Click here to annoy me
There are words and phrases that many of you use when writing content to go on the web or for email newletters that really, really annoy me. These are the ones intended to link to other pages or websites.
The phrase that creates the most tension in me is the one which starts ‘Click here for…’ If I can explain that it is implicit in the blue underline that shows a link, that if you click on it you will be taken to somewhere else… so there is absolutely no reason the use the ’click’ word.
Here are some more examples
- Visit the XYZ website for more info
- For further details please follow this link
- For more information go to our website
- If you would like further details…
- Please visit www.xyz.co.uk for more information
- Visit our website site for more information
- For more information logon to our website
These could more elegantly be expressed ‘Futher information” or “More information”, or if some explanation is needed ”Further information on the subject” and linked out to the relevent content.
- For an application form and further details visit our website
All that’s required is Application and further details to be linked as a stand alone.
Where possible links should be built into the natural flow of the sentence rather than an add-on instruction.
I do sort of agree with this post. However, not everyone is as I.T. savvy. For example, my mother, and many of her same-generation friends wouldn’t have the first clue that a blue-underlined section of text is a hyperlink. They appreciate having things spelled out for them, such as “click here to visit…”. My mum has been using a computer for a number of years now and is reasonably confident. However, she is still convinced that clicking on the wrong thing by accident will destroy the PC irreparably. As irritating as it can sometimes be, I DO think that the less-confident PC user still appreciates a little gentle guidance at times.
I absolutely agree with Ruth. It’s far too easy for those of us who use computers every day to assume that everyone who might visit our web pages to understand that blue text, underlining and a cursor changing shape is an opportunity for people to visit another page or site. Things that are self evident to us may be totally foreign to others. They may feel they need guidance, encouragement, an invitation / instruction or even permission to tap the button on the mouse (sorry, I was trying to avoid saying CLICK) to move forward. No point having a super whizzy set of web pages if the people you are trying to attract never get any father than ‘home’!
Whilst I appreciate that some people may not be too experienced at using the internet, there are some givens. Underlines showing links is one of the things that comes in the first 5 minutes of lesson 1 of ‘how to surf the web’.
years ago I used to use a website instruction which allowed me to type the word/s and link the new webpage to that word or sentence, very helpful if the link was a particularly long one. Anyway, I can’t remember for the life of me how to do that, so if one of the IT brains could drop me a reminder I’d be most grateful, as I assume would most of my new web page readers.
many thanks
I think an explanation written into the link is fine and ought to be used. Many home-made sites (i.e. the ones made using geocities / frontpage etc.) play by their own rules and choose to not underline links or indeed underline text that is not a link. Would underlining any text become synonymous with a link simply because it is on a webpage? The concept of underlining did exist before the internet and is still a useful tool, although many internet-users may haplessly click on all sorts of different text phrases on the screen now based on ‘lesson 1′ of their internet course (what percentage of novice internet users pay for these courses by the way?) despite the fact many links are not initially underlined – just look around this blog for a quick example. I think people appreciate the personable nature found in ‘Click here for more pointless blogs’ since it directs users rather than presupposes their abilities. Apart from those on ‘lesson 2′ of course.
Underlines should only ever be used on a website for links and it is the default setting for web pages. Links don’t necessarily have to have underlines but do need something to indicate the are links.
It really annoys me when people misspell relevant (line 16).
I don’t mind people telling me to click – surely it can’t be that annoying!
I also think it’s a little absurd that underlines should only ever be used on a website for links. As Steve Hunt pointed out people have been underlining things for years.
I’m obviously a bit of an old dinosaur.
It’s the agreed rules of the web that only links are underlined!
Links are much better expressed in the text rather than as meaningless ‘click here’ which doesn’t really support accessibility.