Working with Anchors                                                 Back

Anchors allow you to link to a specific place on a web page, and are often used to let visitors “jump” down the page, such as with a “frequently asked questions” list.

The basic process is:

1. The anchor is created and placed where you want the visitor to land on the page.
2. Determine and select the text or image that the visitor will “click” to go to the anchor location, then create the link to the anchor item.

Let’s look at this process using a “Frequently Asked Questions” example.

In our example, I have type our first question at the top of the page. Then, farther down the page, I have typed a short paragraph that provide the answer/explanation. I repeated the question as a “header” for each paragraph, so our visitors know what they are reading about.

1.  Position the cursor where you want the visitor to land.  
     I like to position the cursor at the start of the header for the answer paragraph.

2.  From the toolbar, click the “Anchor” button, then choose “Insert/Edit Anchor”.

 
3.  Type a name for this anchor. Keep it short and descriptive. Avoid "Anchor1", etc.
     One word may be enough. In our example, we’ll call this anchor "WhatIs".

 
4.  An “anchor” icon is placed on your page at the location of your cursor.
     This is where we want our visitors to “land” to get their information.

5.  Select the text or image that the viewers will “click” to go to the information found at the anchor.

 
6.  On the toolbar, click the “Link” button, then the “Current Page” tab.

 
7.  A list of any anchors you have created will appear.
     Click the check box for the appropriate anchor name, then click the OK button. 

  
8.  Use the “Preview” tab to test your anchor links.

9.  Continue this process for your remaining FAQ items.

NOTE:  For the convenience of your visitors, you may also want to create an anchor that takes them back to the top of the page. Simply position the cursor at the top of the page, then create an anchor called “top” using the steps noted above. At the end of each paragraph of information, type the word “top”, then link that word to the anchor called “top”.