Navigation (Menus) - External vs. internal links

Understanding Links in Epic Web Studios CMS

Difference Between External Links and Internal Links

When managing your website content using Epic Web Studios CMS, it's important to understand the distinction between external links and internal links. These two types of links serve different purposes and are handled differently within your website.

• External Links: These links point to web pages that reside on a different domain than your website. For example, linking to https://www.wikipedia.org is an external link because it navigates visitors away from your site to another website.
• Internal Links: Internal links connect different pages or resources within your own website. For example, linking from your homepage to your contact page is an internal link because it helps users navigate between sections of your site.

The Necessity of Defining the Protocol: HTTPS vs Relative Linking

When creating links in your CMS, the way you define the link's protocol can have a significant impact on functionality and security. There are two main methods to specify links:

• Absolute URLs with Protocol (e.g., https://): This approach explicitly defines the full protocol and domain. For external links, this is necessary and ensures the browser knows exactly where to navigate.
  • This is critical when linking to external resources to avoid confusion or incorrect destinations.
  • Using HTTPS is important for security, as it encrypts data sent between the user and the server.
• Relative Links: Relative links point to resources within your own website without defining the protocol or domain.
  • Example: /about-us links to the "About Us" page within your site.
  • Using relative links makes your site more flexible because you don't hard-code the domain or protocol — this helps if your site moves between environments (development, staging, production).
  • Relative linking typically assumes the browser will use the same protocol (HTTP or HTTPS) as the current page.

Best Practices for Linking in Epic Web Studios CMS

• Use absolute HTTPS URLs for all external links to ensure security and clarity.
• Use relative links for internal navigation to make maintaining your website easier.
• Ensure all external links open in a new tab or window to keep users on your website, unless there is a reason to navigate them away.
• Check all links regularly to avoid broken links, which can harm user experience and SEO