5 tips on how to write a good hyperlink (it’s more difficult than you think!).
Link text should contain keywords
Link text should match the title of the page it points to:
“To assist the project team with their planning, please can you click here and complete the attached application/software audit form.”
“To assist the project team with their planning, please complete this form: Audit form 501 – Applications and software.”
If you can’t use the actual page title, use some keywords instead:
“To assist the project team with their planning, please can you click here and complete the attached application/software audit form.”
“To assist the project team with their planning, please complete the application/software audit form.”
Link text should make sense out of context
“click here“
“application/software audit form“
If you link to a file, make it obvious
If a link points to something other than a web page, this must be stated:
“For further information on Outlook Calendar new features, click here.”
“For further information on this subject, see the Outlook Calendar new features (PDF).”
Optionally, you can also insert a file icon just before the link. This makes it easy to see at a glance what will happen if you click on it. If you do this, you must still state the file type in brackets at the end of the link.
“For further information on Outlook Calendar new features, click here.”
“For further information on this subject, see the Outlook Calendar new features (PDF).”
Email address links must be written in full
There are two reasons for this:
- people will expect their email client to launch
- the full email address will be displayed when printed
If you have any problems, please contact the support team.
If you have any problems, please email the support team (support.team@yourcompany.com).
Don’t open links in a separate window…
…Unless the reader needs to see both the original and the new page at the same time, or navigating away would cause the user to lose form data. A typical example is when you need to read the terms and conditions while registering on a new website.