Annette Riley Web Design 
Wednesday Web Tip                            September 18, 2013
Don't Just Say "Click Here" For Your Links

 

I wrote about about Calls to Action in a recent Wednesday Web Tip. One of the most basic calls to action is a clickable link to where you want your visitor to go.

   

Unfortunately, many people use a description and then add a simple "click here" as the link.  Even if it is underlined and a different color, as we expect a link to be, it can be overlooked while the reader skims the page.

   

What would be a better way? 

 

It is better to use descriptive text, like a phrase or even a whole sentence, instead of just "Click here."  

 

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), responsible for developing Web standards, give these guidelines:

 

When calling the user to action, use brief but meaningful link text that:

  • provides some information when read out of context
  • explains what the link offers
  • doesn't talk about mechanics
  • is not a verb phrase

The W3C also provides examples of the link text guidelines. 

 

In addition, don't underline non-link text.  It's confusing.  Visitors expect underlined text to be a link.  So it can get frustrating if some underlined words are links and some are not. To draw attention to a certain word, try making them bold or using italics instead.

 

Why does this matter?

  • Links will stand out instead of getting buried in the rest of the page.
  • Less steps -The user doesn't have to read as much to find out what to do. 
  • More people will take action to click on the link.   

 

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You can check out  Annette Riley Web Design for past hints, articles and resources!

 

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Annette
Annette Riley Web Design
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