Links are the backbone of a web page, and it’s important to use good text to link from one page to another. Follow these guidelines to produce the best link text.

Guidelines for Writing Link Text

 

Do not:

• Use “here” or “click here” as link text, and don’t include them within link text. Many people don’t follow links by clicking, and it wastes space and attention to tell people how to use a link. Instead, describe the destination.
• Use “more” or “more information” as the only link text (“More”). Instead, also describe the subject (“More about economic conditions in Albania”). Note, though, that it’s shorter and as effective to mention only the subject (“Economic conditions in Albania”). People know that links go to more information.
• Link from raw URLs like https://state.gov when writing web content (it’s ok in email or printed documents).
• Link email addresses. Instead, provide the address as unlinked text.
• Include punctuation at the end of a sentence in a link. For example, don’t include the period after EPA has reported on declining coal production.

Do:

• Choose link text that’s at least 3-5 words long. It’s ok to link from a full sentence, but don’t link from an entire paragraph.
• Describe as specifically as possible what the link offers: what will the reader get for following the link? For example, link from “declining coal production” or “Coal Production Survey” instead of just “coal.”. Imagine readers see only the links; people often scan pages rather than reading every word, jumping from one link to another.
• Use different text for each unique link.
• Use the same link text for the same destination.
• If the destination is outside the State Department, indicate which organization owns the page.
• When providing many links within a paragraph, consider moving them to a bulleted list at the end of the paragraph, preceded with something like “These links provide more information:” Each link must follow the other guidelines.

Examples

 

Use	Instead of
Learn more about the new embassy.	●       Click here. ●       More information. ●       Click here for more about the new embassy. ●       See more at https://oboportfolio.state.gov/niamey/
More details are available on our page about the United States relationship with Mali. Or Find more details on our Mali page. Or More information about our relationship with Mali.	●       Find more detail about our relationship with Mali here. ●       More. ●       More is available here. ●       Visit our Mali page: https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/mali/
Read Director Ahmed’s biography.	Director Ahmed’s biography: click here.
See Green Card eligibility categories from USCIS for complete guidance.   The White House fact sheet provides more details.   EPA’s page about threats to coral reefs covers both local and global issues.	USCIS has information about Green Card eligibility.   Fact Sheet.     EPA’s page about threats to coral reefs covers both local and global issues.
Contact the project lead, Jane Smith, at smithj@state.gov..	Contact the project lead, Jane Smith, at smithj@state.gov.   Contact the project lead, Jane Smith.

Background on Link Text Guidance

 

Here are details about why these guidelines matter:

• Longer link text catches the reader’s eye. Usability studies have shown that people often miss links entirely, especially when they are from just one or two words inserted into a paragraph.
• Meaningful text helps the reader understand the destination faster.
• Linking from an effective phrase improves accessibility for blind people, who can set their browsers to read aloud a list of links that a page offers, vs. a list of many instances of “click here” or “learn more”. Hearing only “click here click here” or “here here here” or “more more more” is frustrating. Hearing a raw URL is even worse: “double you double you double you dot ess tee ay tee ee dot gee oh vee …”
• The word “click” is outdated. Many people don’t “click” links — they might tap them on a mobile device, use voice recognition software, or  select using keyboard strokes.
• Similarly, people who use speech recognition software instead of typing can speak the text of a link, so if there are multiple links from words like “more,” it’ll confuse the software.
• Using link text for an email address causes two problems:
  1. Link text that goes directly to an email address tells the browser to open the email program. However, people using browser-based email applications (Gmail, Yahoo mail, etc.) don’t use separate email programs, so a linked email address won’t work. In fact, it can confuse people when they see an email application open that they don’t use. Providing the actual email address at least lets the reader know what to expect after selecting the link.
  2. Depending on the link text, you might confuse the reader about whether the link will go to another page with the email address, a form, or an email message in a separate application.

This two-minute video demonstrates the difference between good and bad link text, particularly for blind people using screen readers.

By Office of Platforms | 26 July, 2022 | Topics: News