What Does a Web Page Link Do, and Where Can It Lead?

A web page is a resource or interactive experience accessed at a web address; a web page link is a clickable connection from a location on that page to another resource or location. In HTML, the usual way to create a hyperlink is an <a> element with an href destination.

What is a web page?

For accessibility conformance, WCAG defines a web page as “a non-embedded resource obtained from a single URI using HTTP plus any other resources that are used in the rendering or intended to be rendered together with it by a user agent.” In plain language, the page is the main resource identified by one web address, together with the supporting resources a browser uses to present it. W3C’s WCAG 2.2 explanation of conformance provides this definition.

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		Pearson Computer Networking, 8E	$32.70	Buy on Amazon
2		Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach	$211.33	Buy on Amazon
3		Computer Networking Bible: [3 in 1] The Complete Crash Course to Effectively Design, Implement and...	$31.68	Buy on Amazon
4		Networking All-in-One For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))	$28.25	Buy on Amazon
5		Computer Networks (5th Edition)	$129.69	Buy on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This definition does not require a page to be a standalone HTML file or a static screen. A webmail application, for example, may show inbox, contacts, or calendar views while remaining within the same overall address. Interactive controls and changing content can still be part of a web page.

What is a web page link?

A hyperlink connects a source location—where the user activates it—to a destination. The destination might be another web page, a file, or a particular location within the current page. W3C’s HTML 4.01 specification describes a link as “a connection from one Web resource to another”; its source-and-destination model remains useful for understanding links. W3C: Links in HTML documents.

#1 Best Overall

Sale

Pearson Computer Networking, 8E

• brand: Pearson
• Computer Networking, 8e

$32.70

Buy on Amazon

On the Web, the link is commonly made with HTML’s anchor element. The text or other content between the tags is the clickable link, while the href attribute specifies where it leads:

<a href="https://example.com/about">About this site</a>

Here, “About this site” is the link’s visible text and the URL in href is its destination. The browser follows that destination when the user activates the link. See MDN’s reference for the HTML <a> element.

Rank #2

Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach

$211.33

Buy on Amazon

How is a web page different from a website?

A web page is an individual resource or experience; a website is a collection of related pages and other resources. A website can have many pages, while a single-page website—or one page within a larger site—can itself meet WCAG’s definition of a web page. The terms describe different levels: one page versus the broader site that may contain it.

How are the Web and the Internet different?

The Internet is the underlying global network; the World Wide Web is one system of interconnected resources that people access through that network. A web page belongs to the Web, but “Web” and “Internet” are not interchangeable names for the same thing. MDN’s World Wide Web glossary entry explains the distinction.

Rank #3

Computer Networking Bible: [3 in 1] The Complete Crash Course to Effectively Design, Implement and Manage Networks. Including Sections on Security, Performance and Scalability

$31.68

Buy on Amazon

Does every web page have to be static?

No. A page may update its content, respond to user input, or present different views without becoming a different page in the everyday sense. WCAG’s explanation explicitly includes dynamic examples, such as webmail with inbox, contacts, and calendar views. A changing screen is not, by itself, evidence that the user has moved to a separate web page.

Where can a hyperlink lead?

• Another page: a link can open a different page on the same website or on another website.
• A file or other resource: a link can point to an addressable resource that is not a web page.
• A location on the current page: a link can take the user to a specific section or fragment rather than the top of a page.

MDN’s introductions to creating links and its hyperlink glossary entry describe these common destinations.

Quick Recap

SaleBestseller No. 1

Pearson Computer Networking, 8E

brand: Pearson; Computer Networking, 8e

$32.70

Bestseller No. 2

Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach

$211.33

Bestseller No. 3

Computer Networking Bible: [3 in 1] The Complete Crash Course to Effectively Design, Implement and Manage Networks. Including Sections on Security, Performance and Scalability

$31.68

SaleBestseller No. 4

Networking All-in-One For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

$28.25

SaleBestseller No. 5

Computer Networks (5th Edition)

$129.69

Best Value

Sale

Computer Networks (5th Edition)

$129.69

Buy on Amazon

Rank #4

Sale

Networking All-in-One For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

$28.25

Buy on Amazon

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.