In the digital age like today, we are all so close. But not many know in depth what a hyperlink. And why this is important. Especially in the world of web developers.
Hyperlinks are links. And in India, it is called a link. The hyperlink is the basic concept behind what is called the Web.
To explain what a link is, we need to re-explore the basics of Web architecture.
The main requirement to more easily understand what a Hyperlink is, you should at least be familiar with how the Internet works, familiar with the differences between web servers, web pages, websites, and search engines.
Hyperlink History
We have to go back far back in 1989, Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Web, mentions the problem of the 3 pillars on which a Web stands:
- A URL, a system that can be called an address for tracking Web documents
- HTTP, the transfer protocol for finding documents when given a URL
- HTML, document format or programming language that allows hyperlinks to be created.
If you look at the three pillars, anything on the Web revolves around documents and how to access them.
The main concept of the Web is as a medium in providing the easiest way to reach, read, and navigate a document in the form of text. That’s the basic idea.
Since then, the Web has evolved and evolved as a means of providing access in a variety of other forms. Like pictures, videos, and binary data. In fact, the increase that occurred hardly changed the three pillars.
Before there was a Web, it was quite difficult to access documents and move from one to another.
The concept of a URL is quite easy. As an access tool. But it’s still quite difficult to remember/type long URLs. Its effectiveness has not been able to really make it easier for humans to access a document at any time.
This is the beginning where the idea of hyperlinks revolutionizes everything. The link can correlate any text string with the URL, so users can directly reach the target document by clicking the link.
By default, links will stand out from the surrounding text. Usually underlined and in blue text.
When there is action; tap or click done on the link, it will activate its function, or if you use a keyboard, press Tab then you will automatically be directed to the focus of the link. When the Enter function key or space bar is done it will automatically point to the URL as the place/address of the document.
Links are ideas or breakthroughs that make the Web very powerful. And this is the first step to its success.
Next, we will discuss the types of links and their functions for modern Web design.
Link Type
As a web development company that provides Professional Website Development Services, we are familiar with the name of the link. As previously reviewed, a link is a string of text that is bound to the URL.
And usually, we use links as a tool to make it easy to jump from one document to another. From one page to another. Even from one website to another website.
The function and form links are divided into three types. Namely as follows;
Internal Link
A link that connects between two web pages, where both web pages are on the same website, it is called an internal link. Without internal links, there is no website (except, it is a one-page site).
Internal links function as navigation tools. Including those placed on what is commonly called a menu.
External Link
This External Link is a description of a link from your web page that leads to someone else’s web page. Without external links, there is also no Web, because the nature of the Web is a network of web pages.
External links function as a tool to direct users to certain pages outside of your site. Useful in providing additional information besides the content available on your web page. Can be in the form of references, recommendations, or others.
Incoming Link
Incoming links are links that come from other people’s web pages that link to your site. This is the opposite of external links.
If you build a website, you certainly need to build an internal link network. Because it makes the site usable. Do it with a good balance and adjust to the needs and important functions. Not too much or too little.
In designing website navigation, building the perfect link is a must. The most important rule is that every time you add a new page to the web, make sure there is at least one link that leads there. As a tool for navigation for users.
When you’re just starting out, external links don’t really matter to you. And if you produce quality and important content for many people, there will automatically be other sites that will link their pages to your great content. Both in the form of recommendations, as a source, or reference.
But it’s different if you think about how search engines find your site. Then the incoming link or usually better known as a backlink becomes very important. This explanation will belong. For a quick explanation, you can read at the bottom.
Or for an in-depth explanation, read our article about Search Engine Optimization entitled; What is SEO?
Anchors
The concept of a link is to unite or a link between web pages. Anchor or better known as Anchor binds two parts of a document into one.
When you follow the link in the form of an anchor, your browser will jump to another part of the current document instead of loading a new document. However, to create and use anchors, it’s the same as making other links.
Links And Search Engines
Link is an important factor of a web. Both for users and search engines.
The search engine crawls the web using a link column. And every time a search engine crawls a web page, they read the data/document and then index the relevant website.
Search engines not only follow link columns in finding various pages of a website, but they also use link text to determine relevant search queries to reach the target web pages.
The link works while influencing how easily search engines link to your site. The problem is, it’s difficult to measure how search engine activity.
For many business people, sites that are indexed by search engines and rank high on search results pages are very important.
In web developers, one of the tasks that we usually do is about optimizing sites to be indexed and ranked in search engines. That is through Professional SEO Services. And some of the factors that determine site ranking are links.
Including the following:
- The text shown in the link affects the search query where it will find the URL provided.
- The more incoming links (backlinks), the higher the site’s ranking. what backlinks are.
- External links affect the search ranking of both source and target web pages. Read what SEO Off Page is
Read More: Best Android Launcher Available On Play Store
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a technique to increase a website’s ranking in search engines.
Thus a brief explanation of what is a hyperlink. May be useful.