Accessibility and universal design may be another important factor. I’ve recall that usage of “click here” makes it harder for screen reader users to tell what link they are trying to click on. I haven’t caught up with the tech in awhile, but such a small change/effort on my part has been ingrained into my link making!
Don't use "click here" for link text
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Re: Don't use "click here" for link text
#12Google developer style agrees, and encourages the following alternatives instead:
- Make the link text match the exact text of the title or heading that you're referencing.
EX: For more information, see [Load balancing and scaling].
- Write a description of the destination page to use as the link text, capitalized as if it's part of the sentence.
EX: You can use Cloud Scheduler and Cloud Functions to manage [task scheduling on Compute Engine].
Re: Don't use "click here" for link text
#13Just yesterday I had an instance of a user being confused by a link that would probably have made TFA's author happy. This isn't the first user to be confused by these supposedly-clearer links. I'm going to be adding a 'Click Here' text very shortly.
Re: Don't use "click here" for link text
#14> But people won't know where to click?
> It's not 1995.
I agree in principle with the article. But I have spent time reading help desk tickets so I know that average users often don't know where to click unless you push their nose in it. I can't count how many times users have said "I was afraid to click the link" or "I don't know where that button will go" because the UI presented links and buttons with meaningful titles instead of imperative commands. I just have to watch my parents try to navigate a web site to feel deep humility about how I think people use the web. They got stuck in 1995 I guess.
This kind of advice should come with A/B testing on actual users. I think we would all facepalm at the results.
Re: Don't use "click here" for link text
#15> But people won't know where to click?
> It's not 1995.
I've seen lots, lots of people living in 1995 these days then.
Re: Don't use "click here" for link text
#16I think the better option is... why not both?
Update the first example to something like:
For additional order details, go to your account by clicking here.
and `go to your account by clicking here` is the link.
Re: Don't use "click here" for link text
#17From the examples, I don't think it's good to bury the link in the content text either, at least some of the "click here" at the paragraph end is very clear and stand out.
Re: Don't use "click here" for link text
#18Idk why, but I prefer click here version
Re: Don't use "click here" for link text
#19I would argue you can't win either way... If you use real link, your training people to trust what the text says is actually where you're going to go.. By making people do extra work to see where click here goes you might actually be training to protect themselves... Of course that doesn't work when Outlook goes and wraps the whole thing in a safety URL you can't see past... Or with shorteners.. but in all of those c…
If you control the link text and destination, you probably want the user to trust it.
If you're designing software that displays links provided by untrusted third parties, that's beyond the scope of what this article is addressing.
Re: Don't use "click here" for link text
#20> To review or adjust your AutoPay settings, click here.
> You can review or adjust your AutoPay settings at any time.
I honestly find the latter more confusing. It reads like documentation, so I'm primed to think that the link will take me to a documentation page about autopay settings rather than to my personal account settings. The former is very clear that it is prompting me to take an account action if I desire.