Why click here is bad

For example, I use click here on this page at the bottom for my TripAdvisor link. Does that make a difference to the search engines? Great article!!! There ought to be NO exceptions… unless you want your site to appear amateurish. Your email address will not be published. Sign up to be notified when I have a new book for you. You see it everywhere.

Now imagine what that list sounds like if all your links are the same: Click here. Click here. Consider these three versions of a sentence: a. The article is to be read as a usability guide, but applied carefully or not at all for commercial design, where results count. So a click does not necessarily mean this is the click the people wanted. For example, I could write an article into one page which lets you scroll down a single page, but I make more money if I split it into 5 separate pages with different ads on each page.

If you want to give your opinion a real chance, you will have to lend your argument more credibility by backing it up with facts and hard data… and do it in a way that shows more money can be made by creating links in this manner.

Many people need to be told what to do in order to take action and become paralyzed in the face of choice and decision making…. I agree with this completely, alas the results of my split tests do not. The correct link should, out of context, say everything. And you know what? His clicks went up. I agree, Jared. In a recent usability test with an older audience, I ran into this issue that even when using the techniques that this article describes, some people simply were unsure if a click was going to take them to where they wanted to go.

Good article. It sounds like to me that a person creating links just needs to better job of writing and describing the links. Just my 2cc. And thank you, Jared for your insight on this. Linking of terms is often contrived and is often done to target search engine keywords.

For this reason, not having a mix of links will be seen as unnatural to a degree. Well argued post. People now interact with Web sites and digital applications through a variety of inputs and devices: touch, gesture, and perhaps soon retinal tracking.

I think this is entirely dependent on who your user is. The main reason I use descriptive links is to increase accessibility.

For example, screen readers for the visually impaired can be made to read out only the links on a page. This is very good post.

This is more related to developing better User interface. I like to add more to this. Basically Links are designed for redirection purpose. Its no an issue if you are using button for redirection and link for some action on user interface, just make it look and feel user friendly so that end user will not get surprise while using your application. It depends on the situation and demand and on the users who would going to use the site.

You cannot say that buttons or links are designed for any single purpose. Lots of the websites uses link for action. On this site too buttons have proper messages. No sites have surprises as you have mentioned.

You need to just go through the help files or read properly before using any website, and all the surprises will vanish. Buttons may work, but I find with novice users that a link is not always an obvious click-target. More so when the styling is not immediately jumping out as being different from the rest of the text, but even then it is not always obvious why the text is highlighted. Agree completely!

Wise words. This entire article hinges on the assumption that the majority of people are not ignoramuses when it comes to using their PC. It implies you have a device to click with. Not all users do, or chose not to use it. It's useless when taken out of context in a list of links. It's not descriptive. Hyperlinks stand out while users scan pages. Be descriptive! All Rights Reserved. General Info: Email: Department Contact. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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