entry redirect plugin such as Page Links To, a theme’s supported link post format, or custom code that filters the post URL. Adding a hyperlink inside the post body is a different operation: it does not change where the post title or permalink leads.
Choose the method that matches your site
| Method | How the destination is selected | What controls the result | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page Links To plugin | Enter an external URL for an individual post, page or custom post type | Plugin settings and the site’s templates | No-code, per-entry links |
link post format |
Provide a link in the post content according to the theme’s conventions | Theme implementation | Themes deliberately designed for link posts |
| Custom field plus code | Store a URL in post metadata and filter the generated post link | Your PHP logic, theme and request context | Conditional or highly customized behavior |
| Editor Link control | Apply a URL to selected text or a supported block | The block content | Links within the article, not title destinations |
Option 1: Set an external destination with Page Links To
The Page Links To plugin is the simplest route when each post needs an explicit outside destination. Its WordPress.org directory description says that the post title links to content on the other site instead of the normal WordPress URL. It also describes redirecting requests for the ordinary local URL to the selected destination.
- Install or activate Page Links To from the WordPress plugin directory.
- Edit the post, page or custom post type entry that should point away from your site.
- In the plugin’s destination field, enter the complete address, including
https://. - Save or update the entry.
- Open an archive, homepage list or other template that displays the post title and verify that the title goes to the external address.
- Visit the ordinary local permalink and confirm that the redirect behavior is appropriate for your site.
The listing documents the plugin’s purpose and redirect behavior, but it does not guarantee compatibility with every WordPress release, theme or custom template. Check the current directory listing and test the result on the actual installation before applying it broadly.
Decide whether the local URL should redirect
An external title destination and a redirect from the local permalink are related but separate concerns. A redirect can prevent visitors and old bookmarks from landing on a now-unwanted local page; leaving a local page accessible may be preferable when the post still contains useful information. Test both the title link and direct requests to the local URL.
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Option 2: Use a theme-supported Link post format
WordPress defines the link post format as “A link to another site.” The Post Formats documentation says themes may use the first <a href=""> element in the content as the external link. If the post consists only of a URL, a theme may use the title as the name attached to that link.
This is not a universal WordPress rendering rule. The theme decides whether it supports the format and how it finds, displays and links the destination. Create a Link-format entry only when your active theme documents that workflow, then check the homepage, archives, widgets and single-post view. A theme that ignores the format may continue linking the title to the normal local permalink.
Option 3: Implement a custom destination in code
A custom implementation can store an external address in a custom_url post-meta field and filter the generated post link. A June 25, 2025 WPBeginner tutorial demonstrates conditional logic for single-post views and archive-like contexts, so the external destination can be limited to particular request types.
Treat that tutorial as example code rather than an official WordPress recipe or a guaranteed drop-in. Before using it, review sanitization, permissions, empty-field handling, escaping and the exact contexts in which the filter runs. Test with the active theme, caching layer, redirects and every post type affected. A small mistake in link filtering can change navigation across an entire archive.
When custom code is worth the maintenance
- You need different destinations on archives and single views.
- The URL must be selected from post metadata or another business rule.
- You cannot use a plugin and have a developer responsible for updates and testing.
For a simple one-off external link, the plugin or a theme’s native format usually has a lower maintenance burden.
Do not confuse title links with links inside content
In the block editor, select text or a supported block, choose the Link control, and paste the full external address beginning with https://. This creates a content link. It does not, by itself, replace the post’s permalink destination or change the title shown in an archive.
Make the off-site behavior understandable
WordPress project guidance recommends link text that describes where readers will go and what they will find, rather than displaying a bare URL as the label. A post title may be the clickable text, so add surrounding context when the destination is external—for example, identify the linked publisher or explain that selecting the title leaves your site.
The reviewed guidance does not establish a universal requirement that external title links open in a new tab. Do not promise that behavior unless your theme or implementation explicitly provides it, and test keyboard and mobile navigation as well as ordinary clicks.
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Verification checklist
- Confirm the external URL includes the intended protocol and path.
- Click the title from every relevant archive, homepage list and navigation component.
- Open the single-post URL directly and verify the intended redirect or local-page behavior.
- Check logged-in and logged-out views if caching or permissions differ.
- Test desktop, mobile and keyboard activation.
- Review the result after theme, plugin or WordPress updates.
Which approach should you use?
Choose Page Links To for a straightforward, per-post destination without writing code. Choose the Link post format only when the active theme intentionally supports it. Choose custom metadata and a link filter when you need conditional rules and can maintain PHP. Use the editor’s Link control when the requirement is a hyperlink within the post rather than a replacement for the title’s destination.
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