Link text is an important tool for connecting your users with the information they're looking for. It’s important to provide users with clear, descriptive and unique link text to ensure a seamless, accessible user experience on your website.
Writing Great Link Text
When writing effective link text, the link text should give users an indication of where it is taking them. The link text should describe the page it’s linking to.
Descriptive links improve your site’s usability and provide search engines context between link text and link destinations which is good for search engine optimization.
- Make sure the link can stand on its own.
- Fit the link within the surrounding writing of the paragraph.
- Describe and/or include the name of the page, where the link points to.
Make your links contextual. Nielsen Norman Group, leaders in research-based user experience, discourage using “click here” links. Use part of your sentence or phrase as the link instead.
Examples of well-written link text
- Download the syllabus
- Watch our video to learn more about our program
- Explore program options
Examples of badly written link text
- Click here
- Here
- Link
- Follow this link
- Go here
- Read more
Writing Link Text for Screen Readers
Well-written link text should help users who navigate websites using screen readers access your site. Users who navigate your site using a screen reader can get an overview of a page by tabbing through the page's links.
That makes writing quality link text that much more important. Each link's text should be unique and start with the most important words. Front-loading link text helps screen readers scan the page more easily.
How to make your link text accessible
- Write descriptive and accurate link text.
- Make your link text unique. If a user is forced to skip between multiple “Read more” and “Click here” links to navigate your page, it may disrupt their navigation as they stop to gain more context.
- Do not use the destination URL as your link text.
- Supplement ambiguous link text with aria labels.
Create shorter URLs using go.FIU
go.FIU is the university’s official FIU-branded URL shortening service, making it perfect for representing the university and your department.
You can use go.FIU to create short, aesthetically pleasing URLs and have access to manage and edit links pre- and post-sharing.
When should I use go.FIU?
Shortened URLs are easy to read and remember and can be tailored to fit your needs. We recommend using shortened URLs for:
- Tracking marketing campaigns
- Social media posts and advertisements
- Optimizing social media bios
- Email blasts
- Printed marketing material
- Signage and billboards
- Radio and TV ads
How do I create a shorter URL?
Creating an FIU-branded link is easy and doesn’t require any registration.
- Log in to go.FIU with your FIU credentials.
- After logging in, click the Create New Link button.
- Fill out the required fields in the Create Custom URL sidebar and click Submit.
- Your new link will appear on your dashboard, where you can monitor your link and have the option to edit and delete it.
For detailed instructions, read our step-by-step go.FIU guide.