HTML Links

Last Updated on September 25, 2023 by Mayank Dham

While learning HTML, you will come across many tags, one of which is HTML link, which is an important and interesting tag. HTML links, also known as hyperlinks, are used to connect one web page to another or one section of the same webpage to another.

What are HTML Links?

A link can also be text, an image, a video, or any other type of content.

It is critical to ensure that links are relevant to the content to which they are linked and that they are visible to users. A website’s usability and user experience can be improved by making good use of links. With the help of appropriate examples, we will look at various use cases for link tags in this article.

Creating Links with the Tag :

We have to use tag to create a link in HTML.

< a href="URL">link text

OR

< a href = "Document URL" ... attributes-list>Link Text

We have to add the link in the value of the href attribute.

For example, to create a link to the PrepBytes homepage, you can use the following code:

< a href="https://www.prepbytes.com/”>Go to PrepBytes

When users click on the "Go to PrepBytes" text, their web browser will navigate to the PrepBytes homepage.

This is how we can create links in our webpage.

• Linking to External Web Pages:
• Linking to external web pages in HTML is a great way to provide your users with access to a wide range of information and resources.

This is how you can link external webpage –

< !DOCTYPE html>
< html>
< body>

< h1>
   This is the linking to prepbytes website.
< /h1>

< a href="https://www.prepbytes.com"> Go to PrepBytes webpage

< /body>
< /html>

Output:

And once you will click the “Go to PreBytes webpage text” you will we redirected like this –

Additionally, it is a good practice to make clear to user that this is a link and after clicking this link you will leave this website.
Also, you can link the external webpage in such a way that after clicking to link will open in new tab or window. So, that user will easily return to your website.

Linking to Internal Pages with Relative URLs:

You can also use relative URLs to link to pages within your own website. For example, if you have a page called "about.html" in the same directory as the current page, you could create a link to it like this:

< a href="about.html">About Us

If you click the text About Us, you will be redirected to About Us page.

If you want to add other pages, you can use < a> tag in similar fashion.
And if the page(HTML document) is not in the same directory then you can add the address of that document inside href using “./ ” .

Linking to Specific Sections within a Web Page:

If you want to show only specific content to users, it can also be done using link ( tag ).

 this is the paragraph we want to jump onto

Step2 – Create a Hyperlink
We have to use #(hastag) symbol before target id in href value of tag.

This is link to specific paragraph

Hence by clicking on the “This is link to specific paragraph” text we can jump to that specific section of webpage

Adding Images as Links:

Adding images as links is same as text links, just you have to do is to add image instead of the text content.
Also it is one of the best practices to add image links to make the website more interactive.

Here is an example of how you cna add images as links:

< a href="https://www.prepbytes.com">
  < img src="image.jpg" alt="Description of the image">
< /a>

This code will land you to the homepage of PrepBytes .

Note -> This alt attribute is used incase your image is missing or not showing up on the webpage it will be shown alternatively.

Common Mistakes to Avoid with HTML Links

Here are some of the common mistakes that must be avoided while using HTML Link tags.

• Broken Links: Link which does not exist or the content has changed are frustrating for users and can harm your website’s credibility. So, try to check the link on regular basis and update them whenever required.
• Using Non-Descriptive URLs: Try to avoid long and confusing URLs as links instead use short and descriptive URLs if possible. Also, try to use URL shorteners as best practices.
• OverUsing Links: Avoid filling your blog or webpage with too many links which can be frustrating for users and will make it difficult for users to check your content. So use your content where it is necessary.

Conclusion
HTML links, also known as HTML link tags, play an important role in web development by connecting web pages and improving user experience. In this article, we looked at everything from creating simple text links to linking to external web pages, internal pages with relative URLs, specific sections within a web page, and even adding images as links. Web developers can ensure that their links are not only functional but also user-friendly by following best practices and avoiding common mistakes such as broken links and non-descriptive URLs. Ultimately, mastering the art of creating effective and well-designed links is essential for building a seamless and engaging web presence.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some of the frequently asked questions on HTML links.

Q1. What is the purpose of HTML links, and why are they important in web development?
HTML links, also known as hyperlinks, are used to connect one web page to another or link different sections of the same webpage. They are crucial in web development as they facilitate navigation and improve the user experience by allowing users to access related content easily.

Q2. How can I create a basic HTML link, and what is the syntax for it?
To create a basic HTML link, you can use the < a> tag with the href attribute. Here’s the syntax:
< a href="URL">Link Text
For example, < a href="https://www.example.com/”>Visit Example< /a> will create a link to the "https://www.example.com/" URL with the text "Visit Example."

Q3. What is the difference between linking to external web pages and internal pages using relative URLs?
Linking to external web pages involves specifying the full URL in the href attribute, while linking to internal pages with relative URLs only requires specifying the path relative to the current page. For example, < a href="about.html">About Us< /a> links to an internal page, while < a href="https://www.example.com/”>Visit Example< /a> links to an external website.

Q4. How to create a link that redirects users to a specific section within a web page?
To create a link to a specific section within a webpage, you need to assign an id to the target section and use a hash symbol (#) followed by the id in the href attribute. For example:
< p id="target-section">This is the section to jump to< /p>
< a href="#target-section">Jump to Section< /a>
Clicking "Jump to Section" will take users to the section with the specified id.