Phase 5 · Guide #45

Link Behavior: external links and URL structure made easy

This guide helps you set outgoing link rules and URL Structure settings with confidence, even if you are not technical. You choose the behavior once, then let your site stay consistent.

10 min read External links focus No coding needed

Where to find Link Behavior

Open your dashboard and go to:

SEO Rank Genius → Indexing & Sitemaps → Link Behavior

This area is about how links behave when visitors click them and how your URLs stay clean and consistent.

Scope of this page This guide is only about External Link Control and URL Structure. Breadcrumb settings are covered in a separate guide.
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SEO Rank Genius › Indexing & Sitemaps › Link Behavior
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Link Behavior

External link rules, URL settings & breadcrumb navigation

Reset to Defaults Save Settings

Reset to Defaults restores factory settings; Save Settings writes your changes.

External Link Control (what most site owners choose)

These toggles define what happens when a link points to another website.

1

Open External Links in New Tab

Helpful when you want visitors to keep your site open while exploring outside resources.

2

Nofollow External Links

Adds a nofollow attribute to outbound links to preserve your link equity.

3

Nofollow Image File Links

Applies nofollow specifically to links pointing at external image files.

Best simple default For most blogs and business sites: Open External Links in New Tab ON, Nofollow External Links ON.
WordPress Admin · SEO Rank Genius

External Link Control

Open External Links in New Tab
Nofollow External Links
Nofollow Image File Links
Add UGC Attribute to Comment Links
Add Sponsored Attribute

Toggle each rule on or off, then click Save Settings at the top.

URL Structure (clean, consistent URLs)

URL Structure settings help keep your permalinks tidy and prevent duplicate attachment pages.

  • Strip Category Base from URLs removes /category/ from category archive URLs.
  • Redirect Attachment Pages sends media attachment pages to their parent post.
  • After changing Strip Category Base, visit Settings → Permalinks and click Save once.
Strip Category Base Shorter category URLs can improve click-through rates.
Redirect Attachment Pages Prevents thin attachment pages from being indexed separately.
Orphan Attachment Redirect URL Set where orphaned media files redirect. Leave empty for homepage.
Permalinks reminder Always save Permalinks after toggling Strip Category Base.
WordPress Admin · SEO Rank Genius

URL Structure

Strip Category Base from URLs
Redirect Attachment Pages
Orphan Attachment Redirect URL

URL Structure changes apply site-wide once you save.

Safe defaults for non-technical owners

If you want a low-risk setup, start here:

Open External Links in New Tab: ON Visitors can return to your page easily.
Nofollow External Links: ON Recommended for preserving link equity.
Redirect Attachment Pages: ON Keeps media files from creating thin indexable pages.
Strip Category Base: optional Enable only if you want shorter category URLs.
Good news Once these rules are set, most site owners rarely need to revisit this page.

Save and check in under 3 minutes

  1. Choose your External Link Control toggles.
  2. Set your URL Structure preferences.
  3. Click Save Settings.
  4. Open a recent post and click one external link to confirm behavior.
  5. Revisit next week to make sure settings still match your publishing style.
WordPress Admin · SEO Rank Genius

After saving

Open External Links in New Tab Enabled
Nofollow External Links Enabled
Redirect Attachment Pages Enabled

Use a quick test click after saving so you know everything behaves as expected.

Troubleshooting

Links still open in same tab Clear your site and browser cache, then test again on a fresh page load.
Category URLs did not change Visit Settings → Permalinks and click Save to flush rewrite rules.
Settings did not stick Make sure you clicked Save Settings, not just Reset to Defaults.
Unsure which setting caused a change Use Reset to Defaults, save, then reapply one toggle at a time.

Related guides

Indexing Overview Hub Read card trends and decide what to fix first. Structured Data AUTO vs MANUAL Choose the right schema workflow for your site. URL Medic Guide Repair problem URLs and keep link quality high. All Redirections Guide Use the full redirect list when URLs change.