How To Add a Link Using a Link Capsule on HubPages, The Non Techie Version

Have you ever wondered how to add a link within your HubPages article? Links give the reader a path to other hubs whether written by yourself or other HubPages authors. Links can also be used to direct readers to off site locations, like your blog or your website or even to your reference material.

Keep in mind, there is a limit as to how many outgoing links should be used within a hub. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for complete details. When a reader stays on the HubPages site longer it improves our traffic statistics.

Adding a link can be done several ways, but for the technically challenged like me, the easiest way I've found is using the Link Capsule feature. Capsules appears on the right side of the page when you're in edit mode on a hub. Capsules are designed to let authors put photos, links, tables, polls, videos, advertising or other items into their articles.

This hub tries to explain in non technical, step by step directions how to use the link capsule feature. Suggestions for improvement are welcomed in the comment section below.

_{This material was written by PegCole17 who retains all rights to publication. If you are reading this on any site other than HubPages then this material has been copied without my permission and is a violation of copyright law. I would appreciate if you would contact me at pegcole17.hubpages.com to report any misuse.}

It's tempting as a new HubPages writer to create hubs that contain just one huge block of text. While there may be good reasons for this, it can be to your advantage to create two or more capsules and break up that block.

Why? Because it gives the writer an option to add things like reference links, photos, Amazon capsules and so on, between the lines so to speak.

How do you do this? Here's my best explanation.

While you're in edit mode on a new hub, place your cursor to the left of a block of text you've written and saved. You should see the word "add" floating around on the left side. Click on the word add and choose text. Give it a few seconds and a new text capsule should pop into your hub article.

If you want to move some of the text you've already created:

1. Go into edit mode on the text you have already written
2. Use the cut and paste feature within the capsule to split up the text
3. Highlight the text that you want to move
4. Click on the scissors icon from the toolbar inside the capsule above the text
5. Save the text capsule. (Don't cut or copy anything else until you have done the next step.)
6. Now go into edit on the new text capsule you just added
7. Press the clipboard looking icon and it will paste the text you just cut to wherever you have your cursor sitting in the new text capsule.

Now that you have two blocks of text, you can add things between the blocks, for example, add a link to another chapter of your story, or add a link to your reference material source or add a sign up link or reference links to your other hubs.

Keep in mind that the HubPagesTerms and Conditions limit the number of links per hub you can use when directing people away from the site and stay within the rules. Please re-Read the T&Cs for a refresher on this.

While you're in edit mode in a hub, hover with your cursor to the left of a block of text and you will see the word "add" floating around as you move your cursor. When you press the word "add" you will get the following choices:

text, photo, video, link, news, rss, comment, poll, ebay, amazon, code, table, quiz, map

You can choose any of these capsules by selecting the one you want and clicking on the word. Give it a few seconds and the capsule will pop into where your cursor was sitting. By selecting the "link" capsule, you can now go into edit mode and add an http address of your choosing. Here's how to do that.

It makes it easier to do if you open two windows and toggle between the hub you're editing and the hub you want to reference.

Say you're editing Chapter 1 of your story and you want to lead someone to Chapter 2 with a link. Somewhere near the bottom of your Chapter 1 hub, separate the text into two blocks using the method above.

In the other window you have open, select Chapter 2 of your story. Scroll down to the very bottom of the page below the ads where it says "link to this page" and press the text "link to this page". Now a new rectangle opens up with your default tracker and the http address of your Chapter 2 hub. Place your cursor on the highlighted link.

To copy the highlighted link (Hold down CTRL then the C key at the same time).

Toggle back to the Chapter 1 window. Place your cursor between two blocks of text where you added a new link capsule (by hovering to the left of any block of text, press the word "add". Choose "link" and in a moment a link capsule pops into the space where your cursor was sitting.)

Now go into edit mode on your new link capsule. You will see two buttons: URL and Search. Make sure that the button is pressed on URL. Place your cursor inside the empty rectangle and paste the address you just copied inside the box marked "URL".

To paste, hold down the CTRL key then press the letter V at the same time. This places the address you just copied from your Chapter 2 hub into that space. It should look something like this example link from one of my hubs titled Creating Sign-up Links Within Your Hubs.

EXAMPLE ONLY pegcole17 DOT hubpages DOT com/_1lvmratkz5gih/hub/Creating-Sign-Up-Links-Within-in-Your-Hubs

In this example, _1lvmratkz5gih is my default tracker. Notice there is an underscore before the tracker. For the tracker to work properly, put an underscore in front of your default tracker code.

Be sure you TEST the link by selecting "Test This Link" while you are in edit mode. If it worked, the text will read "Link is Good".

Now Type something like "To read the next exciting chapter of this story click here" as the description of the link. And for the Title, type the name of your Chapter 2 story or just type "Chapter 2".

Now Save. You did it!

Your helpful suggestions for improving this hub are welcomed. Please note corrections in the comments and I'll edit the hub to be more user friendly. I hope the information you find here is helpful as you learn your way around HubPages.

Folks, I apologize in advance that I won't be able to publish your comments if they include links taking readers off HubPages. So sorry, but those comments will be deleted.