Last Updated on March 31, 2018 by WebsiteDesigner.sg

We all know the refresh button on the drop-down menu when we right click on the web page or on the Windows desktop. This function induces the current page to effectively reload, and the desktop to apparently restart files and functionalities without rebooting the system. But there is a particular attribute in an HTML code that induces the same result. This attribute, which is actually called “Refresh” can be useful in several conditions.

Introducing the “refresh” attribute:

The refresh Attribute is also known as the “HTML redirect” or also “META Refresh”. It is a particular meta tag. It has not a regular name as the other tags have. For example, it differs from the keywords meta tag and the description meta tag. In fact, announcing these meta tags is done as follow:

<meta name=”keywords” content=”list of keywords“>

<meta name=”description” content=”text of description“>

The meta refresh is actually announced as follow:

<meta HTTP-equivalent=”refresh” content=”properties“>

This meta tag refreshes the current page. It creates an automated behavior that can be exploited in order to create a delay in the loading process.

Properties of the “refresh” attribute:
The refresh meta tag has a set of inserted properties in the content attribute. The properties are:
– A time period in seconds: it indicates the delay in seconds before reloading the page.
– A URL: if specified, it will induce the page existing at the URL to load. When this parameter is unspecified, the “refresh” will reload the current page.

<meta HTTP-equivalent=”refresh” content=”5; URL“>

Importance of the Refresh attribute:

The refresh meta tag can be very handy in case of promoting a particular page. When the user clicks on a particular link, the browser loads the page that contains some information that can be or be unrelated to the target page or the origin page. Subsequently, it loads the final page. This process is used to promote some products as part of marketing campaigns.
The Refresh meta tag is a little trick that you can use to catch the user interest toward a particular content without coding for popup windows or creating some deceiving content. Users are being redirected to their desired page while they are visiting the inserted promotional page or they are showed the promotional links.

Conclusion:

Considering the use of the refresh attribute of the meta tag is useful. It helps to balance the cost-effectiveness of marketing campaigns. The redirecting behavior can be used to promote another business and monetize the website. Additionally, it can help the business owner such as a freelance web designer singapore to promote important content on the same website. The refresh attribute, equally known as HTML redirect is, therefore, a valuable tool.