Improve call to action links by not using “click here”

October 13th, 2009

HTML allows us to make any part of a sentence a link. But using “click here” as a call to action restricts it’s impact and meaning. A few simple changes to a sentence can improve usability, SEO and traffic, which can only help to increase revenue.

Several advantages when avoiding the use of “click here”.

  • Descriptive link text will increase SEO
  • Explains what the link will provide the user
  • Meaningful in any context, e.g. if the content is printed
  • Links can be longer than one or two words which will be easier to see and activate
  • Not everyone will click (some may hit ‘Enter’, ‘Tap’ or use shortcut keys)
  • Doesn’t stall the user by making them think “what happens if I do click?”

Here’s how a recent news article could have been improved using this approach.

Using “click here”…

Click here to read more about our latest safety advances, or here to book a test drive in the Insight.

Using meaningful link text…

Discover more about our latest safety advances, or book a test drive in the Insight.

Don’t just take it from me, the W3C recommend not using “click here”.

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