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by James Everett Youngblood
on
Here you are, scratching your head and trying to figure out how to make a hyperlink.
Maybe you started your first blog and want to link to an authoritative resource like Forbes or Wall Street Journal.
Or perhaps you need a quick reminder on how to make a clickable link in HTML.
Or, maybe you need to add a link to an Instagram Story or YouTube video.
Whatever the reason, we have you covered.
Let’s jump in.
Quick Navigation:
Hyperlinks are clickable words or images that navigate to other digital content. They can connect with almost any resource on the web.
When clicked, they’ll either take you to a web address immediately or, for certain types of files, give you the option to open a document with an app (like Adobe Reader to open a PDF).
The hyperlink function helps navigate to:
Let’s look at a couple insert hyperlink methods.
Hyperlinks are fundamental to web navigation, and using them is second nature for most of us.
They appear in blog posts, social media posts, Microsoft Word documents, Google Sheets (and Docs), PDF documents, emails, and more.
But only when it’s time to embed a text link do we give them any thought.
There are two ways to embed a hyperlink:
Let’s look at how to embed a link in text using the visual editor on your website:
Step 1: Highlight the display text you want to link.
Step 2: Click the Add Link icon within the text editing bar, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+K. This opens a field where you’ll enter the link location you want to create a link to.
Step 3: Enter the full address (including HTTPS) or existing file location you want the link to navigate to in the field, and press Enter.
Now you have a hyperlinked text.
How to insert links in images:
Step 1: Select the image by clicking on it.
Step 2: Now click the Add Link icon in the bar (or Ctrl+K) to open the field. Enter the location you want to link to (like our previous example).
In this example, I’ve linked to a PDF document stored on my Google Drive. Readers can open or download the page using an app of their choice.
The same process applies whether you’re editing a Post or a Page within WordPress.
Here is how you create an email link in Gmail:
Step 1: Highlight the anchor text you want to link.
Step 2: Click on the Add Link icon in the text editing bar (or Ctrl+K).
Step 3: Paste or type the URL you want to link to in the field and click ok.
Now you have your hyperlink.
The process is similar in Microsoft Outlook and other email clients.
Step 1: To embed a link in text within a Word document, start by highlighting the display text.
Step 2: Then select Insert on the upper menu bar.
Step 3: Now click: Links → Link → Insert Link (a window will appear).
You can then add a URL to the Address field or link to:
If you’re using another Microsoft Office program or Google Doc, the process is very similar.
Highlight the descriptive text you’d like to turn into a hyperlink, select Insert in the menu bar, and choose Link.
Then simply copy and paste the URL.
When building an HTML link, use the <a> and </a> elements to designate the beginning and end of the link.
Designate the target you’re linking to by using the href attribute:
<a href=“enter target URL here”>
As an example, let’s say you wanted to create the following:
Smart Blogger has a popular post about SMART goals.
This is what the HTML code would look like in the WordPress text box editor:
<p>Smart Blogger has a <a href="https://smartblogger.com/smart-goal-examples/">popular post about SMART goals</a>.</p>
For adding a hyperlink to an image, the basic snippet is:
<a href="example.com">
<img src="example-image.jpg" alt="image description">
</a>
And that’s it.
Now, you know how to create multiple hyperlinks.
Most of the time, you won’t need HTML and can simply link text by clicking the icon in the text editing toolbar.
Whether you’re creating a hyperlink on a web page or email or linking to a PDF or a podcast recording on your own site, now you have the information to create this fundamental element of web navigation.
Have fun with your new superpower!
Content Marketing
This post was originally published on December 30, 2020. It’s been updated for freshness and comprehensiveness.
James Everett Youngblood
This post on hyperlinks was the first one James Everett Youngblood wrote for Smart Blogger. As our former assistant editor, he helped hundreds of students with the tech intricacies of WordPress, email, and Google Docs — including how to add the good ol’ hyperlink.