You might see <link> Element reference while reading someone else’s HTML, or need it while building a page of your own. Instead of memorizing a definition, look at a working example and see when the element makes sense.
The Idea in Plain English
Provides a relationship to another resource, usually in head. rel selects its purpose such as stylesheet, icon or canonical.
For a reference page, pay attention to where the element is allowed, whether it needs a closing tag, and what other elements it can contain.
A Working Example
Read the sample once before copying it. Notice the element names and attribute values, then compare them with the explanation below.
<head>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/styles/main.css">
<link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico">
</head>What Each Part Does
- The link element declares a relationship such as a stylesheet or alternate language.
- The head holds page metadata, not the visible lesson content.
- rel describes the relationship between the current page and a linked resource.
- href is the URL or fragment destination of a link.
The browser loads a stylesheet and may display a favicon.
Try It Yourself
Try replacing the example content with your own while keeping the valid HTML structure.
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Confusing the link element with an anchor that users click.
- Changing several parts of the example at once, making it difficult to see which part caused a different result.
- Choosing a tag only because its default appearance looks right, without checking whether it describes the content correctly.
Key Takeaways
- Provides a relationship to another resource, usually in head. rel selects its purpose such as stylesheet, icon or canonical.
- The browser loads a stylesheet and may display a favicon.
- Test the markup in a browser, and check accessibility and real-world behavior where relevant.