How to Change the Link Name on Your Site

The name of a link and the URL the same link points to are often two different things. For example, the URL a link points to could be "http://www.example.com" while the link name that a Web page's visitors see could read "Click Here." When visitors click on the "Click Here" link they are taken to the example.com Web page. Instead of naming the link "Click Here," however, the Website administrator could name the link something else such as "Free Tacos." The link points to the same URL, but the link name that the Web page's visitors see is changed.

Things You'll Need

• Administrative access to the website's server

Instructions

1. Access your website's server. This may be done through the Web host's website for your site or via an FTP client that is configured to connect with your website's server. Log in however you are accustomed.

2. Navigate to the files stored in your website's root or "public" directory. Browse to find the file corresponding to the Web page that contains the link name you want to change.

3. Open the file. This action is usually accomplished by selecting the file and choosing the option to "Edit."

4. Locate the HTML code version of the link you want to modify. In HTML, a single link is written as: <a href="URL Goes Here">Link Name Goes Here</a>. Conduct a search for the URL the link points to or for the current name of the link.

5. Change the link name by changing the text occupying the "Link Name Goes Here" section of the HTML code. For instance, instead of the code reading <a href="URL Goes Here">Link Name Goes Here</a>, it may instead read <a href="URL Goes Here">Change Link Name Here</a>. Leave every other aspect of the HTML code as it is.

6. Save the file.

7. Check your website. Make sure the link name change is correct and that the link still works properly. If the link no longer works you may have inadvertently erased or disturbed some other part of the HTML link code. If this happens you'll have to go back your site's server, access the Web page file again and correct the error.

References

• California Institute of Technology: HTML Link Appearance; Leif Bennett