Link, or hyperlink, are the bridges that connect web pages to each other. The term 'bağlantı', which means connection in Turkish, is also commonly used to refer to links.

What is a Link?

The word link is used to denote a connection between two different points. In HTML, the concept of a link is called a hyperlink and is used to create a connection between two web pages. Links do not always have to be between two web pages. For example, links that redirect to sending an email can also be used.

What are the Types of Links?

Links, also known as connections, are used to link two web pages together. A link may redirect to an external address outside of the website or to another page within the existing website. Thus, links can fundamentally be divided into three categories: internal links, external links, and incoming links.

Internal (Inbound) Links

Internal links are bridges established between web pages under the same domain name. These links facilitate navigation between different pages of the same website.

External (Outbound) Links

External links are the bridges between websites with different domain names. They enable users to be redirected to pages located on an external source, i.e., another website.

Incoming Links

When it comes to links, outgoing links are those that direct outward from a website. However, it is also possible for another website to link to your site. Such links are called incoming links.

Links can be created in different ways. Depending on their usage, some types of links include:

Text Links

Text links can also be described as clickable texts. Any letter, word, or sentence can be linked.

Image Links

You can add links to the visuals on your website. This way, visitors can click on images on the site and reach the address you direct them to.

Anchor Links

Anchor links are used to direct to different sections within the same page. For example, in long content, anchor links can be used to direct readers to different headings.

History of the Term Link

The term link was first used by Ted Nelson in the mid-1960s. Inspired by Vannevar Bush's article ""As We May Think,"" which discusses the hypothetical machine called Memex, Nelson started the hypertext project Xanadu. However, this project cannot be said to have been successful.

In the 1980s, Ben Shneiderman used links in the world's first electronic journal he developed, called HyperTIES. Ben Shneiderman and Greg Kearsley published the first electronic book called ""Hypertext Hands-On!"" using HyperTIES. Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the World Wide Web, stated in 1989 that the source of the link concept was HyperTIES. The first widespread use of links on the internet was among sites using the Gopher protocol in 1991. Released in 1993, the Mosaic Browser could handle not only Gopher links but also HTML links. Over time, HTML became dominant and began to be used widely.

Mosaic is also the source of the standard blue color of links. In its 1993 release, they opted to display unvisited links as blue and underlined, and visited ones as dark purple. Although different variations were tried in subsequent years, this usage became widespread and standard.