09 Mar

Why click here is a terrible link, and what to write instead

Needless to say, if links are indistinguishable from plain text in your design, fix that instead of writing bad copy to compensate for it. "Gabi at Click Here Digital has been a game-changer for my business — elite digital marketing services that consistently deliver results. Their data-driven approach improved our visibility, lead generation, and overall online performance." Starting with high-impact advertising campaigns, we optimize every step of your digital marketing, both online and offline, to maximize ROI. All website traffic, leads, calls, store visits, and sales are in one place including expert insights to continuously optimize performance.

In fact, if you’re still using “click here” or – worse – just “here,” you’re actively frustrating your audience, ruining your search rankings, and alienating users. For decades, it’s been the default way to insert a hyperlink on a webpage, email or in a document. In most cases, it’s best to identify or describe the link’s destination, as in the third example.

It's simple, really; leaders choose Click Here Digital. Platform access is nice, but performance comes from expertise in how you use it. Access, training, and direct support. With more than 30 years of success driving incredible results for our clients, it's easy to see why our clients win.

Examples of effective hyperlink text

It’s not about the journey, it’s about the destination. There’s also a huge range of assistive devices available to those who have trouble using a mouse. Does more than half your traffic come from mobile devices? It compares the phrases people use when linking to a page and the text on the page itself. “Click here” forces everyone to work harder to establish the context of the link, but it’s especially hard on the visually impaired. Links written with unique and descriptive phrases don’t make us do the extra work of building this mental model as we read.

• “Since we’ve been working together, the response time from my account manager and her team has been impressive.
• Instead of writing “click here” why not try to use descriptive anchor text that accurately describes where the link leads?
• When users browse a webpage, they are consciously (or subconsciously) scanning the text for relevant links that will take them forward on their journey.
• Art covers generative art, optical illusions, drawing toys and creative tools that run on a canvas.

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“Click here” hyperlinks exclude those using assistive technologies

There is no account, nothing to install, and no site repeats until you have been through everything in that category. Tap the heart on anything worth keeping. Today, it is device-exclusive and ignores how the modern world actually interacts with the internet. When a crawler hits a link on your site, it uses the anchor text (the clickable words) to understand what the target page is about. Google and other search engines use web crawlers to map out the internet.

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. We’ll end by acknowledging that even the best writers and UX designers occasionally slip up and use “click here” links. While these are simple examples, they hopefully offer some idea of the kind of anchor text that users will find helpful without being overly wordy or confusing. Direct language encourages users to take a desired action, and in marketing, a solid call to action is critical.

Back in the day, encouraging people to “click here” made sense since the only way they could do so was by using their mouse. While this might seem like the easiest way to direct users to additional information, that doesn’t mean it’s the right way! ‘Click here’ text creates uncertainty for readers, slows them down, and assumes they’re clicking. Then we’ll learn better ways to write hyperlink text.

This will increase the effectiveness of your content and perhaps even boost your business. They can also negatively impact your SEO and are exclusionary to those relying on assistive technologies, such as screen readers. While we’d argue this is justified, we would also emphasize that “click here” is not the only culprit for a poor user experience. For example, when providing reference links, descriptive text is more appropriate. It also allows users to assess if they are interested in the link’s content without them having to visit the page first, thereby improving the browsing experience. It’s also good to be aware that some screen readers farm the links on the page and present them in one go.

Frequently asked questions

This can improve the user experience, help your SEO efforts, and—most importantly—heighten the user experience. We’ll admit, poor old “click here” is getting a rough ride in this blog post! Instead, aim to use hyperlink text that summarizes the inky bet research’s title or key messages.

You should never, ever use “click here” in a web link. “Our customer counts have increased dramatically without exceeding our advertising budget. I meet with my account manager, Rebecca, every month to go over results and how to improve. “I've worked with Click Here for my web design for over 12 years.

But if all it says is, “click here,” we have to read back up to establish the context and figure out where that link might go. But it’s so much worse for people with attention deficit problems or visual impairments. An astonishing percentage of what I do with my clients’ web copy involves eradicating the phrase “click here” from their links. They are easy to work with, honest about whether our website marketing ideas will generate the impact we want, and I love the fact that I have one point of contact, regardless of my questions.”