Specificity of hyperlinks is key

What Is It That They Want Me To See, To Read, To Go To??

When you create a hyperlink from one page to an article, entry, notation or reference on another page, be sure to include the anchor so that the person clicking on that hyperlink immediately sees the text, message, article, reference, etc. that you are directing them to. If the hyperlink is to a page in general, then no specific anchor must be specified, but if it is to reference text, it is best to do the work for them and make it easy for the user to find the text to which you refer.

Named Anchors - Anchor Text - Anchors - Book Marks

One of the neat things about Information Technology vs. the web is that IT has its terms that have never changed, while the web has many terms that mean the same thing. Named anchors is one such term. From an IT focus, it simply means a place "bookmarked" on a page with the notation, # to name an anchor - a place to which you can link to and go directly to that place on the page.

If you have ever clicked on a link to go to an article that was referenced in another page, and you are directed to some point half way down from the top of the page, that is the effect of a named anchor being used in a hyperlink text.

Today, named anchors are also called bookmarks, anchor text, anchors, and a variety of other names dependant upon the tool being utilized to create the HTML behind the scenes. Many home grown applications call them by other names.

The benefits of assuring that you send people to the right place on a page are numerous. For one, they might read the information to which you sent them with the link. It will make it easier for them to find the information. It will reduce the amount of frustration they may feel with clicking on a link to go to yet another page when they want information.

If the link to which you are referring your guest goes to a page on another website, it is wise to consider loading that page in a new window so that the guest does not loose your website and therefore be a historical visitor never to return. It also helps the visitor quickly return to your site, particularly if that information was not exactly what they wanted.

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