externalurl

An external URL is a Uniform Resource Locator that points to a resource on a different domain or host than the current document. External URLs are contrasted with internal URLs, which refer to resources within the same site or domain.

External URLs are typically absolute, including the scheme and domain, for example, https://www.example.org/resource. Relative URLs or paths, such as /about, usually resolve to internal resources within the same site. External links are commonly used to reference partner sites, reference materials, or downloadable files hosted on remote servers.

In HTML, external links are created with anchor tags and an href attribute that contains the absolute URL. To improve security when opening external resources in a new window or tab, it is common to use rel="noopener noreferrer" and, if appropriate, target="_blank".

From an accessibility and search engine perspective, external links should use descriptive link text and be clearly indicated as external when relevant. Excessive or misleading external links can affect user experience and page authority; link rot is a maintenance concern.

Practices for managing external URLs include implementing regular link checks, considering privacy and referrer policies, and deciding when to apply rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored" where appropriate. External URLs are governed by web standards such as RFC 3986 for URIs and by browser security models that may restrict cross-origin interactions.