How to Make a WordPress Menu Link Open in a New Tab

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How to Make a WordPress Menu Link Open in a New Tab

When it comes to creating a user-friendly and engaging website, the way you structure your navigation can make a significant difference. WordPress, one of the most popular content management systems, offers a range of customization options for your website’s menu. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of achieving this, ensuring your website visitors have a seamless browsing experience.

If you’ve already followed our guide on ‘How to Create a Professional WordPress Blog Website,’ enhancing your site’s user experience by making menu links open in new tabs is a great next step

Table of Contents

Before we start, the how-to, let’s briefly discuss why you might want to open menu links in a new tab. When a user clicks on a link, it typically replaces the current page in their browser tab. This behavior can be frustrating if they want to quickly check out a linked resource while staying on your site. Opening links in a new tab allows users to explore additional content without leaving your website, enhancing user experience and engagement.

Prerequisites

Before we get started, make sure you have the following:

  • A WordPress website (self-hosted or WordPress.com).
  • Access to your WordPress admin dashboard.

Now, let’s proceed with the step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Log into Your WordPress Dashboard

To begin, log in to your WordPress admin dashboard. You can access it by adding /wp-admin to your website’s URL (e.g., yourwebsite.com/wp-admin) and entering your login credentials.

Step 2: Navigate to the Menu Editor

In the WordPress dashboard, locate the “Appearance” tab on the left-hand side. Hover over it, and a submenu will appear. Click on “Menus.”

Step 3: Choose Your Menu

You’ll be directed to the Menu Editor, where you can create and customize menus for your website. If you haven’t created a menu yet, you can do so by clicking the “Create a new menu” link.

Step 4: Add or Edit Menu Items

In the Menu Editor, you’ll see a list of your existing menus. Choose the menu you want to work on by clicking on it.

Now, you can start adding or editing menu items. You’ll see a panel on the left with options like “Pages,” “Posts,” “Custom Links,” and more. To add a new menu item, click on the desired option and follow the prompts. To edit an existing menu item, click on it to reveal its settings.

To make a menu link open in a new tab, you need to enable a specific option. While adding or editing a menu item, look for the “Screen Options” at the top right corner of the interface. Click on the arrow to expand additional settings.

Here, you’ll find the “Link Target” option. Check the box if unchecked.

Now expand the desired menu item which you want to “Open link in a new tab” and click on “Open link in a new tab”

Step 7: Save Your Menu

After enabling the “Open link in a new tab” option, don’t forget to save your menu changes. Scroll up or down to find the “Save Menu” button and click it to apply your modifications.

Step 8: Test Your Website

With the changes saved, visit your website to test the menu link behavior. Click on the menu item you’ve configured to open in a new tab, and you should see it open in a separate browser tab or window.

Common Issues and Solutions

If you encounter issues with your WordPress custom menu link not opening in a new tab, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take. Ensure that you’ve followed the steps outlined in this guide correctly. If the issue persists, consider checking your theme’s compatibility or trying a different browser.

By default, WordPress doesn’t open links in new tabs. To change this behavior, follow the steps provided in this guide to enable the “Open link in a new tab” option for specific menu items.

Creating a custom menu link that opens in a new tab is a useful feature to provide your website visitors with a seamless browsing experience. Follow the steps mentioned earlier to achieve this.

How to Make a Page Open in a New Tab in WordPress

While we’ve primarily focused on menu links, you might also want to make internal page links open in new tabs. You can do this by using the same “Open link in a new tab” option when adding or editing page links within your content.

If you’re using the Elementor page builder, you can apply the “Open link in a new tab” option to links within your Elementor-designed pages. This ensures consistency in your user experience.

While it’s generally not recommended to make all links open in new tabs for usability reasons, you can achieve this with custom code or plugins. However, use this sparingly and consider user preferences.

To complement your understanding of how to make a WordPress menu link open in a new tab, let’s explore how to create a WordPress navigation menu, Submenu, through programing or with code or Elementor Menu Tutorial offering you even more control over your website’s user experience. If you encounter any issue with your site navigation menu, you may learn about troubleshooting guidelines at Troubleshooting WordPress Menu: How to Fix Common Issues

Conclusion

Incorporating the ability to open menu links in a new tab is a simple yet effective way to enhance user experience on your WordPress website. It keeps visitors engaged with your content while allowing them to explore external resources. By following this step-by-step guide, you can easily implement this feature and create a more user-friendly website.

So go ahead, log in to your WordPress dashboard, and make those menu links open in new tabs. Your website visitors will appreciate the seamless browsing experience, and you’ll keep them coming back for more.

Remember, a well-structured website can greatly benefit from this feature, so don’t hesitate to give it a try!

For more WordPress tips and tricks, visit the WordPress official documentation or explore our WordPress tutorials.

Now, you’re all set to improve your website’s user experience and keep your audience engaged. Happy WordPressing!

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