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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesTo make a WordPress post title send visitors to another website, use a per-entry redirect plugin such as Page Links To, a theme that implements the link post format, or custom code that filters the post URL. Adding a hyperlink inside the post editor is different: it links text or a block in the content, not the post title’s destination.
Choose the method that matches your site
| Method | What it changes | What it depends on | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page Links To | Assigns a chosen external destination to a page, post, or custom post type; the listing says the title links to that destination and the normal local URL redirects there. | Plugin availability, the active theme and templates, and your redirect preference. | Per-post setup without writing code. |
link post format |
Lets a theme treat an entry as a link to another site. | Theme support and that theme’s implementation. | Sites whose theme is deliberately built around link-format posts. |
| Custom field plus post-link filter | Replaces the generated URL according to metadata and request context. | PHP code, theme/plugin compatibility, testing and ongoing maintenance. | Conditional or site-specific routing rules. |
| Editor Link control | Adds an external link to selected text or a supported block inside the post. | The block editor and the content you select. | Linking calls to action, references or individual phrases—not the title itself. |
Method 1: Set an external destination with Page Links To
Page Links To is the most straightforward no-code route when each entry needs an explicit outside URL. Its WordPress.org listing describes support for pages, posts and custom post types, and says the post title will link to content on the other site. It also describes redirecting requests for the ordinary local URL to the selected destination.
Configure one post
- Install or activate Page Links To from the WordPress plugin directory.
- Open the post, page or custom-post-type item you want to route externally.
- In the plugin’s destination field, enter the complete address, including
https://. - Save or update the entry.
- Visit an archive, home-page list or other template where the title appears, and activate the title to verify the destination.
- Open the entry’s normal local URL separately and confirm that its redirect behavior is appropriate for your site.
Check before rolling it out
- Plugin interfaces, maintenance status and compatibility can change, so check the current directory listing before installation.
- Test the actual theme and templates. A title may be rendered differently in an archive, search result, navigation block or single-post view.
- Decide whether every occurrence of the title should go off-site and whether the local URL should redirect. The plugin listing explicitly describes the redirect, so do not assume the local page will remain available.
Method 2: Use a theme-supported Link post format
WordPress defines the link post format as “A link to another site.” The developer documentation also says themes may use the first <a href=""> tag in the content as the external link for that post. If the post consists only of a URL, the title may become the label attached to that link.
Why the result varies
Post formats are a theme feature, not a universal rendering rule. Two themes can expose different controls, markup and title behavior. Select the Link format only when the active theme documents or visibly supports it, then verify the generated link in the real archive and single-post templates.
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Practical workflow
- Create or edit the entry and choose the theme’s Link post-format option, if it provides one.
- Supply the external URL according to that theme’s instructions—often as the first link in the content or as the only content.
- Publish or update the entry.
- Test the title and any visible link in every template where the entry appears.
This method is not a promise that every WordPress installation will turn a title into an external link; the theme’s implementation controls the outcome.
Method 3: Filter post links with custom code
For conditional behavior, a developer can store a value such as custom_url in post meta and filter the generated post link. A June 25, 2025 WPBeginner tutorial demonstrates this pattern, including conditions that distinguish single-post requests from archive-like contexts. It is a third-party example, not an official WordPress recipe.
When custom code is justified
- Only some post types or categories should point externally.
- The destination changes by context, such as an archive versus a single view.
- You need rules that a fixed plugin setting cannot express.
Safe implementation practice
- Have the code reviewed for escaping, permissions, supported post types and the exact request conditions it uses.
- Test archive cards, search results, feeds, navigation elements, canonical behavior and the single-post request—not just one visible title.
- Test what happens when the custom field is empty, malformed or removed.
- Keep the code in a maintainable site-specific plugin or other controlled deployment location rather than treating a tutorial snippet as a universal drop-in.
Why adding a link in the editor is not enough
The block editor’s Link control applies a URL to selected text or a supported block. Paste the full external address, including https://, into that control. This creates a content link; it does not replace the URL generated for the post title in archives or other listings.
Make the external destination clear to readers
WordPress project guidance recommends link text that describes where readers will go and what they will find, rather than displaying a bare URL. When a title points away from your site, make that behavior understandable in nearby copy, an icon with an accessible label, or the surrounding interface. The reviewed guidance does not establish a universal requirement that external title links open in a new tab, so choose that behavior deliberately and test keyboard and screen-reader use.
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Verification checklist
- Destination: the title reaches the intended external URL over HTTPS.
- Contexts: home page, category/tag archives, search, related-post widgets and navigation all behave as intended.
- Single view: decide whether the local post URL redirects, remains a page, or is intentionally unavailable.
- Fallback: an empty or invalid destination does not create a broken link.
- Theme behavior: typography, hover/focus states and accessible names still make the title understandable.
- Maintenance: recheck plugin, theme and custom-code compatibility after updates.
The Bottom Line
For most sites, Page Links To is the clearest per-post solution. Use the Link format only when your theme explicitly supports it, and reserve custom filtering for requirements that need conditional logic. Use the editor’s Link control when you only need an external link inside the content.
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