Explore How Link Pages Help Coding Clubs Share Their Projects

Coding clubs make a lot of things: games, websites, quizzes, animations and data projects. Sharing them is a big part of the fun and motivation. But projects often end up scattered across different platforms: some on a code hosting site, some in online editors, some as downloadable files, some in a shared drive. Parents, friends and new members struggle to find them. A simple link page solves this neatly, and building one is a great beginner project in its own right.

I run club sessions and train mentors, and our club's link page has become one of our most used tools. Here is how link pages help coding clubs share their projects.

One address for everything

A link page is a single web page listing the club's important destinations: the latest project, a gallery of past projects, the meeting schedule, a sign-up form and contact details for organisers. Instead of sending different links for every project, the club shares one memorable address. It works well on posters, school newsletters and social profiles.

Hosted or homemade

Clubs can use a hosted link page service, which takes minutes to set up and update from a phone. Many community groups use these. Looking at how various groups organise their links, I noticed that simple, well-labelled pages work best, like the ankertoto page, which keeps its main destinations in a short list of clear buttons. A club page should do the same: a few clear options rather than a long wall of links.

Alternatively, the club can build its own link page as a project. A single HTML file with some CSS, hosted on a free static hosting service, is perfect for beginners learning web basics.

Building your own link page

A homemade link page teaches several useful skills:

• HTML structure: headings, paragraphs and links.
• CSS styling: colours, fonts, spacing and buttons that work on phones.
• Accessibility: clear link text, good contrast and keyboard navigation.
• Publishing: putting a site online with a free host and a custom address.
• Version control: updating the page through a shared repository.

Beginners can build a basic version in one session and improve it over the term. Advanced members can add a project gallery generated automatically from a list, introducing a little JavaScript or a static site generator.

Showcasing projects well

For each project, a good showcase includes a title, a one-sentence description, the names or nicknames of the makers, a screenshot and a link to play or view it. Grouping projects by term or type makes the gallery easy to browse. A short "how we made it" note teaches visitors and future members about the process.

Club projects that suit this kind of showcase are described in how coding clubs build small online game projects.

Safety and privacy

Clubs with young members must protect their privacy. Use first names or nicknames only, avoid photos of children without permission and never publish personal contact details. Moderate any comments or user-generated content. If the page links to external platforms, make sure they are appropriate for the club's age group.

Does a club really need a link page?

Some organisers feel a link page is unnecessary, since a school website or a group chat can share projects. Those can work. But I think a dedicated page has real advantages.

School websites are often slow to update and hard to navigate. Group chats bury links under messages. A link page owned by the club can be updated instantly, gives members pride in a public showcase and is a ready-made learning project. It also outlasts any single member, preserving the club's history as members come and go.

Keep it current

A link page is only useful if it is up to date. Assign a member each term to update it, remove dead links and add new projects. Regular updates also give beginners a small, achievable task that contributes to the whole club.

A first web project that grows

Many clubs start with a plain list of links and gradually turn the page into a richer site: a project gallery, a blog of session notes, a page explaining how to join. Each improvement is a small, achievable project for a member or pair. Over a few terms, the link page becomes a record of the club's history and a portfolio members can show to teachers or future employers.

Start small: a page with five working links is far more useful than an elaborate design that never gets finished. Members can always add features later, and each improvement becomes another small project that teaches something new about building for the web.

A front page for the club

A simple link page gathers a coding club's work in one place, makes sharing easy and teaches web basics along the way. For the projects to fill it, see five coding club projects that work with mixed skill levels. More in our Club Projects section.