Web Presentation Guide 5.1
Hyperlinks
Action
Use hyperlinks that are visually distinct, with text that clearly directs users to their intended destination.
Why
Internet viewers look for the information by scanning pages quickly. Hyperlinks need to be visually identifiable and the text needs to provide a short summary of the information that is available.
What/How
When designing a Web Site, you should think about the following:
Identify Hyperlinks
- Provide sufficient cues to indicate that text or images are clickable.
- For text hyperlinks use underlining and standard link colors (hyperlinks in blue and visited links in purple).
- For images make the cursor change to a hand when it's over the image, and/or use the blue hyperlink border.
- Reserve underlining for links.
- Designate visited links by changing color.
- Choose a standard, consistent color for text links.
Describe Hyperlinks
- Consistency
- Use link text is consistent with the title of the destination page.
- Use the same label with links to redundant content.
- Use different labels with links to different content.
- Avoid multiple instances of identical links on a page. When redundancy is necessary, links can appear more than once in sections of content, but never in a list of links.
- Terminology
- Use text that is self-explanatory, brief and meaningful to inform the user of the intended destination.
- For transaction type links, begin labels with a verb that helps the user know what he or she can do (e.g. "Online Acquisition System" could be clarified by changing it to "Order online.")
- For informational type links, use labels with nouns that describe the destination (e.g. "Today's Top News.")
- Avoid using non-descriptive terms such as "click here."
- Avoid terminology, acronyms and abbreviations that use jargon, or sound governmental; instead use labels that have meaning and make sense to your users.
Checklist: Hyperlinks
Resources
Related guide topics