Buttons and communities
In the days of the early web, It was way harder to find other websites, as we didn't have good Search Engines yet. Finding websites felt more like an adventure. GeoCities, a free hosting platform in 1994, active up until 2009 (2019 in Japan), started the trend to link to each other's sites by using 88x31 pixel buttons.
On Neocities, a revival of GeoCities on which this website is hosted, this tradition continues. Webrings and fanlistings also became popular around that time. Feel free to link me using my button; I might link you back.