Absolute link

What Is An Absolute URL Link?

An absolute URL link, also known as a full URL, provides the complete web address of a specific webpage, including all necessary information for a browser to locate it. It consists of five key elements:

• Protocol: This specifies the communication method used, such as “http://” for Hypertext Transfer Protocol or “https://” for the secure version.
• Domain Name: This identifies the website’s unique name, like “[invalid URL removed]” or “wikipedia.org”
• Subdomain (optional): This further identifies a specific section of the website, such as “mail.google.com.”
• Path (optional): This specifies the location of a specific page or file within the site directory structure, for example, “/about-us” for the “About Us” page.
• Fragment (optional): This points to a specific section within a webpage, often indicated by a hashtag “#,” for instance, “#introduction,” to direct users to the “Introduction” section of a page.

Here’s an example of an absolute URL:

https://www.example.com/products/smartphone#specifications

In this example, the user is directed to the “specifications” section of the “smartphone” page on the website “example.com.”

What Are Absolute Links In HTML?

Absolute links are crucial for creating hyperlinks within HTML code. These hyperlinks take the form of text or images, and clicking on them triggers the browser to navigate to the specified absolute URL within the same directory. Absolute links ensure the user lands on the intended web page regardless of their current location within the website.

Here’s an example of an HTML code snippet with an absolute URL link:

<a href=”https://www.example.com/contact-us”>Contact Us</a>

This code displays the text “Contact Us” as a hyperlink. When clicked, it will direct the user to the “contact us” page on the website “example.com.”

Difference Between An Absolute Link And A Relative Link

While absolute URLs provide the complete picture, another type of link is known as relative links. Unlike absolute URLs, relative links specify the target web page’s location relative to the current page within the same website. They omit the protocol, domain name, and sometimes even the subdomain. This makes them shorter and more adaptable but reliant on the user’s current location within the website.

Why Choose Absolute URL?

While relative links offer conciseness and adaptability, there are situations where absolute links are the preferred choice:

• Ensuring Consistent Linking: Using absolute URLs as internal links guarantees that the user lands on the intended page, regardless of their initial entry point on the website. This consistency in internal links is crucial for maintaining proper website navigation in the same directory.
• External Linking: When linking to websites outside your own domain, absolute links are mandatory as they provide the complete web address necessary for the browser to locate the external resource.
• Preventing Broken Links: Absolute URLs are less susceptible to such issues, as they provide the complete location information regardless of internal website changes.

Conclusion

Understanding absolute links is essential for navigating the web effectively, building well-structured websites with consistent internal linking, and ranking higher on search engines. Absolute URLs provide a reliable and consistent way to direct users to specific web pages, ensuring a seamless user experience and facilitating smooth information flow across the vast expanse of the internet.