How to Convert a URL to HTML Code

So you're a beginner at doing anything on the web besides reading and viewing what others have created? That's OK. A basic step is learning how to convert a URL into HTML code and placing it on your website, MySpace page or blog in a form that others can click on to be taken somewhere else. These URL links are the building blocks on which the entire World Wide Web is built.

Things You'll Need

• Microsoft Notepad or other text-editing program

Instructions

1. Dissect the format of a URL to understand its different parts. The "http" at the beginning of the URL stands for "hyper text transfer protocol," and is standard to nearly all pages that can be reached by a normal internet user. The "www" is no longer necessary in modern browsers, but internet users are used to it. Then comes the domain name, e.g. "Google," followed by the type of domain. This is usually ".com", ".net" or ".org"

2. Copy and paste (or preferably memorize) the following piece of code and place it where you want the URL to appear:<a href="[the domain name].[the domain type]">[the text you want the clickable URL to appear as.]</a>

3. Replace each of the bracketed items, including the brackets, with the info for the URL you are looking to put into code for MySpace, your own blog or website. An example would look like this:<a href="www.ehow.com">eHow is an online resource where you can learn how to do just about anything!</a>

4. Understand how this will appear on the web page. Only the text:eHow is an online resource where you can learn how to do just about anything!...will appear on the web page, but when the user clicks on it, he will be taken to www.ehow.com, the web address you are trying to link to.

5. Try it with your own URL. If the link takes the user where you want it to, and the text appears as you intended, then you have done everything right.

Tips & Warnings

• If the URL link you are trying to create ends up looking like a bunch of garbage (kind of like what you saw in Step 2), you have made a mistake somewhere. You likely forgot to close one of the "tags," marked by the "<" and ">" symbols. Go back and have another look.