Connecting the Web - Links, Images, Media and the Power of Attributes in HTML

HTML starts feeling real the moment a page stops being an isolated island. Links let you jump. Images add context and personality. Media turns a static document into something that moves and speaks. This is the point where the web stops being a pile of text and becomes an ecosystem.

And underneath all of it sits a quiet but essential idea: attributes.
They’re little name–value pairs added to tags that change how an element behaves. They’re like settings on a camera, the same device, but adjusted for a different moment.

Links: The Web’s Original Superpower

Hyperlinks are the reason the “Web” is a web at all. The anchor tag wraps a bit of text or an element and says, “Go there.”

<a href="https://google.com">Visit Google</a>

That href attribute is doing the heavy lifting. It tells the browser where to go, and the rest of the page simply trusts it. Add another attribute like target="_blank" and the link suddenly opens in a new tab. Same tag, different behaviour, attributes at work.

Images: More Than Decoration

An image is nothing mystical. It’s just a file living somewhere, and HTML pulls it in.

<img src="https://tinyurl.com/cat-with-sword" alt="A cat with a sword.">

Here, attributes are essential:

• src points to the image file.
• alt describes it for people who can’t see it and for machines that need context.

Images are the first place you realise that HTML leans heavily on meaning. The browser can’t tell what your picture represents unless you say so, which is why alt matters.

Media: Letting the Page Move and Speak

HTML can play audio and video without plugins or old-school chaos.

<video src="no-video.mp4" controls></video>

Again, the attributes define the experience:

• controls tells the browser to show play/pause buttons.

You could add autoplay, loop, or muted to shape how the video behaves. The element is simple; the attributes decide the personality.

Attributes: The Hidden Operating Manual of HTML

By this point, a pattern emerges. Most HTML tags introduce a concept, “this is a link,” “this is an image,” “this is a video.” But it’s the attributes that customize the details.

Think of attributes as the configuration layer of the language. No redesigning the tag. No rewriting the idea. Just quiet, targeted adjustments.

You’ll see them everywhere as the series goes on. They’re simple once you get used to the rhythm: name="value". Tiny switches that unlock big behaviour.

The Real Takeaway

Links tie documents together. Images enrich them. Media energizes them. Attributes quietly shape all of them. This is the chapter where HTML stops being abstract and starts behaving like the living web you interact with every day.

And this just scratches the surface, but that’s exactly the goal of this series: enough understanding to navigate, enough curiosity to explore deeper.