Click here to find out why you shouldn’t use “click here” on your website
We’ve all seen it…
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But just because “click here” is ubiquitous on the web, doesn’t mean it’s best way to help your readers navigate your website. Here are a few reasons to avoid it:
- SEO: Google ranks your page based in part on how relevant your content is to its topic. It’s better to have a page of descriptive text than a page of click heres (“Read more about how widgets changed the world” instead of “Click here to read about widgets”)
- Accessibility: the word “click” literally does not compute with screen readers and other assistive technologies; your visitors who use these devices need a clear understanding of where that link goes
- Action items FTW: You want your website visitors to read more, or watch a video, or follow you on Twitter, etc. You don’t want them to “click” (or “tap” on mobile). Find a way to rewrite your call to action: Sign up now! See how widgets are created! Follow us on Twitter @VanderbiltU!
- Mystery navigation: Especially when you use multiples (“Click here, here and here to read more”), your user doesn’t know what they are clicking on before they click on it
- Respect your audience: It’s been a couple of decades; people know that the blue underlined words are links to another site. No need to spell it out for them!