Have you ever noticed that certain words on the Web look a little bit different?
Whenever you see a word or phase that’s underlined in blue, it’s probably a hyperlink, or link for short. You might already know how links work, even if you’ve thought about them much before. For example, try clicking the link below.
Links are
used to navigate the Web. When you
click a link, it will take you to a different webpage. In the example below,
we're clicking a link to learn more about the Pakistan Air Force.
When you
hover over a Wikipedia link, a preview of the linked site appears to give you
more information. It is important to note that most web browsers show the link’s
URL in the bottom-left corner of the window.
You may also
notice that your cursor changes into a handicon
whenever you hover a link.
If you see
this icon, it means you've found a link. You’ll find other types of links this
too. For example, any websites actually use images as a link, so you can just click the image to navigate to another page. In the example below,
we’re click the picture of a coffee mug to open a page with more information
about it.
Links don’t
always go to another website. In some cases, they allow you to download a file. When you click a link
like this, the file will downloaded to your computer. In the example below, we’re
downloading an installation file for a new application.
As you can
see, links are an important part of using the Web. They allow you to navigate
between different webpages, download files, and do a whole lot more.
