In this post, we’ve explored why it’s best to avoid “click here” hyperlinks. For starters, they offer no context to a user. They can also negatively impact your SEO and are exclusionary to those relying on assistive technologies, such as screen readers. “Click here” doesn’t give the reader — any reader — context as to what lies on the other side of that link. And nondescript links like this just become a slog for people using screen readers or other assistive technology to navigate the internet.
It can be confusing about what the link is or where it will lead you. Specifically, here are 3 reasons why links that just say “click here” are bad. The final and most overlooked reason for avoiding “click here” hyperlinks is that the term presumes users are on a computer with a mouse or trackpad. As a marketer, a big part of your job is to create content that’s informative and compelling to a large audience. But you’re not doing your job if your work isn’t readable or listenable to all of your audience. That means considering people who are blind, low vision, or hard of hearing when you design marketing materials.
- Simply using “click here” doesn’t explain what the link is or does, and it forces users to read around the link to figure out where it will lead them.
- Short links that open apps, with live analytics on every click.
- The information provided in this blog post is just the tip of the iceberg.
- The most straightforward answer is to use descriptive anchor text that tells users what’s on the other end of the link.
- It’s not unusual to see phrases like “click here” or “read more” even though these are far from optimal.
- “Click here” forces everyone to work harder to establish the context of the link, but it’s especially hard on the visually impaired.
- If several links on a page say, “click here,” we have to remember the context of each one.
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We’ll end by acknowledging that even the best writers and UX designers occasionally slip up and use “click here” links. This practice is outdated but also ingrained in our collective consciousness. Direct language encourages users to take a desired action, and in marketing, a solid call to action is critical.
Why Click Here Links Are Bad
The information provided in this blog post is just the tip of the iceberg. More and more users are accessing websites on mobile or tablet devices. The phrase “click here” is restrictive because it shifts the focus to the user’s mouse. However, it ignores other means of website navigation – such as mobile screen taps, keyboard navigation, or voice recognition. Furthermore, it implies that these modes are not supported.
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Furthermore, “click here” is ambiguous on its own. A link’s text should explain what users are clicking, give them an idea of where it will take them, and help them understand the context of the link. Consider using short, yet descriptive words to clearly explain what the link is or where it will lead site visitors. “Click here” is deadly for your search engine optimization. Google reads your page more or less the same way Colleen’s screen reader does, except it follows each and every link.
No sign-up, no account — just press and explore. A few of the 482 sites in the catalogue, so you know the shape of it before you press anything. Every one has its own page, and the full index lists the lot. Put your short link in a bio, story, video, email or on a QR code. See where each one came from, on what device, from which country, and whether it is a new visitor. Group links by campaign or channel and see their combined performance.
“Click here” hyperlinks exclude those using assistive technologies
Indeed, diversification of anchor text is one way to avoid SEO penalties. However, stay mindful of the language you’re using, and you can improve the user experience on your website or app for all your users. This will increase the effectiveness of your content and perhaps even boost your business. It’s an easy win, so think about the impact of the language you’re using. Whether you’re a UX designer or digital marketer, another reason to avoid “click here” links is that they are poorly optimized for SEO.
“Clicking here” is not device agnostic
In the second example, the writer has linked the word that describes his relationship to the destination site. That might not be a bad choice in some contexts, but here it fails to answer the fundamental question of where the link leads. When this link is taken out of the sentence’s context (for example, in lists of links read by screen readers), it doesn’t provide sufficient information to guide the reader.
- Each week, we go beyond the headlines to understand the forces quietly shaping how we live, what we see, and what we believe.
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- This can improve the user experience, help your SEO efforts, and—most importantly—heighten the user experience.
- It compares the phrases people use when linking to a page and the text on the page itself.
- This list is useless to Colleen, but instead of merely reading back a couple of sentences to establish context, she’s going to have to listen to the entire page.
- In the world of websites, app design, and user experience, certain practices are so entrenched it’s easy to overlook how poorly suited they are to user experience design principles.
Your time is valuable, so you looked for the information you need. “Click here” forces these users to re-read or listen to the page again in order to establish context for links. An astonishing percentage of what I do with my clients’ web copy involves eradicating the phrase “click here” from their links. CareerFoundry is an online school for people looking to switch to a rewarding career in tech. Select a program, get paired with an expert mentor and tutor, and become a job-ready designer, developer, or analyst from scratch, or your money back.
Similarly, for those who are visually-impaired, the screen reader will read the text on a web page aloud. If all of your links are the same and use “click here”, you can imagine what that list would sound like. Simply using “click here” doesn’t explain what the link is or does, and it forces users to read around the link to figure out where it will lead them.
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Activate this link to learn about our new product, “Easy Work,” and to see how it can change your life by reducing the time you spend on repetitive tasks. To download Amaya, go to the Amaya Website and get the necessary software. We are ready with expertise, ideas, and advice. In most cases, it’s best to identify or describe the link’s destination, as in the third example.
Check out this YouTube video demonstrating what a screen reader sounds like if you haven’t heard one before. This blog post was developed from a presentation on this topic delivered by Missy Kahn, Ben Kahn, and Christopher Bayerle at the Portland Pardot User Group in February 2020. Most people generally know what a link is, what it looks like, and what will happen when they access it. Calling attention to the mechanics of the link is unnecessary. Instead of using the word “click,” consider an action verb that relates to the task.
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She knows how to do that, using whatever device she has–which might not involve clicking. Notice how it announces how many links are on each new page? That’s Colleen’s cue to press a button Australian casino information if she wants to hear only a list of the linked phrases on the page.
While you’re reviewing your links, you should also make sure they’re visually distinguishable. The best practice is to leave blue as the default color for your hyperlinks and to underline them, which makes them more noticeable for people with vision disabilities. There’s a common misconception that people with disabilities read through every word of content. Very few people take this approach when browsing the internet. For example, when you opened this blog, there’s a good chance that you scanned the subheadings before deciding whether you wanted to read the article. You skimmed the content, looking for important keywords or phrases.
It’s also good to be aware that some screen readers farm the links on the page and present them in one go. Without context, these links will be even more nonsensical. Understandably, this is frustrating for visually impaired users. Besides accessing information, products, and services online, users also want to navigate websites quickly to find what they’re after.
