Previous and Next links guide readers through a sequence of articles. Meaningful labels can include the chapter name rather than a bare arrow. The important question is always where the link leads and whether the person reading the page can predict it.
What You Need to Know
Rel=prev and rel=next describe relationships for some consumers but do not replace real accessible link text or a working href.
Example: See It in Action
Here is a simple example to experiment with. Type it, save the file, and check what the browser displays.
This is a short HTML fragment. To try it as a webpage, put it inside the body element of a complete HTML document.
<nav aria-label="Article navigation">
<a href="chapter-1.html" rel="prev">Previous chapter</a>
<a href="chapter-3.html" rel="next">Next chapter</a>
</nav>Let’s Understand the Example
- An a element becomes a working link when it has an href. Its visible text should tell readers where they will go.
- Nav identifies a major collection of navigation links.
- Aria-label supplies an accessible name when a visible label is unavailable or inadequate.
- Href contains the destination of a link. A value starting with # points to an id on the same page.
- Rel describes a relationship to the linked page or resource, including security and search hints.
The first example link points to chapter-1.html. Check whether that destination exists relative to the document. A link changes where readers go; it does not perform an action such as saving a form.
What Should You See?
You should see a link named “Previous chapter”. Selecting it leads to chapter-1.html when that destination exists. Try it with the mouse and the keyboard.
Imagine this link is read out of context. Would its text still explain the destination? Rename unclear links before trying to make them look nicer with CSS.
Try It Yourself
- Write navigation for the first, middle, and last lesson.
- Save your changes, open or refresh the page, and compare the result with the original example.
- Tell a friend what your change did. If you are not sure, undo it, refresh the page, and compare.
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Showing a Next link on the last chapter when there is no next page.
- Avoid dead links, empty href values and clickable-looking text without a real destination.
Key Takeaways
- Previous and Next links guide readers through a sequence of articles.
- An a element becomes a working link when it has an href. Its visible text should tell readers where they will go.
- Rel=prev and rel=next describe relationships for some consumers but do not replace real accessible link text or a working href.