Don't Click Here
By Dedrick Sprick, ISITE Design
August 16, 2008
In many ways, website links are a lot like doors. Both are simple navigation methods to get people between places, yet require additional information to be useful. A poorly written link can look like a door with a “Keep Out” sign on it. This can prevent a user from getting to the right content and reduce your chance to successfully persuade a visitor to engage with your site.
Writing good links boils down to some fundamental principles of interaction design. Visitors should know where they are going and have an idea of what they will find after clicking. A good website link should be written with purpose.
Link Text Formula: Action, Object, Details
The label for a well formatted link should ideally follow a formula of “action” + “object” + “details.” Actions should tell the reader what is going to happen when they click on a link. Objects should tell the reader what content they should expect. Details should be added when there is extra information that may help the reader. Let’s look at each of these in more depth.
Types of Actions
Actions can help users anticipate what’s about to happen. This may include using words such as “Read,” “Visit,” “Watch,” “Listen” or “Download.” Each of these actions carries a different meaning and can let a user know whether or not they are leaving the site, accessing multimedia content or saving a file to their computer. Use clear actions to help the visitor know what they can expect to do with the link.
Types of Details
Additional details aren’t always needed, but a more descriptive link can often be helpful. For example, for downloadable documents, it’s useful to include information about the file type and download size. For example, “Download our website guidelines (PDF, 164 KB). ” This not only tells the reader what they will be doing (downloading) and what they should expect (website guidelines), but it also informs them the file is in Adobe Acrobat pdf format and it is reasonably small to download.
Link Limitations
The page template and available space for text will often limit what you can include in a link. If you can’t fit everything simply prioritize the most meaningful information. This will typically start with the action followed by the object and details. Adding a more descriptive title attribute in the code can also help for readers with assistive technology devices.
Putting it All Together
So, let’s look at an example for a page that wants to link to a whitepaper visitors can fill out a form to receive.
- Option 1: “Click Here to view the whitepaper”
- Obviously not a great link, although sadly is still a commonly used label
- Option 2: “View the Whitepaper”
- A better label that puts the link emphasis on the object
- Option 3: “Register for the Whitepaper”
- A more defined action that indicates there is likely a form to complete before viewing
- Option 4: “Register for the free whitepaper on effective link strategies”
- Another link option that adds details for further clarity. Added detail attributes can also greatly help with the marketing conversion rate of specific links.
Finding the Way
Take time to think about your links and what kinds of messages they are conveying. Are they helping people know where to go or are they leaving users confused on what will happen next? Making your links more clear and accessible will increase visitor satisfaction and your site’s usability. It’s also good for business — increasing the likelihood of users completing key conversion scenarios on the site.
