Microcontent

Why avoid generic links?

You’re not still writing Click here and Read more, are you?

When it comes to link writing, Click here is so 1996. We’re talking 14.4k modems, a CompuServe account and the Spice Girls singing “Wannabe” on your portable electronic device, aka a Sony Discman.… Read the full article

Format links for clicking

5 ways to draw eyes, fingers

Your most important links are calls to action, writes HubSpot’s Kyle James. So how can you increase the chances that they’ll get clicked?… Read the full article

Polish your online road signs

Write links that tell visitors where they’re going

If you saw a road sign that said, “go here,” “drive more” or “road sign,” would you follow it?… Read the full article

Write for surfers and divers

Try the 30-3-30 rule

All readers are not created equal. So how can you give your in-depth “divers” enough information without overwhelming your casual “surfers”?

Use Clay Schoenfeld’s 30-3-30 rule.

… Read the full article

Frontload web heads

Move topics up top

When it comes to web heads, focus on the front.

That is, place your topic words at the beginning of your headline.… Read the full article

Avoid online ADHD

Embed links carefully

Where do you put your links?

Embedded links are distracting.

Embedded links like this one can cause problems. Among them:

They’re distracting. Because they capture eyeballs, embedded links “foster a kind of attention deficit disorder, creating casual, easily distracted surfers instead of committed, engaged readers,” writes Jan H.

… Read the full article

A link is a promise

Don’t disappoint readers

A suitor asks you on a date but doesn’t show up. A parent says she’ll play a game but never does. A link on a website says Products & services but opens a registration page instead.… Read the full article