Many people run daily errands online. They can do so many things using the internet, such as grocery shopping, teaching a class, and exploring fresh ideas online. If you’re one of the many people looking for specific information online, you sometimes end up scrolling from one page to another. You’ll skim through the article until you find the information you need. Thanks to anchor links, we can skip unnecessary details and go straight to the section we want. Website builders know they must create anchor links to improve user experience in navigation.
Website builder platforms like Strikingly have made it ridiculously easy to create anchor links with CMS or Content Management Systems. It’s as simple as adding a link to headings, images, buttons, or CTA (call-to-action) that leads to another section or page. Another way to create anchor links is the 'expert's way' in which you must manually type a custom code. People who are experts in web development and design manually code the anchor link to make it easier for online users to navigate a website.
Image taken from Strikingly
What is Anchor Link?
An anchor link is a unique link attached or ‘anchored’ on a specific element, section, or content. It helps link to the desired information in just one click. Based on a Visual Composer article, _“you can look into anchor links from two different perspectives. An individual anchor link can be considered a marker that helps you reach the desired information without searching the whole page. On the other hand, the set of anchor links can be seen as an interactive table of content. Just like a book where you see all sections listed. The only exception is that you actually click on the sections to get there.”
_An anchor link can be attached to a button, call-to-action information, or phrase on a website that takes you to a specific section or page. It helps navigate the website without being lost or stressed in seemingly endless scrolls.
You can have anchor links to specific sections of your website such as product page, Terms and Conditions section, FAQs, email subscription, contact info, bio, and other useful information on your website. Take advantage when people land on your homepage and make them feel welcome. Clear call-to-action information is one of the useful features to guide your customers in making decisions. People don’t like the idea of going through everything before they get what they need. To make them feel at ease in navigating your site, you must add anchor links to frequently visited sections.
Why Do You Need to Create Anchor Links?
Every website owner’s goal is to get more online visitors and make high-conversion web pages. A user-friendly website is essential to achieve this goal. Anchor links enable easy navigation to help people arrive at specific sections of your website like the product section, checkout page, About Us page, etc. You need to create anchor links to improve user experience as you want them to stay a bit longer and take action, while not wasting their precious time. You want your website to be helpful in providing informative content to your audience.
In long-form articles, anchor links can help readers get the information faster without reading the whole thing. Since many online users are busy and well-determined, it would be ideal to take the simplest and shortest way to get what they need. If they have difficulty looking up a specific product or information, people won't hesitate to find it elsewhere. As a website owner, you don’t want this to happen.
Anchor links can also help lower your website's bounce rate because they make specific information easy to find.. Anchor links enable attention-getter elements to take customers to the right section in seconds. Save your customer’s time, keep them well-informed, and constantly entertained on your website. If you make your website easy to navigate, it also gives a good impression to your customers.
How to Create Anchor Links with Strikingly
Do you have a website with us already? If not, you can go to our Signup page first and create your website now. You can choose a style and customize our free templates with a ridiculously easy to use web editor. Create sections and add text, elements, or images easily. Share website content that your target audience loves to see. These steps on creating anchor links will help you do it like an expert.
Image taken from Strikingly
Here are the three ways you can add links to your Strikingly website.
1. Anchor Links on Text – If you're in a text box and editing some text, you can highlight a piece of text and click the link icon that looks like a little chain at the upper part of the text box. This will open up a dialog where you can input a link URL.
For example, if you want the visitor to click on "subtitle" and go to http://www.strikingly.com, you would put "subtitle" in the text box, highlight it, click the "Link"/chain-link icon, and put http://www.strikingly.com or www.strikingly.com in the pop-up window.
Image taken from Strikingly web editor
2. Anchor Links on Image – You might also want to use some of the images to allow for links attached. Click the image and hit "Add Link." A text box will appear where you can input a URL.
Image taken from Strikingly web editor
3. Anchor Links on Main Navigation Menu – Adding external links to your main navigation menu is ideal, especially if your website has multiple pages or sections. Below the section listing, you can click "Add External Link." These links will show up in your navigation menu.
Image taken from Strikingly web editor
Steps on How to Link a Specific Section
- First, you need to go to your site editor.
- Once you have figured out the specific section name you want to link to an element or button on your homepage, you can add an anchor link using the section name.
- In creating an anchor link, remember not to include punctuations and add hyphens between the words, such as the section "Who are we?" becomes "who-are-we".
- Then, add the hyphenated section name to your website link. If you have a custom domain, add #who-are-we, after your domain.
For example, mydomain.com/#section-name. If you have no domain connected to your website yet, then it will look like this “http://page.strikingly.com/#section-name”.
- You can now share the link with your website members or customers. This anchor link allows them to get to the actual section without the need to scroll up and down.
- Finally, if you want to link to a section on the same page, you can simply put the latter part (just "#2" or "#who-we-are" or "#section-name" in the "URL:" box when linking text or images.
You do not need to include the "s/pages/" or "/edit" part in your link. If you can see this, it's because you are looking at the site editor, rather than the live site.
Linking to Specific Sections in a Multiple-Page Site
With Strikingly, you can have multiple pages for your website. Keep your online store organized and make it easier for your customers to find them.
If you want to create anchor links that lead to different pages on your website, go into your page manager and add an external link.
Image taken from Strikingly web editor
Click on the setting gear and select the option to link to ‘Page & Sections’ from the external link menu dropdown. Select the page and section you want to link to and position the external link to where you'd like it to show in your site's navigation menu.
When you create anchor links to a multiple-page site, ensure also to include visible navigation cues on how to go back to the main homepage. Provide a clear and easy way to jump from one page to another. It’s how we do it here at Strikingly to help you create an easy navigation website in minutes.
Image taken from Strikingly
Final Thoughts
Anchor links are designed with the purpose of improving user experience. Many web experts run several tests to ensure they will come up with user-friendly websites. Some of your goals as a website owner is to drive more traffic and get more sales or website conversion. You must analyze the frequently-visited sections or pages on your website. Anchor links can help your visitors get to these pages in one click. Make sure you have created a shortcut back to your homepage, the FAQs section, testimonials, blog content, and online shop. Putting yourself in your customer’s shoes will allow you to understand what they want on your website. It will help improve your website’s user experience and attain your business goals.
Whether you’re an expert in coding or not, it’s ideal for learning how to personalize your website according to your target audience’s preferences. Do a research about their interests and insights on your niche so that you can develop quality content they will surely love. Blogs, videos, and photos on your website give life to your business brand values. User-friendly web design and navigation help your audience discover them easily. Join our millions of users who have created a website and made it global.
