How to Change Link Color in WordPress

The color of hyperlinks on your website is crucial for user experience, influencing how visitors interact with your content. It enhances visibility, guides users, and can encourage users to stay on the website longer by attracting clicks and enhancing the overall user experience.

This detail is also key for brand consistency, reflecting your brand and aiding in brand recognition. So, how to change link color in WordPress?

We’ve decided to share several ways to approach the assignment, including theme customization, CSS modifications, and plugins. These changes not only improve your site’s visual appeal but also its usability, ensuring links are noticeable and align with your design scheme.

Introduction to How to Change Link Color in WordPress

Link color customization is a crucial aspect of web design that can significantly impact a website’s user experience and brand identity. In WordPress, changing link colors can be achieved through various methods, including using the WordPress Customizer, CSS code, and plugins. A well-designed link color scheme can enhance a website’s visual hierarchy, making it easier for visitors to navigate and engage with the content.

Whether you prefer using the WordPress Customizer for a user-friendly interface, adding custom CSS code for precise control, or leveraging plugins for additional customization options, WordPress offers various methods to achieve the desired changes. In this section, we will explore the importance of link color customization and the different methods available in WordPress.

Understanding WordPress Change Link Color

In WordPress, changing the link colors is crucial for both aesthetics and usability, just like knowing how to change font color in WordPress header and they’re typically managed through theme settings or CSS.

Many WP themes allow easy customization through the theme customizer, enabling changes without editing CSS code.

CSS is the primary tool for styling hyperlinks. It allows you to specify colors and styles for different link states like hover or visited using selectors like a, a:link, a:visited, a:hover, and a:active.

Here’s why it’s significant:

• Visibility and Readability: A color that stands out enhances link visibility, making clickable items clear to users.
• User Experience: The right choice improves navigation and overall user experience, indicating which text is clickable.
• Brand Consistency: Your palette should align with your website’s scheme and branding for aesthetic harmony.
• Accessibility: Ensure the element provides sufficient contrast with the background for accessibility, including for those with visual impairments.

Choosing the right hyperlink colors in WordPress involves a balance between design and usability, ensuring that links are visually integrated and contribute to an intuitive user experience.

Preparing to Change the Palette

Before diving into changing the hyperlink colors on your WordPress website, it’s important to take preparatory steps to ensure a smooth and safe transition. Here’s how you can get started:

You can use a custom hex code to select specific colors for your links, allowing for precise customization to match your desired aesthetic.

Backing Up Your WordPress Site Before Making Changes

Full Backup: Ensure you have a complete backup of your WordPress site. This includes your database, themes, plugins, and media files. Use a reliable backup solution or an add-on. You can also opt for building a wordpress plugin for your website to create this backup.

Safety Net: Having a backup provides a safety net in case any changes result in unexpected issues or if you need to revert to the previous state.

Find Your Current Settings

Theme Customizer: If your theme has it, go to the WordPress Customizer (Website’s Appearance > Customize) and look for sections like ‘Colors’, ‘Typography’ or ‘General Settings’. These sections usually have the settings you need.

Inspecting CSS: If your theme doesn’t have an option in the customizer, you can find the current settings using the browser’s inspect tool. Right-click on a link on your site and select ‘Inspect’ (or ‘Inspect Element’). Look for CSS properties like color under selectors like a, a:link or a:hover.

Theme Stylesheet: Alternatively, you can check the theme’s stylesheet (usually style.css) either via the Theme Editor (Appearance > Theme Editor) or by accessing your site files via FTP. Look for link-related CSS selectors mentioned above.

By backing up your site and knowing your current settings, you’re setting yourself up for success. This way your site is secure and recoverable and you have a baseline to work from.

Method 1: WordPress Customizer (Global)

Changing hyperlink colors on your WordPress site is easiest through the WordPress Customizer. This lets you make changes globally and see them live before you apply them to your site.

Also, make sure to adjust link colors for both default and hover states in the customization settings to improve user engagement and click-through rates.

Navigating to the WordPress Customizer

Accessing the Customizer:

In your WordPress dashboard, go to ‘Appearance’ > ‘Customize’. This will open the WordPress Customizer.

• Familiarize with the Interface:
  • The Customizer interface shows a live preview of your site on the right, with a menu of customization options on the left.

Locating the Options for Links

• Finding Settings:
  • Within the Customizer, look for sections like ‘Colors’, ‘Typography’, or ‘General Settings’. The exact naming can vary depending on your theme.
  • In these sections, find options labeled ‘Link Color’ or similar. Some themes might include options under ‘Body’ or ‘Content’ settings.

• Theme-Specific Settings:
  • Keep in mind that not all themes offer direct link color customization in the Customizer. The availability of these options is theme-dependent.

Changing the Hue and Previewing Changes in Real-Time

• Selecting New Hues:
  • Once you locate the settings, click on the color selection tool. Most themes offer a picker or allow you to enter a specific code (like a hex code).

• Previewing Changes:
  • As you choose a new color, the Customizers live preview will update to show how the hyperlinks look with the new hue on your site. This allows you to experiment and see the results in real-time.
• Applying the Changes:
  • Once you’re satisfied with the new link color, click ‘Publish’ to apply the changes to your live site.

Using the WordPress Customizer for changing hues is a user-friendly method that doesn’t require any coding knowledge. It provides a quick and effective way to update the aesthetics of your site’s links and ensure they align with your overall design and branding strategy.

Method 2: Custom CSS (Global or Individual)

On the list of pros and cons of WordPress, the ability to add custom code is definitely a pro. For those who require more control over their link colors or whose themes don’t provide built-in options, simply paste CSS code into the WordPress editor.

This approach allows you to define link colors globally across your site or target specific links or pages.

Accessing the Additional CSS Section in the Customizer

• Navigate to Customizer: In your WordPress dashboard, go to ‘Appearance’ > ‘Customize’. This opens the WordPress Customizer.

• Find Additional CSS: Scroll down in the Customizer menu until you find the ‘Additional CSS’ section. This section is designed for adding custom CSS snippets.

Writing Custom CSS Code

• Basic Link Color CSS: To change the hue of all links globally, you can use a simple CSS snippet like:Replace #desiredColorCode with your preferred code.

a {
color: #desiredColorCode;
}

• Hover and Active States: To style links when hovered over or clicked, you can add:

a:hover {
color: #hoverColorCode;
}
a:active {
color: #activeColorCode; }

• Visited Links: To style visited links differently, use:

a:visited {
color: #visitedColorCode;
}

Tips for Targeting Specific Links or Pages with CSS

• Using Classes and IDs: If you want to change the hues only in certain parts of your site, use the class or ID of the element containing the links. For example:

.className a {
color: #colorCode;
}

• Page-Specific CSS: To target links on a specific page, you can use the page’s unique ID in the CSS. For example:

.page-id-123 a {
color: #colorCode;
}

• You can find the page ID by inspecting the body tag of the page using the browser’s developer tools.
• Widget or Section Specific: Similarly, to target links within a widget or a specific section, find the widget or section’s class or ID and apply your CSS to the links within it.

CSS for changing colors gives you flexibility and precision, especially if you want to have different styles for different sections or types of links on your site. It’s a powerful way to match the link style to your site’s design and user experience goals.

Method 3: Theme Options (Global)

Many WordPress themes come with their own set of customization options, including the ability to change link colors. These theme specific options are a user friendly way to change the link style globally and align it with your site’s design.

Users can also customize individual link colors for specific elements using theme options, so more targeted visual emphasis especially for call-to-action links.

Theme Specific Options for Changing Link Colors

• Theme Customization Panel: Most modern WordPress themes have a theme options panel, often integrated into the WordPress Customizer. This panel usually has settings to change the color of various elements, including links.
• Custom Theme Options: Some themes have their own separate options panel, distinct from the WordPress Customizer. These panels usually have more customization options.
• Live Preview: Many themes have a live preview feature in their options panel, so you can see the changes in real time as you change the colors.

Where to Find These Options in Your WordPress Dashboard

• Customizer: For themes integrated with the Customizer, go to ‘Appearance’ > ‘Customize’. In the Customizer, look for sections labeled ‘Colors’, ‘Typography’ or similar.
• Theme’s Own Panel: If your theme has its own options panel, you can usually access it directly from the WordPress dashboard. Look for a theme specific menu item in your dashboard, often named after your theme or labeled as ‘Theme Options’ or ‘Theme Settings’.
• Exploring the Options: In the theme options, go to the settings. The location and naming of these settings can vary, but they are usually found under general color settings or typography settings.
• Making the Changes: Once you found the options, use the provided picker or enter the code for your desired link color. Don’t forget to save or publish your changes once you’re done.

Changing link color WordPress through theme options is ideal for those who prefer a straightforward approach without coding. This method ensures your changes are consistent with the theme’s design and easy to implement for all skill levels.

Method 4: Page Builders (Individual)

Page builders are an intuitive and flexible way to design web pages in WordPress, including changing link colors on individual pages. Many popular page builders have built-in tools for this, so you can style links without coding. You can also style individual links using Elementor and the Block Editor to highlight and style specific links and make them more visible and pretty.

Using Popular Page Builders

Most popular page builders like Elementor, Beaver Builder, and Divi have visual editing tools to style elements, including text and links. Here’s how you can change link colors using these page builders:

Step-by-Step Instructions for a Few Common Page Builders

• Elementor:
  • Open the page with Elementor by clicking ‘Edit with Elementor’.
  • Select the text element that contains the link.
  • In the Style tab, look for ‘Text Color’ options under the ‘Typography’ section.
  • Choose your desired color for the link.
• Beaver Builder:
  • Launch the page in Beaver Builder by clicking ‘Page Builder’.
  • Click on the module that contains your link.
  • Go to the Style tab and find the link color options.
  • Adjust the color as needed.
• Divi:
  • Edit the page with the Divi Builder.
  • Click on the module that includes your link.
  • Under the Design tab, find the Link options.
  • Select the color for your link from the picker.
• WPBakery Page Builder:
  • Open the page in WPBakery Page Builder mode.
  • Click on the pencil icon to edit the text block that contains your link.
  • In the General tab, use the Color option to change the link color.
  • Apply the changes.

Tips When WordPress Link Color Not Changing:

• Consistency: While page builders give you flexibility in styling, it’s important to maintain consistency in link colors across your site for a cohesive look and feel.
• Preview and Save: Use the preview option to see how the color looks on the page. Once happy, don’t forget to save or publish your changes.Page builders are great for users who want control over their page design, including link colors, without the coding complexity. Each page builder has its own interface and styling options but they all provide a way to style links on individual pages.

Method 5: Using Gutenberg (Individual)

Now, with the recent WordPress updates, web design has become more unified in WordPress. The TinyMCE Editor is replaced by the Gutenberg Editor where design happens by dragging and dropping pre-built content blocks. Both pages and posts can now be edited via the same editor. The mini toolbar appears when you select text or links, providing more options and tools.

To change the link color with Guttenberg, follow these steps:

• Open a post/page with Gutenberg and select some text. Add a link to it with the hyperlink icon.
• With the link text selected, click on the dropdown arrow next to the link icon. From here, select the ‘Text Color’ option.

• That opens WordPress’s color picker with which you can set a custom color for the selected piece of text.

• Click on the ‘Update’ button at the top-right.

WordPress Plugins for Link Color Change

Beaver Builder lets you customize link colors right within its visual editor, so you can match your links to your site’s color scheme. Elementor has extensive styling options, including link color customization, which can be accessed through its intuitive interface.

Also, plugins like WP Custom CSS and Custom CSS & JS can be used to add custom CSS code to your WordPress site, so you have precise control over link color customization. By using a plugin, you can change link colors without needing to know CSS or coding. This saves time and ensures the changes are applied site-wide.

Link Color Change and SEO

Changing link colors can affect a website’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Search engines like Google use link color to determine the relevance and importance of a webpage. A well-designed link color scheme can improve a website’s visibility in search engine results, so it’s more likely to get visitors.

Using a consistent link color scheme throughout a website can improve user experience, reduce bounce rates, and increase engagement. When users can easily distinguish links from regular text, they are more likely to navigate through the site, which can positively affect SEO metrics like time on site and pages per session.

By using a CSS or a plugin, you can ensure your link color scheme is SEO optimized, so your website’s online presence is improved. Consistent and distinguishable link colors not only improve user navigation but also tell search engines your site is well organized and user-friendly, which can lead to better search rankings.

Browser Compatibility for Link Color Change

When changing link colors, make sure the new colors are compatible with different browsers and devices. Browser compatibility can affect how link colors are displayed, and using a custom CSS or a plugin can ensure colors are consistent across different browsers.

Custom CSS code gives you precise control over link color customization so the colors are applied across all browsers. Also, using a pre-made color scheme or a plugin can simplify the process of testing browser compatibility, so link colors are displayed correctly on different devices and browsers.

Best Practices for Choosing Link Colors

When choosing colors for your website, focus on usability, accessibility, and brand consistency.

Accessibility and Readability:

• Contrast: Make sure there is high contrast between the color, background, and surrounding text for readability and accessibility.
• Color Blindness: Choose colors that are distinguishable to those with color blindness, and avoid red/green combinations.
• Size and Style: Use underlines or bold styles to make links more noticeable. Use a different color for links than regular text so users can easily identify clickable elements and navigate the site effectively, improving usability and branding.

Brand Identity:

• Brand Palette: Use colors from your brand’s palette to maintain consistency and reinforce brand recognition.
• Subtle vs. Bold: Choose colors that match your brand’s personality, whether they blend in or stand out.

User Engagement:

• A/B Testing: Test different colors to see which performs better for click-through rates and engagement.
• User Feedback: Collect user opinions on link colors so they are effective from a user’s perspective.
• Contextual Suitability: Adapt to different site areas for effectiveness.

Additional Considerations:

• Hover and Active States: Differentiate these states with color changes or underlines for visual feedback.
• Consistency Across Devices: Make sure colors and styles are consistent across all devices.

By following these practices, you can choose link colors that are beautiful and functional, making navigation intuitive and reflecting your brand’s identity.

Conclusion

Customizing hyperlink colors in WordPress effectively enhances your website’s aesthetics and usability. Your choice of customization method, be it the WordPress Customizer, custom CSS, theme-specific options, or page builders, should align with your coding comfort, theme features, and desired customization level. 

While aesthetics are important, prioritizing link distinguishability and accessibility is crucial. Consistently aligning colors with your brand and focusing on readability ensures an engaging and cohesive website. Adhering to best practices in color selection can significantly impact your site’s user experience and online presence.