Links (or hyperlinks) point the audience to another location. Links may go to other internal pages, external websites or to media files. Anchor links direct users to a specific section within a web page.
Only use links if they help the audience
Too many links can reduce readability of the content and may cause confusion for the audience about what is important or how to complete a task. Use links only when and where necessary.
Using links
Do
- Use links in context to the overall understanding of the content. Ensure links are used at the point in the content where they are most useful.
- Write descriptive links so the audience understands the purpose of the link. Limit of 150 characters per link.
- Link text must be able to be understood without extra context.
- This is important for accessibility where screen readers and other assistive technologies tab from link to link to scan the content.
- Do not use generic named links, for example 'Click here' or 'Read more'. Generic links make no sense out of context and don't tell the audience where the link will take them.
- Keep link text to the point and put the most important words first.
- Links should be about a single idea, written in clear, descriptive language.
- Limit the use of links where you can as too many links can overwhelm the audience and cause them to abandon the content.
- Put links at the end of a sentence if it is important for the audience to understand all the content first.
- Use the title of the page you are linking to as the link text. This helps the audience know that they are in the right place.
- Start your link with a verb if you are linking to a task for the audience to complete. For example, 'Send an application'.
- Link to online content first, unless an offline resource like a PDF is better for the audience experience.
- Provide the audience with information about the offline resource to help them decide whether they download it of not:
- the resource title – a descriptive title not the media library file name
- file type, for example, PDF, .doc, .xlxs
- file size in kilobytes (KB) or megabytes (MB)
- include all the information in the link text
- Note: if the resource has been uploaded correctly to the media library, the file type and file size will automatically be added to the end of the file name when you add the link.
Don't
- Don't put links in the page summary field and try to avoid linking off in the first couple of paragraphs. Allow the audience to read the page content before following a link.
- Only use links to external sources if they are essential for the audience to find information or complete a task.
- Don't duplicate content. If the relevant content exists on another page, link to that page. Duplicated content is confusing and may build doubt in the audience about what the source of truth is.
- Don't add a list of links you think the audience may be interested in, for example 'Further reading', but is not essential to the understanding of the page content.
- Do not use generic named links, for example 'Click here' or 'Read more'. Generic links make no sense out of context and don't tell the audience where the link will take them.
- Do not overwhelm the audience with too many links or linking to the same page / resource throughout your page.
Adding links on a page
Refer to our guides on adding Managed links and Anchor links on pages. A links component can also be added.
Need any more help?
If you have any questions, or require assistance with anything mentioned on this article, submit a request via the webform.