Hyperlinks should be information rich, i.e. the hyperlink itself should explain where the link will take you to.

Hyperlinks stand out from the body text, they’re easy to spot when scanning a page, so make them useful, as people will be looking out for them.

‘Click here’ doesn’t mean anything; five ‘click here’s on a page doesn’t help the reader decide where they might navigate to next.

So, the rule is, no more ‘click here’ on anything that you publish, internally or externally.

Better Links

Mickey Moose said in his recent mortgage message that …

• View the latest KPI slides [PowerPoint; 450KB]

Visit the Site Warden to enable your security…

View our Facilities website and…

You must complete your Tea Request Form from…

Note how the PowerPoint file is a special case. Hyperlinks were designed long before it was possible to upload whole files. People have grown used to a hyperlink taking them to a hypertext document, not a Microsoft document as is often the case on an intranet… Don’t go against people’s expectations – if you’re not linking to another web page, let people know!

[Wedge]

My next article will discuss some ‘golden rules’ of web publishing.

kilobox communiqué discusses the theory and practice of 'Internal Communications', touching on all aspects of good communication including writing, channels (e.g. intranets), best practices, technologies and the needs of the audience. I re-launched kilobox communiqué in July 2008, and I'm thrilled to have met so many communication professionals and practitioners online. I read every comment.
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