How to Change Link Color in WordPress? (Beginner’s Guide)

Links are quite significant in getting the visitors to relevant pages and browse more content on your website. But sometimes, these links blend in with the background so much that they are nearly invisible. That will bring down the session times on your WordPress website quite significantly. So how do you change the link color in your WordPress pages and posts?

Well, thanks to the flexibility of WordPress, there are several methods for changing the link color. From the built-in customizer to editing the CSS, WordPress experts use the suitable method according to the situation. Let’s look at these methods in detail.

Why Change the Link Color in WordPress?

Changing the link color in WordPress is an important aspect of web design and user experience. By using a different link color, you can make it easier for visitors to identify the website’s clickable element.

Link colors can also be a way to incorporate your brand identity into your website’s design. Choosing colors that complement your brand’s color scheme can create a more enhanced and visually-appealing experience. With that, let’s understand the benefits of changing link colors.

Key Benefits of Changing Link Color

Here are some key benefits of changing the link color on your WordPress site:

• Brand Consistency: Aligning your link colors with your brand colors helps maintain a professional website appearance. Consistent use of brand colors shows brand identity and makes your site more recognizable.
• User Experience and Navigation: Distinctive link colors help users easily identify clickable links, enhancing navigation. If links are not visually distinct, users may struggle to find and use them, leading to frustration and a poor user experience.
• Highlighting Important Links: By changing the color of links, you can draw attention to important content or calls to action (CTAs). This strategic use of color can guide users toward key areas of your site, such as product pages, signup forms, or special promotions.
• Improving Readability: Sometimes, the default link color provided by a theme may not be suitable for your site’s design. Adjusting the link color can improve readability and ensure the text is easily read against the background.

Changing the link color in WordPress is a simple yet powerful way to enhance your site’s overall design. With more unique link colors (rather than the standard blue), you can improve the user experience, ensure brand consistency, and more.

How Do You Change the Link Color in WordPress?

There are several ways to change the link color in WordPress. You can choose any of them depending on your comfort level and theme capabilities. Here’s a breakdown of the most common methods:

Method 1: Using the WordPress Customizer

This is the simplest method for beginners and requires no coding knowledge. However, it only works if your theme includes a built-in WordPress customizer with link color options.

Step 1: Access the Customizer

Navigate to Appearance → Customize in your WordPress dashboard. This opens a live preview of your website where you can make design changes.

Step 2: Find Link Color Options

Look for sections labeled “Colors”, “Typography”, or theme-specific options. The exact location will vary depending on your theme.

Step 3: Modify Link Colors

If your theme offers link color customization, you’ll find settings to adjust colors for regular links, hover states, and visited links. Select your desired colors from the provided options or enter specific color codes using hex codes.

Step 4: Save Changes 

Once you have the chosen colors, click the “Publish” button to save the changes and update your website’s link colors.

Using this method, you will be able to preview and apply changes directly to the WordPress interface.

Method 2: Editing CSS

Editing CSS allows for precise control over link styles across your entire site. But, you may need some understanding of CSS to define the website styles.

Step 1: Access Your Theme’s Stylesheet

You’ll need to access the file that controls your theme’s styles, typically named style.css. There are two ways to do this:

• Using an FTP Client: This involves downloading an FTP client like FileZilla and connecting to your website’s hosting server to download the style.css file.
• Using the WordPress File Editor: A simpler option is to use the built-in WordPress file editor. Navigate to Appearance > Theme File Editor, locate your theme, and then click on the “style.css” file to edit it within your WordPress dashboard.

Step 2: Locate Link Styles

Within the style.css file, search for code related to link styles. Look for terms like “a” (anchor tag, which represents links in HTML) or “link”. These sections define the default styles for your website’s links.

Step 3: Modify Link Color Properties

CSS uses properties to define styles. You’ll find a section with properties like color or text-decoration (which controls underlined styles). Edit the color property value to your desired hex code (e.g., color: #00ffff; for light blue).

Step 4: Save the Stylesheet

Once you’ve made your changes, save the style.css file. The changes will be reflected on your website the next time it loads.

Be cautious when editing theme files directly. It’s recommended to backup your WordPress website before editing core files like style.css. And create a child theme for more secure editing with easier updates.

This process can be tricky for those less knowledgeable about the core WordPress files. If you are one of them, it would be better to go with professional WordPress developers.

Method 3: Using Page Builders

Page builders offer visual interfaces to customize design elements, including link styles. Some of the popular options include Elementor and Divi. Here is how you can change the link color using them:

Step 1: Edit Your Page/Post with the Page Builder

Open the page or post where you want to modify the link color. Use the page builder interface to edit the content.

Step 2: Select the Element with the Link

Locate the specific element containing the link you want to customize. This could be a text block, button, or image with a linked URL.

Step 3: Access Style Settings

Within the page builder panel, look for options related to “Style” or “Typography.” The exact location might vary depending on the page builder you’re using.

Step 4: Change the Link Color

These settings should allow you to modify the link color for the selected element. You might see a color picker or a field to enter a hex code. Choose your desired color and apply the changes.

Step 5: Save and Update

Once you’re satisfied with the link color, save your changes within the page builder interface. This will update the link color on your live website.

This method is perfect for users who prefer a drag-and-drop interface to design websites. Page builders make it easy to see changes in real time and adjust link styles without any coding knowledge.

Method 4: WordPress Plugins

Several WordPress plugins offer functionalities specifically for link customization. These plugins can be a good option if you want a user-friendly interface to manage link colors across your website.

Step 1: Install and Activate a Link Color Plugin

There are various link color plugins available in the WordPress plugin directory. Choose a reputable plugin with good reviews and install it on your website. Once installed, activate the plugin.

One of the common plugins for changing link color is Hello EleColor (for Elementor theme).

Step 2: Configure Plugin Settings

Navigate to the plugin’s Settings page within your WordPress dashboard. Each plugin will have its own interface, but you should find options to define default link colors, hover colors, and other link styles.

Step 3: Set Your Desired Colors

Use the plugin’s interface to choose the color options you prefer for your website’s links. Some plugins might offer additional features like setting different colors for specific link categories or applying global link styles.

Step 4: Save and Test

Once you’ve configured the plugin settings, save the changes and preview your website to ensure the link colors are applied correctly.

Using plugins is a user-friendly approach, but they can add extra code to your website, potentially slowing down loading times. Choose a lightweight and well-maintained plugin to minimize any impact.

Choose the method that fits with your expertise and needs. If you want more extensive customizations for your website, consult with our WordPress development company.

Best Practices for Choosing and Applying Link Colors

Choosing the right link colors can significantly enhance your website’s usability, accessibility, and brand identity. Here are some best practices to consider:

• Foreground vs. Background: Ensure a strong contrast between your link color and the background color of your website. This makes links easily identifiable, especially for users with visual impairments. Tools like WebAIM’s WCAG Contrast Checker can help verify sufficient contrast.
• Standard Link Colors: Consider using standard link color conventions as users are familiar with them. This can improve user experience and make navigation more intuitive.
• Hover Effect: Implementing a hover effect for links. This means the link color changes slightly when a user hovers over it with their mouse. It provides a clear visual for the clickable links, improving user interaction.
• Brand Color Palette: Integrate link colors seamlessly with your overall brand color scheme. This creates a better visual identity and reinforces your brand recognition.
• Color Psychology: Understand the psychology behind colors. For example, blue is often associated with trust and professionalism, while red can evoke urgency. Choose link colors that align with the message you want to convey.
• Link Type Differentiation: You might consider customizing link colors for different types. For example, use a brighter color for CTAs and a more subdued shade for informational links.

These are some of the practices you can follow. You can improve the usability and accessibility of links on your site. To build a site that stands out in design and is robust, consider getting help from WordPress web experts.

FAQs About How to Change the Link Color in WordPress

Conclusion

Changing the link color in WordPress can improve the link visibility (by making it pop), ensure a more clear call to action, and improve the brand consistency.

To customize your pages and posts with different link colors, you can use WordPress customizer, page builder, style.css, and plugins.

You can choose any method that suits your expertise and requirements. If you need help building customized sites, hire WordPress developers.