"Click Here" Links

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Why should you not use Click here linked text on the website?

  • It conceals what the user is clicking. You may have text around the link explaining what users are clicking, but users do not know when they read the link. And since website readers generally scan text, you are slowing them down and making it harder for your message to read.
  • "Clicking" is irrelevant in many situations today (assistive devices, smartphones, etc).
  • It is not very meaningful to search engines index the page since users use the text in a link to help identify the link.
  • “Click here“ text is ineffective in a list of links or when in "links reading" mode (and do not forget your auditory users who use screen readers and link identifiers).

What do you replace “click here” with? Remember these rules:
  • Provide some information when read out of context
  • Explain what the link offers
  • Do not talk about mechanics
  • Do not use a verb phrase