Hyperlinking

Hyperlinking is the practice of connecting one document to another, or to a specific location within a document, by means of a hyperlink. On the World Wide Web, hyperlinks are typically activated by clicking or tapping highlighted text or images that reference a URL. The clickable element, known as the anchor, combines visible anchor text with the destination address, enabling effortless navigation across documents and resources.

Hyperlinks build on earlier hypertext concepts from Vannevar Bush and Ted Nelson, but the Web’s first practical hyperlinks appeared in 1990 with Tim Berners‑Lee’s HTML. A hyperlink is typically created with an HTML <a> element and an href attribute, linking to web pages, documents, emails (mailto:), or other resources. Links can be internal (within the same site) or external (to a different site), and may use absolute or relative URLs.

Design and accessibility: Link text should be descriptive to convey purpose even out of context, aiding screen readers and keyboard users. Avoid phrases like “click here” alone. Security and trust considerations include using appropriate rel attributes (for example, nofollow, sponsored, or ugc) and ensuring that linked destinations are identifiable and safe.

Maintenance and standards: Hyperlinks can become broken over time (link rot), so publishers monitor and update them. The Web’s linking and URL handling rely on HTML specifications and the URL syntax defined by standards such as RFC 3986. Hyperlinks influence navigation, indexing, and digital archiving, making them a central tool for information discovery.