diff --git a/blocks/rich-text/format-toolbar/index.js b/blocks/rich-text/format-toolbar/index.js
index edc1c54a..b7750c82 100644
--- a/blocks/rich-text/format-toolbar/index.js
+++ b/blocks/rich-text/format-toolbar/index.js
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ class FormatToolbar extends Component {
 	}

 	addLink() {
+		this.props.highlightSelection();
 		this.setState( { isEditingLink: false, isAddingLink: true, newLinkValue: '' } );
 	}

diff --git a/blocks/rich-text/index.js b/blocks/rich-text/index.js
index eeeebff9..85191057 100644
--- a/blocks/rich-text/index.js
+++ b/blocks/rich-text/index.js
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ export default class RichText extends Component {
 		this.maybePropagateUndo = this.maybePropagateUndo.bind( this );
 		this.onPastePreProcess = this.onPastePreProcess.bind( this );
 		this.onPaste = this.onPaste.bind( this );
+		this.highlightSelection = this.highlightSelection.bind( this );

 		this.state = {
 			formats: {},
@@ -660,6 +661,9 @@ export default class RichText extends Component {
 		if ( document.activeElement !== this.editor.getBody() ) {
 			return;
 		}
+		if ( this.editor.selection.getNode().hasAttribute( 'data-mce-bogus' ) ) {
+			return;
+		}
 		const formatNames = this.props.formattingControls;
 		const formats = this.editor.formatter.matchAll( formatNames ).reduce( ( accFormats, activeFormat ) => {
 			accFormats[ activeFormat ] = {
@@ -766,6 +770,17 @@ export default class RichText extends Component {
 		this.editor.setDirty( true );
 	}

+	highlightSelection() {
+		this.editor.undoManager.ignore( () => {
+			const id = this.editor.dom.uniqueId();
+			const content = this.editor.selection.getContent();
+			this.editor.selection.setContent(
+				`<span id="${ id }" style="background: rgba( 15, 155, 195, 0.2 )" data-mce-bogus="1">${ content }</span>`
+			);
+			this.editor.selection.select( this.editor.dom.get( id ) );
+		} );
+	}
+
 	render() {
 		const {
 			tagName: Tagname = 'div',
@@ -800,6 +815,7 @@ export default class RichText extends Component {
 				onChange={ this.changeFormats }
 				enabledControls={ formattingControls }
 				customControls={ formatters }
+				highlightSelection={ this.highlightSelection }
 			/>
 		);

diff --git a/blocks/url-input/index.js b/blocks/url-input/index.js
index a98d0df1..b6f596f8 100644
--- a/blocks/url-input/index.js
+++ b/blocks/url-input/index.js
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ class UrlInput extends Component {
 		return (
 			<div className="blocks-url-input">
 				<input
-					autoFocus
+					// autoFocus
 					type="text"
 					aria-label={ __( 'URL' ) }
 					required