How to Turn a URL into a Clickable Link

Have you ever tried to share a website or a web document with someone and wondered how to make a URL a clickable link? Well, you’re not alone! Turning a lengthy web address into a clickable hyperlink is an essential skill in today’s digital age. It not only saves time but also makes online content more user-friendly and easy to navigate. In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to make a URL a link in relaxed English.

Firstly, let’s understand what a URL is. A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the unique web address of a web page, document, image or other digital content that you access through the internet. Most of the time, URLs look long and complicated with a mix of letters, numbers and special characters. To turn these URLs into clickable links, you need to use some straightforward techniques that we’ll explain in detail. Whether you’re sending an email, posting on social media or creating a blog site, making URLs a clickable link is an easy way to share your online content with others. So, let’s dive in and learn how to do it effectively and efficiently.

Section: How to Make a URL a Link

Creating a hyperlink is one of the most basic things you can learn as a website owner or blogger. A hyperlink is simply a clickable link that directs the user from one webpage to another. But how can you make a URL into a hyperlink? In this section, we’ll guide you through the steps to help you create your own.

Step 1: Highlight Your Text

The first thing you should do is to highlight the text you want to turn into a hyperlink. This could be a word, a phrase, or an entire sentence. Once you’ve highlighted your text, you’re ready to turn it into a hyperlink.

Step 2: Click the Hyperlink Button

Most text editors have a button or an option to insert a hyperlink. This button usually looks like a chain link icon or a globe icon. Click this button, and a window will appear where you can insert the URL you want to link to.

Step 3: Insert Your URL

In the hyperlink window, you’ll see two fields: one for the text you want to display as a hyperlink, and another for the actual URL you want to link to. Make sure you’ve copied the URL you want to link to and paste it into the second field.

Step 4: Choose Your Link Type

Some text editors will allow you to choose from different types of links. The most common types are web URL and email links. Choose the type of link that best suits your needs.

Step 5: Test Your Link

Once you’ve inserted your URL, test your link by clicking on it. If it doesn’t work, double-check the URL and make sure you’ve entered it correctly.

Step 6: Edit Your Link

If you need to edit your link, simply click on it to select it, and then click on the hyperlink button again. This will bring up the hyperlink window where you can make changes to the link.

Step 7: Use Anchor Text

Instead of using the full URL as your hyperlink, you can use anchor text. Anchor text is the clickable text that appears in your hyperlink. This is a great way to make your hyperlink more descriptive and relevant to your content.

Step 8: Create Internal Links

Internal links are hyperlinks that point to other pages within your website. These links can be a great way to increase page views and keep readers engaged. To create an internal link, simply use the same steps as you would for an external link.

Step 9: Add Alt Text to Your Links

Alt text is a text description of your hyperlink that appears when a user hovers over your hyperlink. This text can be helpful for users who are visually impaired and use screen readers. To add alt text, simply add a title to your link.

Step 10: Avoid Broken Links

A broken link is a hyperlink that no longer works. Broken links can be frustrating for users and can hurt your website’s SEO. To avoid broken links, make sure to test your links regularly and update them when necessary.

By following these easy steps, you’ll be able to create your own hyperlinks in no time. Remember to test your links regularly, update them when necessary, and use anchor text to make your hyperlinks more descriptive and relevant to your content.

Section 2: Different ways to make a URL into a clickable link

Now that you know what a URL is and why it’s important to make it clickable, it’s time to learn how to do it. There are several different ways that you can turn a plain text URL into a clickable link, depending on the type of document you’re working on, and the tools you have available. Here are ten methods to consider:

1. HTML Link Code

HTML is the language that powers the web, and it offers a simple way to create clickable links from URLs. To create a link in HTML, surround the URL text with the “a” tag. Here’s an example:

“`
Link Text
“`

This will display “Link Text” on your page, and clicking it will take the user to https://www.example.com.

2. Markdown Links

Markdown is a lightweight language for creating formatted text documents. Like HTML, it offers a simple way to create clickable links from URLs. To create a link in Markdown, surround the URL text with square brackets, then immediately follow it with the URL in parentheses. Here’s an example:

“`
[Link Text](https://www.example.com)
“`

This will display “Link Text” on your page, and clicking it will take the user to https://www.example.com.

3. BBCode Links

BBCode is a markup language used primarily in online forums. Like HTML and Markdown, it offers a simple way to create clickable links from URLs. To create a link in BBCode, surround the URL text with square brackets, then immediately follow it with the URL in parentheses. Here’s an example:

“`
[Link Text](https://www.example.com)
“`

This will display “Link Text” on your page, and clicking it will take the user to https://www.example.com.

4. Rich-Text Links

If you’re working with a rich-text document, such as a Word document or Google Doc, you can create clickable links using the formatting tools. Highlight the URL text, then click the link icon (usually represented by a chain link) and enter the URL in the link field.

5. Email Links

To create a clickable link that opens an email client, use the “mailto:” protocol followed by an email address. Here’s an example:

“`
Send Email
“`

This will open the user’s default email client with “[email protected]” as the recipient.

6. Image Links

You can also turn an image into a clickable link by wrapping it in the “a” tag. Here’s an example:

“`

“`

This will display “image.jpg” on your page, and clicking it will take the user to https://www.example.com.

7. Social Media Links

To create a clickable link to a social media profile, use the appropriate URL format for that platform. For example:

– Twitter: https://twitter.com/username
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/username
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/username
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/username

8. QR Code Links

You can create a clickable link that opens a QR code reader app by using the “qr:” protocol followed by the text you want to encode. Here’s an example:

“`
Scan QR Code
“`

This will open the user’s default QR code reader app with the URL for https://www.example.com.

9. Shortened Links

If you’re working with limited space, you can use a URL shortener like bit.ly or TinyURL to create a shorter URL that redirects to the original URL. Then, use one of the methods above to turn the shortened URL into a clickable link.

10. Plugins and Tools

Finally, there are many plugins and tools available that can help you create clickable links quickly and easily. For example, the Linkify plugin for Chrome automatically turns URLs into clickable links as you type, while the TextExpander tool lets you create shortcuts for frequently-used links. Explore the options available to find the tool that works best for you.

Examples of Adding Links to URLs

Now that you understand the basics of creating a link from a URL, it’s time to put that knowledge into practice. Here are a few examples of how you can add links to your website:

Single URL Link

The simplest way to add a link to your website is to use a single URL. This link can be added to text, images, or buttons. For example, if you want to make a hyperlink from the text “Click here” to the URL www.example.com, you would add the following HTML code:

Let’s say you have created a text “Read more” on your website, and you want to hyperlink it to a blog post titled “10 Tips for Social Media Marketing”. All you have to do is to add the URL of the article to the HTML anchor tag.

Read more

This will create a hyperlink for your readers to take them to the blog post.

Multiple Links within a Single Text

You can create links within a single text or paragraph. This is great if you want to reference multiple sources or provide multiple pieces of information. To create multiple links, you simply add each URL one after the other. For example:

If you are writing an article on the best travel destinations in Europe, you might want to include multiple links for each destination that you mention in your article. The HTML code for such multiple links would look like this:

Italy, France, and Spain

This will create clickable hyperlinks that will take your readers to the destination’s page on your website.

Links with Images

You can also add links to images on your website. This is a great way to make your images interactive and clickable. To create a link with an image, you simply wrap the image with an anchor tag. For example:

If you have an image of a product on your website and you want to encourage users to purchase it, you could add a hyperlink that would take them directly to the product’s page on your website. The HTML code for this type of hyperlink would look like this:

This will turn your image into a clickable link that will take users to the product page where they can learn more about it and make a purchase.

Links with Buttons

Buttons are also a good way to make your links stand out and encourage users to click on them. To create a button with a link, you simply wrap the button with an anchor tag. For example:

If you run a blog and want to encourage users to subscribe to your newsletter, you could add a “Subscribe” button that will take them directly to the subscription page. The HTML code for this type of button would look like this:

Subscribe

This will create a button that is clickable and will take users to the subscription page.

Links in HTML Tables

HTML tables are a great way to organize information on your website. However, you can also use tables to create clickable links. For example:

If you have a table with different products on your website and you want to create links for each of these products, you can add the URLs to the table rows and wrap the text with an anchor tag. The HTML code for this type of hyperlink would look like this:

This will create a clickable hyperlink for each product in the table, making it easier for your users to access the product pages.

Sit Back, Relax and Start Linking!

Now that you know how to make a URL a link, you’re one step closer to being a pro web designer! It’s a small but vital technique that can take your blog or website to new heights. We hope we’ve made it simple for you. If you have any queries or want to learn more about web design, feel free to check out our other articles. Thanks for reading and we hope to see you again shortly.