What Are Anchor Links And How Do They Work

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Many small enterprises have finally taken the initiative to learn the art of anchor links. This is a good technique to enhance navigation and credit external sources. Best of all it helps in search engine optimization (SEO). In this article, we’ll talk about the nature of anchor links and their function.

 

What Is An Anchor Link And How Does It Work?

An anchor link is a clickable link that brings you directly to a particular page area. Basically, you’re making a different URL on the same page. You can attach a link to an image, button, phrase, or word. The options are endless.

 

Anchors come in handy when you have a lengthy text that you want to split into sections. The reader can click on the links to transfer between sections. A good example is a table of contents where every part is an anchor tag.

 

The Advantages Of Using The Anchor Links

The main advantages of using the anchor links are as follows:

 

  • No Hassle In Scrolling: Using the anchor links doesn’t force your users to scroll down a large amount of information to search a specific section. Just a click on the link and your visitors will be transferred to a particular page.
  • Aids In Search Engine Use: Anchor links make things easier for users as Google sometimes use this link to direct a user to a particular section of your page. It’s quite helpful when you aim to direct traffic to a particular spot on a page.
  • Keep The Page In order: You can keep all your content and documents in one place by using anchor links. If you have made multiple anchors on your website, you can show them all in a nice floating anchor menu.

 

How To Add Anchor Links

The first thing to do when adding anchor links to a page is to write out your copy. Next, put the copy on your website’s new page or current page. Identify where to place the link on the anchor link and where you want it to be directed.

 

Once the anchor link and anchor destination are decided, add the HTML code, using the <a> tag to make the link and to make the destination. The format of the anchor link is: <a href=”#anchor1″ > Anchor Link Text</a>. The format of the anchor destination is: <a name=”anchor1″>Anchor Destination Text</a>.

 

Make sure that the “a href” and “a name” are the same, of course except for a “#” in the href formula. Like everything else, use the anchor links sparingly. It can displease your visitors once you overuse the anchor links.

 

Tips For Making Anchor Links

 

  • Make sure that you use the same words in the anchor links and the referred subheadings.
  • Make the sub-headings are distinguishable as main elements of the page.
  • Make sure that the anchored destination is seen without scrolling.
  • Place the anchor links as a form of page-index: on top of the page, just under the page heading.