How to Create an Anchor Link to Jump to a Specific Section of a Page

On a long blog post, it can be challenging to find the specific information you are looking for. Fortunately, WordPress offers a solution to this problem by allowing you to create links that jump to a specific section of a page. These links are known as anchor links. By learning how to create an anchor link, you can help your readers find the information they need quickly and easily.

Whether you are a blogger, web designer, or business owner, understanding how to create anchor links in WordPress is a useful skill to have. By utilizing this feature, you can provide a better user experience for your readers and make it easier for them to navigate your site (Google loves better user experience!)

Understanding Anchor Links in WordPress

The Role of Anchor Links

Anchor links are a type of hyperlink that allows you to jump from one section of a web page to another. In WordPress, anchor links are created by adding an HTML anchor to a specific section of your page's content.

Anchor links are useful for several reasons. They allow readers to quickly navigate to a specific section of your page without having to scroll through the entire page. They also make it easier to share specific sections of your content.

Anchor vs. Hyperlinks vs. Jumplinks

While anchor links, hyperlinks, and jumplinks may seem similar, they serve different purposes. Hyperlinks are used to link to external pages or other websites, while anchor links are used to link to specific sections of the same page. Jumplinks are used to link to other pages on the same website (internal links).

These terms are often used interchangeably, but for the purposes of this post, I’m using their specific meanings.

How to create an anchor link

Using the Gutenberg Editor

The Gutenberg editor is the default editor in WordPress 5.0 and above. Here are the steps to create an anchor link using the Gutenberg editor.

Choose the section of the page that you want your link to jump to. Click on the section, then go to Advanced. Add a descriptive word to identify the section in the HTML anchor box.

Now go to the section that you want to link from. Select the words that you want to add the link to, and add a link that starts with # and then the HTML anchor that you chose in the previous step.

Your anchor link is created! Save your page and test it out.

Adding Links to Images

You can also add anchor links to images in WordPress pages. Here are the steps to add a link to an image using the Gutenberg editor.

You would use the same method to add an anchor link to an image. Add the image and add the html id to it:

Now when you click on the image, the anchor link will take you to the section that we called jump-block.

Setting Up Jump Links to Specific Sections on a Different Page

If you create an internal link to another page on your website, you can have it go directly to the relevant section on the page so that readers don't have to scan the whole post.

Defining the HTML Anchor

Go to the section on a different page that you want to link to. I’m linking to the about me section of my homepage. Be sure to use a different anchor, don’t duplicate them.

Linking to the section

Now come back to the page where you want to add your link. I’m going to use a button.

Add the entire url of the page that you’re jumping to, and add # followed by the HTML anchor. In my example, the link is https://wpbasicsguide.com#jumplink

Setting up jump links to specific sections of a different WordPress page is a great way to make your content more user-friendly. By following these simple steps, you can create a better user experience for your visitors and make it easier for them to find the information they need.

Enhancing Navigation with Table of Contents

A table of contents is a list of anchor links. This is a great way to enhance navigation on your WordPress page. It provides your readers with an overview of the content on your page and allows them to jump directly to the section they are interested in.

Auto-Generated Table of Contents

There are several blocks available in the WordPress page editor that can automatically generate a table of contents for your page. These blocks can automatically generate a table of contents based on the headings in your content, so you don’t have to add anchor links to each item in the table of contents.

I like to use the Kadence blocks table of contents because it gives me more styling options. The rank math table and the default WordPress table are also available and will work much the same way.

Styling Anchor Links for Better User Experience

When it comes to creating anchor links on your WordPress page, it's not just about the functionality of the links themselves. You also want to make sure that they are user-friendly and visually appealing. The Kadence blocks table of contents pictured here has a lot of different styling options, including which headlines you want to include, font size, background color, padding and margins.

Advanced Anchor Link Features

If you want to take your anchor links to the next level, there are a few advanced features you can add to make them even more functional and visually appealing.

Adding Tooltips to Anchor Links

Tooltips are small pop-up boxes that appear when you hover over a link. They can provide additional information about the link or give a brief description of where the link will take you. To add a tooltip to your anchor link, you can use the title attribute. For example:

Here is an anchor link with a tool tip

In this example, the tooltip will say “Hi, I'm an anchor link with a tool tip” when you hover over the link.

Using anchor links on your WordPress page can greatly benefit your site's SEO and improve site navigation for your visitors. Here are a few ways that anchor links can help improve your site's search engine rankings and user experience.

Improving Site Navigation

Anchor links can make it easier for your site visitors to navigate your WordPress page. By providing links to specific sections of your page, you can help your visitors find the information they need more quickly and efficiently. This can lead to increased engagement and a lower bounce rate, which can improve your site's search engine rankings.

Anchor Text and SEO

Anchor text is the visible text that appears as a hyperlink on your WordPress page. Using relevant and descriptive anchor text can help improve your site's SEO by providing context to search engines about the content of your page. When creating anchor text, be sure to use relevant keywords that accurately describe the content of the linked section.

In addition, using anchor text that accurately describes the linked section can also improve the user experience by providing clear and concise information about the content of the linked section. This can help your site visitors find the information they need more quickly and efficiently, which can improve engagement and reduce bounce rates.

Troubleshooting Common Anchor Link Issues

Dealing with Broken Anchor Links

Broken anchor links can be frustrating for users who are looking to navigate to a specific section of your WordPress page. There are a few common reasons why anchor links may not work properly:

• Incorrect URL: Make sure that the URL you are linking to is correct. If you are linking to an internal page, double-check the page slug and ensure that it matches the URL you are using in your anchor link.
• Use the html id tag: Make sure that your anchor link is preceded by the # with no spaces between it and the name that you gave to the section.

Ensuring Anchor Links Work on Different Pages

If you have anchor links on your WordPress page that link to sections on other pages, there are a few additional considerations to keep in mind:

• External Page Changes: Finally, keep in mind that external pages may change over time. If the section you are linking to is removed or moved, your anchor link may no longer work properly. It's a good idea to periodically check your anchor links to ensure that they are still functioning as intended.

Integrating Anchor Links with WordPress Menus

If you want to create a link to jump to a specific section of a WordPress page, you can integrate anchor links with WordPress menus. This will allow you to create a navigation menu that takes users directly to the relevant section of your page.

Modifying Menus via Customizer

To modify menus via Customizer, you can follow these steps:

• Select the menu you want to modify.
• Go to your WordPress dashboard and click on “Appearance” > “Menus”.
• Click on “Custom Links” and add the URL of the page you want to link to. Be sure to add the html id # followed by the name of the anchor link.
• In the “Link Text” field, enter the text you want to display in the menu.
• Click on “Add to Menu”.
• Drag and drop the new menu item to the position you want it to appear in the menu.
• Click on “Save Menu”.

Direct Page Jumps from Navigation Menu

If you want to create a direct page jump from the navigation menu, you can follow these steps:

1. Go to your WordPress dashboard and click on “Appearance” > “Menus”.
2. Select the menu you want to modify.
3. Click on the “Screen Options” tab in the top right corner of the screen.
4. Check the “Link Target” option.
5. Click on “Custom Links” and add the URL of the page you want to link to.
6. In the “Link Text” field, enter the text you want to display in the menu.
7. In the “URL” field, add the URL of the page you want to link to followed by “#section-id”. Replace “section-id” with the ID of the section you want to link to.
8. Click on “Add to Menu”.
9. Drag and drop the new menu item to the position you want it to appear in the menu.
10. Click on “Save Menu”.

By following these steps, you can easily create a link to jump to a specific section of a WordPress page. This can improve the user experience of your website and make it easier for users to find the information they are looking for.

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