verlinken

Verlinken is the act of creating hyperlinks that connect one document, page, or resource to another in a digital environment. In German-language usage, the verb denotes the action of adding clickable references; the noun Verlinkung refers to the link itself or to the practice of linking. Hyperlinks may point to web pages, documents, emails, or sections within a page.

Technically, links are implemented with anchor elements in HTML using the href attribute to specify the target and the link text as the visible clickable portion. Other environments support linking as well, such as Markdown, Wiki syntax, and various content management systems.

Verlinken serves several purposes: navigation and information architecture within a site, enabling references to external sources, and, in many cases, search engine optimization when used with descriptive anchor text and relevant targets. Best practices include avoiding overlinking, using meaningful anchor text, and ensuring links are accessible and up to date.

Internal linking (Verlinkung innerhalb einer Website) helps users and crawlers discover related content, while external linking provides citations and context. Accessibility considerations require that links are distinguishable as links, reachable by keyboard, and have meaningful text that makes sense out of context.

In German-speaking contexts, verlinken is common in web development, publishing, and collaborative editing, including wikis. The terms Hyperlink and Link are widely used in technical writing, but verlinken emphasizes the action within German-language content.