A hyperlink can be a text or an icon by clicking on which users can navigate to a particular section of the same or another web content. Professionals who create digital content can learn about hyperlinks and provide a valuable browsing experience to users. Understanding the benefits and uses of hyperlinks can allow you to improve the credibility of your digital content. In this article, we explain how to make a hyperlink using different approaches, list its benefits and provide some tips that you can consider while creating a hyperlink.
What is a hyperlink?
Hyperlinks are clickable texts, images or phrases that can help users navigate to other web content to gain more context or information. In general, hyperlinks can be in blue and underlined text. The linked text is known as the anchor text. You can connect web pages with each other through hyperlinks. When a user clicks or taps on a hyperlink, it leaves the current page the user is on and redirects to the link assigned with the hyperlink. It can help users to navigate to different types of content such as another page on the same website, HTML files, web page addresses, PDFs and audio files.
How to make a hyperlink
Here are different methods that can help you learn how to make hyperlinks:
- Open the text editor
To create a hyperlink, open the text editor first. A text editor can be any software that you are using to write an article or blog post. The first step to making a hyperlink can be going to the text editor and writing a few words.
- Highlight text
You can highlight the text you want to link. To highlight the text, click and drag the cursor over the text. This method can help you highlight both a single word or an entire paragraph. You can also click and drag the cursor over an image to highlight it.
- Find the link icon
You can locate the link icon in the toolbar of your text editor. Find the menu at the top of the editor. The appearance of the toolbar can be different depending on the type of text editor you are using. Find and select the link icon in the toolbar. The link icon may look like links in a chain or two interconnected ovals.
- Insert the link
After locating the link icon, click on it. You may then see a box with space for the text and link in the document. Add a link in the space labelled as ‘URL’ or ‘insert a link’. After adding the link, click on the ‘Ok’ or ‘insert’ at the bottom of the box.
How to edit hyperlinks
Once you create hyperlinks using the above steps, you can edit them whenever necessary. Here are the steps that can help you edit a hyperlink:
- Find the hyperlink
Locate the hyperlink that you want to edit in the document. You can right click on the hyperlink. Once you do that, a menu may open with multiple options.
- Click on the edit hyperlink
Find the option to edit a link from the menu appearing on the screen. In some editors, you can use the shortcut ‘ctrl+k’ to open the link editor box. Click on the hyperlink and press ‘ctrl+k’ or click on the edit icon.
- Make changes
Once the link editor box opens, you can make changes to the link. If the URL is incorrect, you can use this step to enter the correct information. This step can also help you in removing the link and converting a hyperlink into a hypertext.
Additional tips for creating hyperlinks
Here are tips that you can consider when creating hyperlinks:
Create a hyperlink using an image
There are two methods you can follow to create a hyperlink using an image. You can use the entire image or a part of the image to create a hyperlink. For creating a hyperlink using the entire image, you can place the ‘img tag’ in the anchor tag. If you want to create a hyperlink using a part of the image then you can create an image map. Here is an example code for creating a hyperlink using an image:
<p>
<a href=”https://www.computerhope.com/”>
<img src=”https://www.computerhope.com/cdn/media/logo-200-gray.png”>
</a>
</p>
Use shortcut keys for hyperlinks
The shortcut keys for creating hyperlinks may vary depending on the software you are using. For Microsoft software such as Excel or Word, the shortcut keys are ctrl+k. You can use this shortcut key to create a hyperlink without touching your mouse. If you are unable to find the option to insert a link in the toolbar, you can just click ‘ctrl+k’ and insert the link.
Create a hyperlink to a particular section of the site
Users can navigate to a particular section of the site by clicking on hyperlinks. This can be helpful when a topic mentioned has some detailed information on a different section of the site. Hyperlinks can be a great tool to connect content from different sections of the site and allow users to navigate without scrolling the entire site on their own. It can help you make your online content look more valuable and credible.
Create hyperlinks that open the link in the new tab
If you want users to open a link to an external site, then using this function can be helpful. Opening a new link in a different tab can allow the users to stay on your site and explore the other site at the same time. The default settings of the browser may open up the new link in the same tab. You can change this by creating a hyperlink using a simple method. Add targeted attributes to the opening tag. Enter the value or the URL you want users to visit. Then save the hyperlink and test it by yourself.
Benefits of hyperlinks
Using hyperlinks can offer benefits to both users and content owners. Here are the benefits of using hyperlinks in your digital content:
Improves credibility
Including hyperlinks in the text can allow you to share key resources with readers. It can help users find more information about a specific topic. For example, while writing a news article, you can insert hyperlinks to trustworthy sources that can help users assess if your content is credible. If you are mentioning a specific statistic in your content, you can link it to the source so that users can check the credibility. Inserting hyperlinks can also prove that the content is well-researched.
Increases page views
By using hyperlinks, you can increase the number of page views on your site. You can link multiple web pages of your site by using hyperlinks. It can allow readers to navigate to other pages on your website. A reader may intend to visit several pages during their visit to a website. You can add relevant hyperlinks in the text to catch the attention of readers. For example, if an article is about wildlife, consider linking it to other wildlife articles on your website. Readers may follow these links to gain more context about a specific topic.
Helps with SEO
Search engine optimisation (SEO) can be an important tool to increase traffic to a website. Optimising your digital content according to the SEO guidelines can help you generate more traffic from search engines. Using a specific number of hyperlinks can be important as per some search engine algorithms. It can help your site rank higher than competitor sites.
Improves navigation
With the help of hyperlinks, you can improve the navigation of a website. You can link references or related pages to provide value to the audience. By including hyperlinks at the right places on web pages, you can make your website easy to navigate. You can also add hyperlinks to important pages like contact pages to make it convenient for readers to assess them.
