How do I make an html link look like a button?

Apply this class to it

.button {
  font: bold 11px Arial;
  text-decoration: none;
  background-color: #EEEEEE;
  color: #333333;
  padding: 2px 6px 2px 6px;
  border-top: 1px solid #CCCCCC;
  border-right: 1px solid #333333;
  border-bottom: 1px solid #333333;
  border-left: 1px solid #CCCCCC;
}

<a href="#" class="button">Example</a>

If you want nice button with rounded corners, then use this class:

.link_button {
    -webkit-border-radius: 4px;
    -moz-border-radius: 4px;
    border-radius: 4px;
    border: solid 1px #20538D;
    text-shadow: 0 -1px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);
    -webkit-box-shadow: inset 0 1px 0 rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4), 0 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
    -moz-box-shadow: inset 0 1px 0 rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4), 0 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
    box-shadow: inset 0 1px 0 rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4), 0 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
    background: #4479BA;
    color: #FFF;
    padding: 8px 12px;
    text-decoration: none;
}

<a href="#" class="link_button">Example</a>

a {
    display: block;
    height: 20px;
    width: auto;
    border: 1px solid #000;
}

You can play with <a> tags like this if you give them a block display. You can adjust the border to give a shade like effect and the background color for that button feel :)

You could create a standard button, then use it as the background image for a link. Then you can set the text in the link without changing the image.

The best solutions if you don't a special rendered button are the two already given by TStamper and Ólafur Waage.

This gets into the details of the css a bit more too, and gives you some images:

http://www.dynamicdrive.com/style/csslibrary/item/css_square_buttons/

By using border, color and background color properties you can create a button lookalike html link!

a {
background-color: white;
color: black;
padding: 5px;
text-decoration: none;
border: 1px solid black;
}
a:hover {
background-color: black;
color: white;

}

<a href="https://stackoverflow.com/

">Open StackOverflow</a>

Hope this helps :]

HTML

<a class="btn">Button</a>

CSS

  background-color: #4CAF50; /* Green */
  border: none;
  color: white;
  padding: 15px 32px;
  text-align: center;
  text-decoration: none;
  display: inline-block;
  font-size: 16px;

Use below snippet.

    .a{
  color: $brn-acc-clr;
  background-color: transparent;
  border-color: #888888;

  &:hover:active{
    outline: none;
    color: #888888;
    border-color: #888888;
  }
  &:fill{
    background-color: #888888;
    color: #fff;
    box-shadow: 0 3px 10px rgba(#888888, 0.5);
    &:hover:active{
      color: #fff;
    }
    &:hover:not(:disabled){
      transform: translateY(-2px);
      background-color: darken(#888888, 4);
    }
  }
}

Simple button css now you can play around with your editor

a {
  display: inline-block;
  background: #000000c9;
  color: #000;
  padding: 12px 24px;
  text-align: center;
  text-decoration: none;
  font-size: 16px;
  cursor: pointer;
}
a:hover {
  background:#000
  cursor: pointer;
  transition: 0.3s ease-in;
}

Link tag

<a href="#">Hover me<a>

If you need some cool effect, hover and shadow; you can use this:

    .button {
        text-decoration: none;
        padding: 15px 25px;
        font-size: 24px;
        cursor: pointer;
        text-align: center;
        text-decoration: none;
        outline: none;
        color: #fff;
        background-color: #450775;
        border: none;
        border-radius: 15px;
        box-shadow: 0 9px #e1d5ed;

    }

    .button:hover {background-color: #220440}

    .button:active {
        background-color: #230545;
        box-shadow: 0 5px #e1d5ed;
        transform: translateY(4px);
    }