Have you ever clicked an anchor link on a webpage, only to find the URL in your address bar stays exactly the same? 😕 This common issue can frustrate users and hurt your website’s functionality. In this guide, we’ll explain why this happens, why fixing it matters, and walk you through multiple solutions – complete with a helpful video tutorial! 🎥

Why This Problem Matters
Anchor links (aka jump links) are crucial for:
✔️ Creating smooth page navigation
✔️ Improving user experience
✔️ Making long content more accessible
✔️ Enabling direct linking to specific content sections

When the URL doesn’t update, you lose these key benefits:

🔸 Users can’t bookmark/share specific sections
🔸 Browser history doesn’t track navigation
🔸 Analytics can’t properly track engagement
🔸 It creates confusion about page location

3 Simple Fixes for Anchor Link URLs
Fix 1: Add JavaScript History Push
javascript
Copy
document.querySelectorAll(‘a[href^=”#”]’).forEach(anchor => {
anchor.addEventListener(‘click’, function(e) {
e.preventDefault();
history.pushState(null, null, this.href);
document.querySelector(this.getAttribute(‘href’)).scrollIntoView({
behavior: ‘smooth’
});
});
});
Fix 2: Use Proper HTML Syntax
Ensure your links follow this format:

html
Copy
Jump to Section
…

Content Here

Run HTML
Fix 3: Check for JavaScript Conflicts
Open Developer Tools (F12)

Go to Console tab

Look for errors when clicking links

Temporarily disable other scripts to test

📹 Video Tutorial:

Pro Tips for Perfect Anchor Links
🔹 Always use unique IDs for each section
🔹 Test in multiple browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari)
🔹 Consider adding a URL update delay for smooth scrolling
🔹 Use CSS :target pseudo-class to highlight active sections

When to Seek Professional Help
If these fixes don’t work, you might be dealing with:

Single Page Application (SPA) framework issues

Aggressive browser caching

Complex JavaScript routing