{"id":443,"date":"2014-03-10T19:13:16","date_gmt":"2014-03-10T19:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/mannj\/?p=443"},"modified":"2015-12-30T11:19:18","modified_gmt":"2015-12-30T16:19:18","slug":"why-click-here-links-are-so-terrible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/mannj\/2014\/03\/10\/why-click-here-links-are-so-terrible\/","title":{"rendered":"Why “Click Here” links are so terrible"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Never, ever, ever do this<\/p><\/div>\n

There are three guidelines you should follow when creating a text link.<\/p>\n

The link text should:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. say what you are linking to<\/li>\n
  2. make sense out of context<\/li>\n
  3. not contain the words “click here”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Here’s why.<\/p>\n

    Say what you are linking to<\/h2>\n

    The link should tell the user in plain language what the link goes to. So if you are linking to a page where people can purchase tickets for your event–let’s say “The Fish Under The Sea” Dance–then the link should indicate that.<\/p>\n

    Good:<\/p>\n

    “Fish Under The Sea” Dance Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

    Bad:<\/p>\n

    Click here<\/a> to buy your tickets for the “Fish Under The Sea” Dance<\/p>\n

    In the first example, the link text tells you all you need to know. You can click it, confident that it will take you to a page where you can buy tickets for the dance. In the second example, you need to read the whole sentence to know what “Click here” is taking you to. People are trying to buy tickets for the dance, and the “click here” link is slowing them down and confusing them. Which brings us to….<\/p>\n

    Links should make sense out of context<\/h2>\n

    In our bad example above, you need to read the whole sentence to know what the link is going to. “Click here” tells you no information. It commands you to do something, but it doesn’t tell you if that’s something you actually want to click on.<\/p>\n

    Do not say “Click Here”<\/h2>\n

    Here’s a summary of why this is so bad.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. It is unnecessary\n