How can I create a hyperlink?

Answer by: Frederique Taillefer, Aplus.Net Knowledge Base Support.

A HYPERLINK (or LINK for short) is a navigation tool you can build into your page that enables your visitor to click on a word, phrase, or image, and be taken to another location, also know as URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

I. Creating a hyperlink to another page on the Web:

Let’s say for example that you are aware of a terrific online service that enables you to store your photographs and you want to recommend it to your site’s visitors. Here’s how:

1. Start by writing the text that will recommend the site to your visitors:

“You can easily create personal, online photo albums at web-a-photo. It is easy to use and your friends, relatives, or associates can readily access your photos.”

2. Next, insert the proper link tags to your HTML code:

“You can easily create personal, online photo albums at <a href=http://www.web-a-photo.com</a> web-a-photo. It is easy to use and your friends, relatives, or associates can readily access your photos.”

3. Here’s how it will look on your Web page:

“You can easily create personal, online photo albums at web-a-photo. It is easy to use and your friends, relatives, or associates can readily access your photos.”

II. Creating a hyperlink to another page on your Website.

1. Using an absolute address:

A hyperlink that uses an absolute address contains an entire URL. This is necessary if you are linking to a page that is not on your Website, an can also be used to link between page of your Website.

Here’s an example of a hyperlink that uses an absolute address:

<a href=”http://www.web-a-photo.com/>web-a-photo</a>

2. Using a relative address:

A hyperlink that uses a relative address contains only the information necessary for browsers to find the file you are linking to. This can only be used when you are linking to another page in your own site (i.e. the page is located on the same server).

Here’s an example of a hyperlink that uses a relative address:

<a href=”index.html”>Home</a>

or

<a href=”images/logo.jpg”></a>

III. Creating an e-mail link:

You can create a link that your Website’s visitors can click to directly send you an e-mail without leaving your Website. Clicking on that link will open up a new message in their default mail application (the e-mail address will already be filled out) and allow them to write you an e-mail. Here’s how:

1. Type the following HTML code:

<a href=mailto:user@yourdomain.com>user@yourdomain.com</a>

2. Here’s how it will look on your Web page:

user@yourdomain.com

IV. Creating a link to another location on the same Webpage:

Sometimes, especially when your Web page is long, or is divided into many sections such as an FAQ page, you want your Website visitors to be able to get to another location on your Webpage without having to scroll all the way down. Let’s say for example that you want a link at the top of your Webpage that takes your visitors to your contact information lower down that page. Here’s how:

1. At the top of your page, where you want the link to be, type:

“Contact information”

2. Next, insert the proper link tags to your HTML code:

<a href=”#contact”>Contact information</a>

3. Next, insert the following link tags in your HTML code just above your contact information at the bottom of your page:

<a name=”contact”></a>

4. When your visitors click on the “Contact information” link at the top of your page, it will take them directly to the contact information section of your page.

V. Creating an image link to another page:

Sometimes it is useful to have an image link to another webpage. Let’s say for example that you have designed a logo, and that you want a link from that logo to another Webpage which contains a description of your company. Here’s how:

1. In your HTML code, find the code for the image source of your logo. Insert the following link tags just before the image source tag (<img src=…):

<a href=”descriptionpage.html”><img src=”logo.jpg” width=”150” height=”120”></a>

2. Clicking on your logo should now take your visitors directly to your company description page.