HTML links or hyperlinks are words, phrases, or images in online content that, on clicking, take the site visitor to another web page with related content. Links are an integral part of the world wide web.

Links connect pages both within a website and to other websites. They enable site visitor’s to collect relevant information in less time by clicking their way from one page to another on any server across the world.

There are two ends of a link: anchor and direction. The link will start at the ‘source’ anchor and point to the ‘destination’ anchor. The destination anchor may be an HTML document, image, video, or a section within an HTML document.

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Difference Between HTML and CSS

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How to add background image in HTML?

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HTML Link Syntax

In HTML, we specify a link using the <a> tag.

Syntax:

<a href="url">Link text</a>
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Explanation:

<a></a>: This is the anchor tag that creates a hyperlink. Anything between this tag becomes part of the link. The user can click that part to reach the linked document.
href: Specifies the destination address of the link used.
Text link: The visible part of the link.

Example:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
   <head>
      <title>Example of HTML Link</title>
   </head>    
   <body>
      <p>Click on the below link</p>
      <a href = "https://www.naukri.com/learning">Shiksha Online</a>
   </body>
</html>
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Output:

Must read: How to add background image in HTML?

target Attribute

The target attribute helps us define the location where the linked document will open. Some of the target locations include:

Target	Description
_self	The link opens in the same frame. It is the default value, so you need not specify this value.
_blank	The link opens in a new window.
_parent	The linked document opens in the parent frameset.
_top	It will open the link in the full body of the window.
framename	It opens the linked document in the named frame.

Syntax:

Example:

<a href="URL"_blank|_self|_parent|_top|framename">Link Text</a>
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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
   <head>
      <title>Target Attribute Example</title>
   </head>    
   <body>
      <p>Click any of the following links</p>
     <a href = " https://www.shiksha.com/online-courses/" target = "_self">Link will open in Self</a> |
     <a href = " https://www.shiksha.com/online-courses/" target = "_blank">Link will open in New</a> |
     <a href = " https://www.shiksha.com/online-courses/" target = "_parent"> Link will open in Parent</a> |
      <a href = " https://www.shiksha.com/online-courses/" target = "_top"> Link will open in Body of the window</a>
   </body>
</html>
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Output:

Must read: HTML Formatting: HTML Tags for Text Formatting (With Examples)

HTML Link Colors

By default, in most browsers, links appear in the following colors:

Unvisited link: blue and underlined.
Visited link: purple and underlined.
Hover link: when the user hovers mouses over it.
Active link (the moment a link is clicked): red and underlined.

We can change the color of the links using the CSS property.

Syntax to change Link text color with CSS styling:

<a href="https://www.shiksha.com/online-courses/" style="color:red">Shiksha Online</a>
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Output:

Syntax to change Link background color with CSS styling:

<a href=" https://www.shiksha.com/online-courses/" style="background-color:yellow">Shiksha Online</a>
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Output:

Below is an example of how we can change the default colors of HTML links on a webpage.

Example:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
a:link {
    color: green;
    background-color: transparent;
}
a:visited {
    color: pink;
    background-color: transparent;
}
a:hover {
    color: red;
    background-color: transparent;
}
a:active {
    color: yellow;
    background-color: transparent;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Changing HTML Link Colors</p>
<a href="https://www.shiksha.com/online-courses/" target="_blank">Shiksha Online</a> 
</body>
</html>
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Output:

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How to Create a Bookmark Link in HTML?

Bookmark links in HTML enable users to go to a specific section on a web page. Bookmarks are beneficial for long pages where users can directly jump to the relevant section rather than going through the entire page.

In HTML, you will first need to create a bookmark and add a link to it. On clicking on that link, the user will go to that specific location.

Here is how to create a bookmark link in HTML:

Add the id attribute to the HTML element where you want the site visitor to go.
Use the # symbol followed by the id attribute value as the href attribute value in the <a> tag.

Example:

<a href="html_courses.html#courses">Popular HTML Courses</a>
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Steps Explained:

1. Create a bookmark using the id attribute:

<h2 id="courses">Popular HTML Courses</h2>
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2. Now, we will need to add a link to the bookmark – “Popular HTML Courses ” from the same page:

<a href="#courses">Jump to Popular HTML Courses</a>
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HTML Code to Create a Bookmark:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
   <head>
      <title>Bookmark Link in HTML</title>
   </head>
   <body>
      <h1>Programming Courses</h1>
      <p>
         <a href="#courses">Learn Programming</a>
      </p>
      <h2>Java</h2>
      <p>Explore the top Java Courses</p>
      <h2>Python</h2>
      <p>Explore the top Python Courses</p>
      <h2>JavaScript</h2>
      <p>Explore the top JavaScript Courses </p>
      <h2>C++</h2>
      <p>Explore the top C++ Courses</p>
      <h2>HTML</h2>
      <p>Explore the top HTML Courses</p>
      <h2>PHP</h2>
      <p>Explore the top PHP Courses</p>
      <h2>
         <a name="courses">Learn Programming</a>
      </h2>
   </body>
</html>
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Output:

Conclusion

In today’s digital world, links and hyperlinks play an essential role in creating your online presence and managing your online reputation. We hope this article on Links in HTML will help you add links to your web pages that can take your site visitors to another web page with related content.

FAQs

What are the different types of links in HTML?

The different types of links in HTML include: 1. Local - Links to a page on the same directory or server 2. Internal - Link to a section on the current page 3. External - The link leads to a page outside the site of the current page 4. Download - Allows users to download a file

Explain the difference between active links and normal links in HTML?

In HTML, normal links are those on which the user has not clicked yet. Active links are those that are currently being clicked by the user. The default color of normal links is blue and that of active links is red. You can change the colors using CSS styling.

What is an href in an HTML link?

href stands for Hypertext REFerence. Now let us understand href meaning. href is an attribute of the tag that specifies the destination of the hyperlink or link. Using the href attribute, we can link anchor text to another web page or a different section of the same page.

Can I style links differently from regular text?

Yes, you can style links using CSS to change their appearance, such as color, underline, and hover effects.

About the Author

Anshuman Singh

Senior Executive - Content

Anshuman Singh is an accomplished content writer with over three years of experience specializing in cybersecurity, cloud computing, networking, and software testing. Known for his clear, concise, and informative wr... Read Full Bio

Creating HTML Links – Tutorial With Examples

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