You certainly often hear the term link, right? This term is closely related to the internet and websites. Usually links are used when sharing content on social media or other people.
However, did you know that there are many types of links? If you are curious about the meaning of the link as a whole, read this article to the end, OK! We will discuss thoroughly about what a link is.
What Are Links?
A link is an address that links one page to another on the internet. Links make it easier for internet users to access various information. Because you just click the link and you will be directed to the website page.
Link text links themselves are generally distinguishable from plain text, in that they are blue in color and have an underline in the text. With this link, anyone can access various information stored on the server and find websites online. You can even embed links within text, images, and other HTML elements.
In the context of digital marketing, especially SEO, links also have an important role. Links can increase the authority and trust of internet users on the website. Especially when the link contains keywords that match the content and comes from a trusted website.
Link Function
The following are some of the link functions that you need to know.
- Help internet users to share information and data. Both in the form of page links, images, files, and more.
- Make it easier for internet users to access information and browse the information stored on the site.
- Bookmark data when internet users want to re-access information on a website.
- Become the identity of the website and describe the content of the content.
- Linking various HTML documents on a website.
- Find new web pages on search engines.
- Helps determine how well a page ranks on search engines.
Link Terms
So, the link itself has various terms with different meanings. The following is an explanation of link terms.
1. Shortlinks
Shortlinks are website links that are made shorter. So, previously long links will be trimmed without changing the information in them. The shortlink function is to reduce the size of the HTML file. Various shortlink sites are widely used, namely bit.ly, tinyurl, and goo.gl.
2. Safelink
Safelinks are links with complex combinations of letters and numbers. The purpose of this link is to secure the link from unauthorized access by the server. If the link is identified as unsafe, the user will be taken to a page that displays a warning message.
3. Broken Links
Broken links are links to web pages that cannot be found or accessed by users. This condition occurs for various reasons. For example, the website owner entered the wrong link, a broken element on the page, or a change in the link structure caused a 404 error.
4. Spam Links
Spam links are links that appear redundant and violate the rules of a platform. Usually link spam appears in discussion forums, blog comments, and other online sites that display user comments that are not related to the content. The goal is to promote websites whose links are listed.
5. Backlinks
Backlinks are links from one website to another. Google and other search engines regard backlinks as a signal of authority or level of trust in a website. That’s why web pages with a high number of backlinks tend to have high search engine rankings and organic traffic.
6. Link Building
Link building is one of the SEO strategies that aims to get links from quality websites to your own website. Its function is to strengthen the authority of website pages in search engines.
The more links you receive from quality websites, the more Google considers your site to be trusted. As a result, the chances of your website getting to page #1 of Google are getting bigger.
7. Internal Link
Internal links are links from one page to another on the same website. These links are used to make it easier for visitors to find other content on the website.
Indirectly, the use of internal links can help increase the ranking of website pages in search results. This is because internal links make it easier for bots to crawl and understand the context between web pages.
8. External Link
External links are references to links to other pages outside of your own website. The term “link” is used to refer to more information on a topic and can be considered as a recommendation by the website owner.
Difference between link and URL
Besides liinks, URL is another term that is often heard by internet users. Not infrequently people think that a linnk is the same as a URL. In fact, the linnk and URL are different, you know.
Then, what are the differences between links and URLs? Look at the following table, yes.
| Comparison Indicator | Link | URL |
| Stands for | Hyperlink | Uniform Resource Locator |
| Definition | Links help users access websites online. | A special address used to mark page resources on the internet. For example, HTML pages, CSS documents, images, etc. |
| Protocol | The link does not follow any protocol. | URLs follow protocols, such as HTTP and HTTPS. |
| Syntax | Links have no definite syntax. | The URL syntax contains the protocol, colon, domain, and port number. |
| Character | Any character can be used for links. | There are special rules for using certain characters in URLs. |
| Function | Help increase visitors with their visibility in search results. | Makes links easier to manage. |
From the table above, it can be understood that the meaning of a link is an HTML object that allows internet users to move from one website page to another. While the URL or Uniform Resource Locator is the address that takes you to a website and even the specific part of the website you want to go to.
The Importance of Links in SEO
Links are an important part of SEO because they directly affect a website’s ranking in search results and how much organic traffic the website receives.
The more backlinks or external links a website receives from other trusted websites, the greater the chance that Google will place the website on page #1. From there the website will get more organic traffic. Moreover, if the website gets the top ranking.
On the other hand, internal links also have an effect on SEO. By placing relevant internal links on web pages, it will be easier for Google bots to crawl on other web pages. Plus, it makes it easier for bots to understand the relationship between content on a website.
In essence, the existence of links affects the SEO quality of a website’s content. Therefore, many website owners are optimizing SEO by doing link building. Including internal links and external links.
Read: 15 Most Powerful SEO Techniques to Increase Website Ranking and Traffic
Already Understand What is a Link?
That’s the explanation of the meaning of the liink, the function of the link, to its role in SEO. So, you can understand that alink is a link that functions to connect users to information on the internet. In addition, the link also supports the dissemination of information on the internet more quickly.
