# WebberZone Link Warnings
[](https://wordpress.org/plugins/webberzone-link-warnings/)
[](https://opensource.org/licenses/GPL-2.0)
[](https://wordpress.org/plugins/webberzone-link-warnings/)
[](https://wordpress.org/plugins/webberzone-link-warnings/)
[](https://wordpress.org/plugins/webberzone-link-warnings/)
__Requires at least:__ 6.6
__Tested up to:__ 7.0
__Requires PHP:__ 7.4
__License:__ [GPL-2.0+](http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html)
__Plugin page:__ [WebberZone Link Warnings](https://webberzone.com/plugins/webberzone-link-warnings/) | [WordPress.org listing](https://wordpress.org/plugins/webberzone-link-warnings/)
Add accessible warnings for external links and `target="_blank"` links in WordPress — using icons, modals, or redirect screens.
## Description
WebberZone Link Warnings helps you warn users when links open in a new window or take them to external websites. It adds accessible indicators, confirmation dialogs, or redirect screens — helping you align with accessibility best practices without rewriting your content.
WebberZone Link Warnings uses a two-layer approach to process links across your entire site. For post content, it uses WordPress's native `WP_HTML_Tag_Processor` class to efficiently parse and modify links at render time. For everything else — navigation menus, footers, sidebars, widgets, and theme output — a lightweight JavaScript scan runs after the page loads and applies the same rules. It adds appropriate ARIA attributes, visual indicators, and optional JavaScript-based warnings based on your configuration. Your stored content remains untouched — the plugin only alters rendered output and does not interfere with REST API responses or admin editing screens.
### Why warn users about external links?
- `target="_blank"` can disorient screen reader users
- Sudden context changes impact usability
- Accessibility audits often recommend user warnings
- Agencies and site owners often need documented user warnings during accessibility reviews
## Key features
- __Multiple Warning Methods__: Choose from inline indicators, modal dialogs, or redirect screens — or combine them
- __Flexible Scope__: Target external links only, or external links plus all `target="_blank"` links
- __Customizable Indicators__: Configure visual icons, text, or screen reader-only warnings
- __Modal Dialog__: Show a confirmation dialog before users navigate to external sites with keyboard navigation and focus management
- __Redirect Screen__: Display an intermediate page with a configurable countdown before external navigation
- __Force External__: Add a class to any link or wrapper element to force it to be treated as external — useful for affiliate links or tracking URLs that use internal paths
- __Domain Exclusions__: Allow trusted domains to treat them as internal links
- __Sitewide Coverage__: Links in navigation menus, footers, sidebars, widgets, and theme output are processed alongside post content
- __Post Type Control__: PHP-side processing is scoped to configured post types; JS scanning covers the full page regardless
- __Built to support accessibility best practices for external link behaviour in WordPress__: Adds screen reader text, ARIA attributes, and keyboard-friendly modal confirmations
- __Setup Wizard__: Get started quickly with a guided setup wizard on first activation
- __Template Override__: Override the redirect screen template in your theme for full design control
- __RTL Support__: Full right-to-left language support for all frontend and admin styles
- __Multisite Compatible__: Network activate and configure per-site settings
- __Privacy Focused__: Does not collect personal data or send link data to third-party services
- __Performance Optimized__: Uses WordPress's native `WP_HTML_Tag_Processor` class to process links at display time
- __Developer-Friendly__: Filters and actions allow developers to customize behavior, exclude domains, and output
> This plugin assists with user awareness of external navigation. It does not automatically make your website fully accessible or legally compliant.
## Installation
### WordPress install (the easy way)
1. Navigate to __Plugins > Add New__ in your WordPress dashboard
2. Search for "WebberZone Link Warnings"
3. Click __Install Now__ and then __Activate__
### Manual install
1. Download the latest release from the [releases page](https://github.com/WebberZone/webberzone-link-warnings/releases)
2. Upload the `webberzone-link-warnings` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`
3. Activate the plugin through the __Plugins__ menu in WordPress
4. Go to __Settings > WebberZone Link Warnings__ to configure
## Configuration
After activation, the setup wizard guides you through the initial configuration. You can also configure the plugin at __Settings > WebberZone Link Warnings__:
1. __Choose Warning Method__
- Inline indicators (visual and screen reader text)
- Modal dialog (JavaScript confirmation)
- Redirect screen (intermediate page)
- Inline indicators + modal dialog
- Inline indicators + redirect screen
2. __Set Link Scope__
- External links only
- External links and all `target="_blank"` links
3. __Customize Indicators__
- Visual indicator type (icon, text, both, none)
- Custom text for indicators
- Screen reader text
4. __Configure Modal/Redirect__ (if applicable)
- Modal title and message
- Button text
- Redirect page content and countdown duration
5. __Advanced Settings__
- Excluded domains
- Enabled post types
- Force-external class name (default: `wzlw-force-external`)
## Excluding Icons on Specific Links
To prevent icons from appearing on a specific link, add the class `wzlw-no-icon` to the link:
```html
Link without icon
```
To exclude all links inside a wrapper element (e.g. a navigation block or card), add the class `wzlw-no-icon-wrapper` to the containing element:
```html
```
Both approaches exclude links from visual indicators while still maintaining other accessibility features like screen reader text and ARIA attributes.
## Forcing Links to Be Treated as External
To force an internal link to be treated as external, add the class `wzlw-force-external` directly to the `` tag:
```html
Partner link
```
To force all links inside a container, add `wzlw-force-external-wrapper` to the wrapper element:
```html
```
Both class names are configurable under __Settings > WebberZone Link Warnings > Advanced__.
## Customizing Icons
You can choose from several preset icons or enter your own:
1. Go to __Settings > WebberZone Link Warnings > Display tab__
2. Find the __"Icon Style"__ dropdown
3. Select from available options:
- ↗ Arrow (North-East) - default
- → Arrow (Right)
- ⬈ Arrow (Up-Right)
- ⧉ External Link Symbol
- 🔗 Link Emoji
- 🌐 Globe Emoji
- \* Asterisk
- Custom (enter your own)
### Using Custom Icons
To use a custom icon:
1. Select "Custom" from the Icon Style dropdown
2. In the "Custom Icon" field, enter any Unicode symbol or emoji
3. Examples: `→`, `⇗`, `🔗`, `🌐`, `*`, `+`
## Frequently Asked Questions
### Does this plugin affect SEO?
No. WebberZone Link Warnings only modifies how links are displayed to users. It does not alter the href attribute, link structure, or indexing behaviour. Search engines see your links exactly as you created them.
### Is it accessible?
Yes. The plugin adds screen reader text, ARIA attributes, and (for modal mode) keyboard navigation and focus management.
### Does it work with multilingual sites?
Yes. WebberZone Link Warnings is translation-ready. It uses standard WordPress translation functions and works with popular multilingual plugins such as WPML and Polylang.
### Does this work with page builders?
Yes. Post content is processed via standard WordPress filters (`the_content` and `the_excerpt`). In addition, a JavaScript scan runs after the page loads and processes any links not already handled by PHP — including output generated by page builders, theme templates, navigation menus, and widgets.
### Can I customize the redirect screen template?
Yes. Copy the template file to `your-theme/webberzone-link-warnings/redirect-screen.php` to override the default redirect screen with your own design.
### Does this modify my database content?
No. The plugin only alters rendered output. Your stored content remains unchanged.
### What happens if I deactivate the plugin?
Your links return to their original state. The plugin doesn't modify your content in the database — it only changes how links are displayed.
### Where do I report security bugs found in this plugin?
You can report security bugs through the Patchstack Vulnerability Disclosure Program. The Patchstack team help validate, triage and handle any security vulnerabilities. [Report a security vulnerability.](https://patchstack.com/database/vdp/webberzone-link-warnings)
## Screenshots
*WebberZone Link Warnings Settings Page*
For more screenshots, visit the [WordPress plugin page](https://wordpress.org/plugins/webberzone-link-warnings/screenshots/).
## Other plugins by WebberZone
WebberZone Link Warnings is one of the many plugins developed by WebberZone. Check out our other plugins:
- [Contextual Related Posts](https://wordpress.org/plugins/contextual-related-posts/) - Display related posts on your WordPress blog and feed
- [Top 10](https://wordpress.org/plugins/top-10/) - Track daily and total visits to your blog posts and display the popular and trending posts
- [WebberZone Snippetz](https://wordpress.org/plugins/add-to-all/) - The ultimate snippet manager for WordPress to create and manage custom HTML, CSS or JS code snippets
- [Knowledge Base](https://wordpress.org/plugins/knowledgebase/) - Create a knowledge base or FAQ section on your WordPress site
- [Better Search](https://wordpress.org/plugins/better-search/) - Enhance the default WordPress search with contextual results sorted by relevance
- [Auto-Close](https://wordpress.org/plugins/autoclose/) - Automatically close comments, pingbacks and trackbacks and manage revisions
- [Popular Authors](https://wordpress.org/plugins/popular-authors/) - Display popular authors in your WordPress widget
- [Followed Posts](https://wordpress.org/plugins/where-did-they-go-from-here/) - Show a list of related posts based on what your users have read
## Contribute
WebberZone Link Warnings is also available on [GitHub](https://github.com/WebberZone/webberzone-link-warnings).
So, if you've got a cool feature you'd like to implement in the plugin or a bug you've fixed, consider forking the project and sending me a pull request.
Bug reports are [welcomed on GitHub](https://github.com/WebberZone/webberzone-link-warnings/issues). Please note that GitHub is *not* a support forum, and issues that aren't suitably qualified as bugs will be closed.
## Support
- __Documentation__: [webberzone.com/support/webberzone-link-warnings/](https://webberzone.com/support/webberzone-link-warnings/)
- __WordPress Support Forum__: [wordpress.org/support/plugin/webberzone-link-warnings/](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/webberzone-link-warnings/)
- __GitHub Issues__: [github.com/WebberZone/webberzone-link-warnings/issues](https://github.com/WebberZone/webberzone-link-warnings/issues)
## Translations
WebberZone Link Warnings is available for [translation directly on WordPress.org](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/webberzone-link-warnings). Check out the official [Translator Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/plugin-theme-authors-guide/) to contribute.
## License
This plugin is licensed under the GPL-2.0+ license.
## Credits
WebberZone Link Warnings is developed and maintained by [WebberZone](https://webberzone.com/).
## About this repository
This GitHub repository always holds the latest development version of the plugin. If you're looking for an official WordPress release, you can find this on the [WordPress.org repository](https://wordpress.org/plugins/webberzone-link-warnings/). In addition to stable releases, latest beta versions are made available under [releases](https://github.com/WebberZone/webberzone-link-warnings/releases).