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This is the coolest Pretty Link add ever in the latest WordPress update 4.7.1 yesterday!
What they have done is that they added the Pretty Link star button in the WordPress editor toolbar, see below:
What Does This Mean?
It means I can stop going from one window to the next to get my Pretty Links set up! I used to have two tabs open, one for my new post and one for my Pretty Links.
Now, with this Pretty Link button, I don’t need to do that and just have my one window for the post I’m writing.
This Pretty Link button will make your work so much faster and much more efficient too!
How Does It Work?
There are two ways to use this Pretty Link button: Create a New Pretty Link and Use Existing Pretty Link. This video will walk you through the whole process so please check it out:
If you can’t view the video for some reason, I will walk you through below.
Pretty Link Set Up
First if you don’t have Pretty Link Lite set up on your WordPress, you may want to see this video here first. Or, just go to Plugins > Add New, and search Pretty Link Lite.
Install and activate the plugin, once activated, you’ll see a new “Pretty Link” option in your WordPress menu bar on the left near the bottom.
Next, you want to set up your default settings like I have in the image on the right. You access the Options by going to Pretty Link > Options.
If you want to learn more about the four options and what they do, you can read about them HERE. This article is for the Pro version but you can see the four options there for the Lite version there too.
Pretty Link Button In Action
Once you have set up the defaults, it’s time to use the Pretty Link button!
To create a New Pretty Link as you’re writing, just stop a the spot you want to add your link and press the Pretty Link button, this window will pop up:
You will paste the Target URL in the first slot, then enter the Slug which is the new URL you’ll be creating, leave the next three slots in default mode as they are already set up, and then check off the box for the “Open this Pretty Link in a new window/tab” option if you want people to see that target page in a new window or tab once they click on it. Lastly, press the “Insert New Pretty Link” button and you’re done!
To use an Existing Pretty Link, use the second option instead, “Use Existing Pretty Link” on the bottom of the pop up screen:
In the first slot, you just have to search the Pretty Link you want to use. If you have several with similar names, just pick one and it’ll show you below the search box, what the Target URL and Pretty Link is so you can check if it’s the one you want to use. Enter in the text you want to anchor the link with and check the box again if you want people to open the link in a new window or tab. Press the blue button to insert the link in your post!
Summary
I’m going to really enjoy using this button going forward as I use Pretty Links a lot in my posts. I hope you’ll love it too! If you have any questions or thoughts about this awesome new feature on the WordPress Editor Toolbar, please leave them in the comments below and I’ll answer them as soon as I can!
If you have been blogging and not making money with it, you should really read about what Wealthy Affiliate is HERE, this is also where the Pretty Link training video is hosted on!
Let’s make money online!
Hi Grace,
Happy days! A free IT lesson 🙂
In all seriousness, this is a great new feature for me. It will save so much messing about, swapping from one tab to the other. I never would have worked this out for myself and so thank you so much for this information. You have just made things so much easier for me.
Wishing you continued success
Sean
Hi Sean, Thanks so much for stopping by again. 🙂 Yes, this feature on the toolbar will be a big time saver. I really like it. I hope you’ll be able to use this new feature too and make your writing life much better! 🙂
Wish you success too!
Grace
This is great. I have a blog and use a lot of links. Due to the text visibility limitation in edit boxes, I sometimes end up pasting the wrong URL especially when working on several posts!!.
With Pretty Links, I can now name each link accordingly knowing that it is the correct link I am using. This saves a lot of time and embarrassment!!
Thanks Grace.
I’m so glad this post can help you out Jackie! Yeah you don’t want to post the wrong links because it’s not very likely that anyone will tell you about it, and if someone does, you’re super lucky!
This Pretty Links button on your toolbar now will help you add affiliate links or shorten long links much easier for your readers to read, as well as save you a bunch of time. 🙂
All the best to you!
Grace
Fantastic. Definitely a time saver. No more multiple tabs for me. Tagging my links with a title so I can find them quickly and use them again in the future is most helpful. As usual you have explained the process expertly and the video is awesome. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Joe for your kind words! Really appreciate this!
Yes I really love it when WordPress makes a good update. 🙂 I’m so glad the video helped you see how easy it is to use the new Pretty Link button on the toolbar. Hope you’ll use it next time you write and see how easy and quickly you can get your links done.
All the best,
Grace
Hello Grace,
Very nice tutorial!
I have heard of Pretty Links before and actually have it installed on my WP platform but not really used it. AND I read your article and it is making me get very curious!
And the fact that now it is automatically added to the WP dashboard on your Edit field, surely, I will give it a try!
Thanks for the RE-motivation and the great lesson. I am off to re-discover the world of Pretty Links.
Thanks for the video as well, it helps.
That’s great Michelle, I’m so glad to hear that my little tutorial here has helped you. 🙂 I use Pretty Links a lot and it’s great to quickly add affiliate links or shorten a link while you’re writing.
I hope you will start using it now and you will see what a time saver it is when you’re in writing mode! 🙂
Thanks for watching my video!
Grace
Hi Grace, I’ve been searching to find more about pretty links, I’ve heard them mentioned a lot but not used them before. I can see how using two tabs must be frustrating. If it has been integrated into WordPress with another plugin that certainly has caught my attention even more. I am still unsure why do you use pretty links, this is the bit I am confused about. At the minute I just use the add link in WordPress, what is the benefit to pretty links? I keep reading that everyone really loves using them, so I know I must be missing a trick on my own site.
Hi Graham,
Pretty links is used for a few things:
* Shorten long urls – this could be to your own posts or to external posts or destinations.
* Hide ugly long affiliate links – if you don’t want people to see your affiliate links and its codes in the URL, you can use Pretty Links to hide it. But it only hides it on your site, this is not cloaking because all it does is redirects and the user will see the true URL of that destination point when the user lands on that page.
* Branding – instead of using shortening URL services like Bit.ly, you can use yourdomain.com/shortname like that.
For example, I use it for my posts that have long titles, so when I tell someone or tweet about it, it’s an easier url to reference than the WP long URL with dashes and such.
Another example is my YouTube channel, I can’t get a vanity URL anymore for it because I can only get one for either YouTube or Google+ and I used it for Google+ already. So, instead of having to remember a very long YouTube URL with numbers and characters I can’t remember (https://youtube.com/channel/UCmxhW58r124j5wkEJCoP8Iw), I use http://workanywherenow.com/youtube.
It’s so convenient and I like that I can brand my links. Hope this helps!
Grace
Hi Grace,
I like your website. I’m still looking around. I had not heard of Pretty Link. At first, I was confused by why you would need a plugin rather than just using the linking tool. However, the video you included here did a good job of letting me see why I would want it. I would also like to thiank your for providing a link to the set up video. I watched it first per your instructions.
You do a great job with your training video. I’m off to read more of your posts. They are very informative.
Hi again Sondra, thanks so much for checking out my site! I really do love Pretty Links and so many reasons to use it. I will update the post too to include why I would use it as others have asked as well but glad you can see that in the video. 🙂 Thanks for watching the video!
So grateful for you!
Grace
Hey Grace,
I never really understood how to use Pretty Links so your tutorial is really helpful. I’m hoping as I get up and running with my website, I can utilize this feature. Working on a website takes so much work but to have anything that helps to help me be more efficient, it’s well worth it.
I have navigated throughout your website and it’s chock full of information. {I left you a couple of other comments as well. : ) }
I’m really looking forward to more tips from you! ( need all the help I can get! Lol!
I will bookmark you page for future reference.
Hi Cindy,
You’re so awesome for checking out my posts! I’m so glad the tutorial was helpful to you and yes, it will be a time saver! There are several uses for it: Shortening long URLs, branding your URLs with your website name, and referencing posts/links that are too awkward to remember! 🙂
Thanks for navigating my site and checking out the tips! If there are any topics that I can’t find that you need help on, please let me know so I can provide it for you. 🙂
Grace
Hi Grace,
thank you for a great tutorial. I’m using wordpress as well, and a long time ago I heard about the pretty link. I was testing it, but felt it took too much time. There were so many tasks that had to be done, so I just got more confused than happy… lol
What you showed here, means that more time is saved and a whole lot of frustration is avoided. Thank you, you just made my day. You mentioned Wealthy Affiliate, what’s that?
Hi Odd, thanks for checking out my tutorial! Since WordPress has made the Pretty Link on the editor toolbar, it’s been much easier and saves you tons of time when creating new Pretty Links. I hope you’ll give it a try again with my instructions on how to use it. You’ll be less frustrated this time around for sure.
Wealthy Affiliate is where I got my training on how to build this site with a strong foundation, learn how to create traffic generating content, and how to make money from my blog. It’s been so awesome and I love the community in there as I get help right away from so many members. I never have to feel alone when building my online business and now always have a resource to go to for questions and quick answers! 🙂 You can read more about them HERE.
Thanks for visiting!
Grace
Hi Grace
Thank you so much for this really useful info. I already use pretty link, but as I have not yet updated my WordPress, I had not noticed this. As you say, it will make it so much easier to use Pretty Link in the future.
You walk-through video is really helpful too.
Like you, I would strongly advise anyone who does not yet use Pretty Link, to do so.
Many thanks again
Chrissie 🙂
Thanks Chrissie for your confirmation that Pretty Links is a great tool to use. Yes, the new button on the toolbar will save your even more time and can easily link up as you write. It’s been really great and I use it frequently when I need to shorten an URL or hide a long yucky affiliate link. 🙂
Thanks for checking out my video too!
Grace
Wow, wonderful Pretty Link info here! How long have you been running a blog for?
I have never seen this option and I’ve been blogging for awhile now. The overall glance of your website is excellent, as smartly as the content material!
Thanks so much Cassandra, and appreciate you stopping by and learning about Pretty Link. 🙂 I’ve been running this blog for six months now, it’s been fun and have lots to do but I love it. 🙂
Thanks for your kind words!
Grace
My brother recommended I would possibly like this website.
He was entirely right. This post actually made my day.
You can not believe simply how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!
This is so wonderful to hear Kurt! I’m so glad your brother told you about my website. I hope you have learned lots in this Pretty Link post. 🙂 If you have any problems with it, just let me know and I can help you!
Thanks so much for visiting!
Grace
I like the way you showed how to use pretty link, so easy to follow and now I can link up easier when I’m writing, awesome.
Monte
Thanks so much Monte! Appreciate your kind words and glad this post helped you out. 🙂
Have the best day,
Grace
I got what you intend,saved to my bookmarks, very nice web site.
Awesome! Thank you so much, hope you will be back for more. 🙂
This is pretty cool, didn’t know about Pretty Links, I will check it out. thanks.
So glad to have shown you something new! It’s a great tool to use, please let me know if you have any problems or questions when you use it.
Thanks for visiting!
Grace
Wonderful blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring
writers? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m
a little lost on everything. Would you advise starting with a
free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m completely overwhelmed ..
Any recommendations? Cheers!
Yes, I highly recommend you reading my free guide here and learning how to blog properly with a platform that offers two free blogs for you first plus included hosting if you go Premium. The Free account is forever though the first week, you get to test out Premium features. 🙂 My guide has all the info!!
A lot of bloggers end up quitting because they didn’t learn properly how to blog and learned how to structure their blog properly from the get go.
The training platform I show you in my free guide is the exact one I used to build this blog you’re on now and it’s now generating a 4 digit online income for me and I’m just a stay at home mom! If I can do it, you can too!
Best of luck to you!
Grace