Hyperlinks: Everything You Need to Know

The hyperlink is usually referred to as a link and web link. It is an icon, graphic, or text that links to another file or object. The World Wide Web is comprised of hyperlinks linking trillions of pages and files to one another. For example, “Computer Hope Home page” is a hyperlink to the main page of computer hope.

Why are hyperlinks used?

Hyperlinks are what allow web pages to connect to other web pages and without them, you would need to know the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for every page on the Internet.

What happens when we click on the hyperlink?

When you click, tap, or select a hyperlink, the browser leaves the current page you are viewing and opens the link for the new page. For example, you could click any of the links below to find out more information related to hyperlinks.

Why are some hyperlinks different in colors?

For usability, many websites (including Computer Hope) change the color of visited hyperlinks as a way to let the reader know what page they have already visited. For example, unless you have already viewed our motherboard page, the link should be blue. However, the link to this hyperlink page should be purple because you’ve visited the page since you are reading it now.

Another place where hyperlinks are found!

Hyperlinks are not exclusive to Internet browsers. Many programs and even operating systems also use hyperlinks. For example, electronic documents, PDFs, and Windows 10 all feature hyperlinks that open other files, documents, and web pages. Hyperlinks can also be made into a QR code, placed on products, and scanned by a smartphone to open a web page without entering the URL.