Description
External Links Advertisement Note adds a configurable note to links on the front end of your WordPress site.
Version 2.0 introduces a modern detection engine and a redesigned settings interface while preserving settings from the 1.x series.
Choose between three detection modes:
- All external links – marks HTTP and HTTPS links that lead away from the current site.
- Sponsored links only – marks links whose
relattribute containssponsored. - Only selected domains – marks links to domains you explicitly list.
You can configure:
- Marker text such as
*,↗,Ad,Sponsored, orAdvertisement. - An accessibility label for symbolic markers.
- Marker position before or after the link.
- Marker size, color, border, and underline behavior.
- Included and excluded domains.
- Whether image links are marked.
- Whether subdomains are treated as internal.
- Whether links inserted after page load are detected with MutationObserver.
- Simple CSS selectors that should never be marked.
The plugin does not rewrite destination URLs and does not automatically add nofollow, sponsored, target="_blank", or other link attributes.
English documentation: https://davidschlegl.com/plugins/external-links-advertisement-note/
German documentation: https://davidschlegl.com/de/plugins/external-links-advertisement-note/
Important
Not every external link is advertising. This plugin displays labels according to your configuration. It does not provide legal advice and does not determine whether a disclosure is legally required.
Screenshots
Installation
- Install the plugin from the WordPress Plugin Directory or upload the plugin ZIP.
- Activate External Links Advertisement Note.
- Open Settings > External Links Note.
- Choose a detection mode and marker style.
- Save the settings.
Existing 1.x settings are migrated automatically when the plugin is updated.
FAQ
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Does every external link count as advertising?
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No. The plugin can mark every external link if you choose that mode, but whether a link is advertising or requires disclosure depends on your use case and applicable rules.
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Can I mark only affiliate or sponsored links?
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Yes. Use Sponsored links only with
rel="sponsored", or use Only selected domains to maintain your own domain list. -
Does the plugin change link destinations?
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No. It adds a visual marker next to matching links and leaves the destination URL unchanged.
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Does it add nofollow or sponsored attributes?
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No. Version 2.0 deliberately does not change link semantics automatically.
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Does it work with links loaded after the page is visible?
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Yes. Dynamic link detection can be enabled. The plugin then uses MutationObserver to process links inserted after the initial page load.
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Are settings from version 1.x retained?
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Yes. The legacy
bfelansettings are migrated into the new 2.0 settings format on update.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“External Links Advertisement Note” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “External Links Advertisement Note” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
2.0.0
- Rebuilt the front-end link detector in dependency-free vanilla JavaScript.
- Added external, sponsored, and selected-domain detection modes.
- Added robust URL parsing for HTTP and HTTPS links.
- Added include and exclude domain rules with wildcard subdomain support.
- Added optional support for image links and dynamically inserted links.
- Added an accessibility label for symbolic markers.
- Added marker position and color controls.
- Redesigned the settings interface.
- Removed the jQuery dependency.
- Removed legacy social and donation links from the Plugins screen.
- Changed the text domain to the WordPress.org plugin slug.
- Added automatic migration of 1.x settings.
- Updated plugin metadata and documentation for current WordPress releases.
1.0.2
- Added text size option.
1.0.1
- Minor maintenance changes.
1.0.0
- Initial release.