Don’t “Click Here!”
One thing I (still) see all the time on Web sites is Click Here!! As in: “Click here to read more about this amazing story…” or “Click here to register…” or “Click here to purchase…”. Click here … Click here … Click here.
This has got to stop, people.
If you’re developing content for a Web site, there are more effective ways to write your link text.
First, remember that people scan Web pages for links that are labeled with keywords they are looking for. A page loaded with “click heres” doesn’t support this quick-scan activity.
Second, “Click here” doesn’t say anything informative. Use verbs (er, other than ‘click’, please) that call to action. “Buy”, “Register”, “Shop”, “Search”, “Find” all work much better. Category labels also work well (”Shoes”, “Coats”, “Hats”, “Shirts”, etc.) and help readers distinguish between the different choices.
Third, editing out “Click here” will help tighten up the copy - always a good thing.
Finally, if we’re talking about a hyperlink, isn’t it already obvious you can “Click here”?
So, please be kind to your Web site visitors. Don’t tell them to “Click here” (they’ll figure that out). Tell them what they’ll get when they do click.
