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Don't use "click here" for link text

dont-click-here.com

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Re: Don't use "click here" for link text

#51

Post by bmacho »

Ew. The examples in the 'Real Examples' look terrible, especially the last two. You usually shouldn't put links in the middle of a text. If you have a link and a description, rather use

  description : >Click here
The last example does it right, the example above it is almost right. And this holds even more on real websites, where the links are not underlined and blue.

Some exceptions are hypertext heavy documents, like wikipedia, or a dictionary. But if you want to point somewhere, refer something, or provide an option to an action, you shouldn't put that in the middle of a sentence or in the middle of a line. Put it at the end.

Re: Don't use "click here" for link text

#52

Post by kmoser »

teqsun wrote: post #32
nerdjon wrote: post #16

I 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.

I agree. Click here also provides better context if the CSS doesn't clearly indicate a hyperlink or if the user is unfamiliar with html link styling, and in cases where the web browser veers into non-standard territory.

I would consider that to be as much poor styling choices as poor link verbiage choices.

Re: Don't use "click here" for link text

#53

Post by spondylosaurus »

ianhawes wrote: post #28
spondylosaurus wrote: post #12

Google 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 sch…

This is ironic because supposedly Google also penalizes links which are "keyword stuffed".

Ha, I've never thought about that! Although when I'm writing tech docs stuff like SEO isn't usually top of mind :P

Re: Don't use "click here" for link text

#54

Post by scrozier »

treflop wrote: post #39
scrozier wrote: post #34

I'm generally with the author on this, but their examples are inconsistent. I think from a language perspective, the linked text should be a verb phrase. We want the user to do something (click here), and verbs are "do words." So, instead of For additional order details, go to [your account]. use For additional order details, [go to your account]. (The author does this inconsistently.) And in this case: To review or…

I saw this the other day: Covered in [The Whatever Times] was an article about something something, The link went to the article and not the Times home page. That bothered me more than it should have.

You were completely justified in your botheredness.

Re: Don't use "click here" for link text

#55

Post by littlekey »

gregjor wrote: post #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…

Yeah, this sounds nice in theory but "For additional order details, go to _your account_." doesn't explicitly answer the question of how to go to your account, which will not be obvious to many people.

Re: Don't use "click here" for link text

#56

Post by pphysch »

fsckboy wrote: post #42
pphysch wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard science as far as accessibility goes. A screen reader user wastes a lot of time if they have to differentiate what 10 different "click here" links mean.

i'm sure if you published the hard science here, all sorts of holes could be poked in it. this idea that deciphering what links are clickable wastes time is nonsense and probably brought to us by primitive AIs that are measuring how many ads per second they can get the multitudes to click on. people who make their own pages invariable "click here" and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. A few months back a prou…

Maybe you don't understand what accessibility is? It's not a vibes-based term like UX, there are actually laws that enforce proper accessibility. If you run a big American website that isn't accessible, you could get sued under the ADA.

https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/

Re: Don't use "click here" for link text

#57

Post by citrin_ru »

> But people won't know where to click? It's not 1995.

In 199x it was easier to tell were to click on a web site - hyperlinks were underlined and usually blue. On many modern sites links are de-emphasized; different sites using very different styles doesn't make it easier.

Re: Don't use "click here" for link text

#59

Post by Ferret7446 »

scrozier wrote: post #34

I'm generally with the author on this, but their examples are inconsistent. I think from a language perspective, the linked text should be a verb phrase. We want the user to do something (click here), and verbs are "do words." So, instead of For additional order details, go to [your account]. use For additional order details, [go to your account]. (The author does this inconsistently.) And in this case: To review or…

>I think from a language perspective, the linked text should be a verb phrase

I would disagree. Links are references to resources, not actions (assuming your link isn't a POST request).

Example:

For additional order details, go to [your Account page].

See also wikis.

Re: Don't use "click here" for link text

#60

Post by fsckboy »

pphysch wrote: post #56
fsckboy wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i'm sure if you published the hard science here, all sorts of holes could be poked in it. this idea that deciphering what links are clickable wastes time is nonsense and probably brought to us by primitive AIs that are measuring how many ads per second they can get the multitudes to click on. people who make their own pages invariable "click here" and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. A few months back a prou…

Maybe you don't understand what accessibility is? It's not a vibes-based term like UX, there are actually laws that enforce proper accessibility. If you run a big American website that isn't accessible, you could get sued under the ADA. https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/

>Maybe you don't understand what accessibility is?

and you think "click here" disrupts accessibility, and the elimination of "click here" enhances it? poppycock.

Maybe you don't understand what accessibility is.

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