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College of Fine Arts Web Instruction | College of Fine Arts | University of Texas At Austin

College of Fine Arts Web instruction

University of Texas At Austin

  • Welcome
  • About Us
    • WordPress & Drupal
    • Find a Content Owner
  • Getting Started
    • Learn Best Practices for Web
    • Vocabulary Terms
    • Do you need a website?
    • Ways to Get a Website
      • Website Options On Campus
      • Initiate a Project with the Web Team
      • Outsource or DIY
    • Know Your Audience
    • Navigation & Menu Items
  • Requirements
    • Americans with Disabilities Legal Obligations
      • Alternate Text
      • Use of Color & Contrast
      • Link Text & Appearance
        • Non-Visible Link Context
      • PDF Files
      • Software Plug-in Link
      • Captions, Audio Description & Transcripts
        • webVTT Caption File
        • Caption Using Amara
        • Writing Captions & Audio Description
        • Video & Remote Communications
      • Additional ADA Issues
        • Accessible Social Media
        • Video & Remote Communications
    • UT Web Accessibility Policy
    • UT Web Privacy Policy
    • Records Retention – Backups, Archives and Revisions
    • College of Fine Arts Brand
    • UT Brand Guidelines
    • Information Security Office Policies
  • Best Practices
    • College of Fine Arts Communications Written Style Guide
    • Using a Rich Text Editor
      • Using an External HTML Editor
    • Links & URLs
      • Link Text & Appearance
        • Non-Visible Link Context
      • Absolute vs. Relative Paths
      • HTTP vs HTTPS
      • Anchor Links
      • Changing URLs
      • Shorten a URL for Marketing
    • Images
      • JPG vs PNG
      • Image Editing and Troubleshooting
    • Web Forms & Surveys
    • Standards & Structure
      • Hierarchical Headers
      • Computer File Names
      • URL address names
        • UT Short Links Service
      • HTML
        • Common HTML Errors
        • Multiple Rows with Floated Images
        • Responsive Word Wrapping
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Test & Evaluate
    • Wikipedia
    • Social Media & Networking
      • Accessible Social Media
    • RSS & Feeds
    • UT Austin Web Publishing Guidelines
  • Site Performance
    • Page Load Time
      • Fonts
    • Respond to a Variety of Devices
      • Telephone Numbers on Smart Phones
    • Analytics & Visitor Data
      • Outreach Campaign Link Tracking
        • Campaign URL Builder
        • Campaign Link Tracking Worksheet
    • Page Not Found Traffic
    • Tips to Increase Traffic
    • Optimize for AI Chat and Search
  • Site Specific Instructions
    • COFA/UT WordPress Instruction
    • COFA Drupal Instruction
    • UT Drupal Kit Managed

Links & URLs

Linking is what makes websites so powerful. There are numerous important things to know about linking to other pages, documents and websites.

Links are made using the Web URL, or Uniform Resource Locator. It is an Internet address, for example, http://www.utexas.edu/. The URL usually consists of:

  1. the access protocol – https,
  2. the domain name – www.utexas.edu, and
  3. optionally the path to a file or resource residing on that website.

Important things to know about links

  • The best practices for link words, labels and appearance, includes:
    • Context or setting a clear expectation of where the link will go in the text used for the link is critical and required.
    • Duplicate link text (clickable text on a page using the same words), should never point to different URL Web addresses.
    • The way clickable elements are designed to display on the website must make them obvious.
  • Mitigating issues with Changing URLs after a page is live.
  • The format for links to content on the same site should use a relative path vs. links to external websites that us an absolute path.
  • Tips for organizing and labeling menus.
  • How to use a link to jump to content, with an anchor, that is lower on a page.
  • Requirement for links to PDF documents.
  • Best use of color and other visual cues for links.
  • Testing for broken links.
  • HTTP vs. HTTPS
  • Make telephone numbers clickable on smartphones.
  • Tracking links from external sites.
  • Choosing URL Address names.
  • Requirements for links to file types that require a plug-in.

Primary Sidebar

Open Office / Co-Working Sessions

Second Monday of the month:

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Fourth Thursday of the month:

2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Email us for the Zoom link.

College of Fine Arts WordPress Instruction
College of Fine Arts Drupal Instruction
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Contact Us

The COFA Web team can be reached by emailing us at cofawebmaster@austin.utexas.edu


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