Solution? Write better links
Laura Miller has joined the growing movement toward delinkification. Instead of embedding links in the body of her columns, the senior editor at Salon is listing them at the bottom.… Read the full article
Microcontent
How to write great headlines for the web
Frontload headlines to putting the topic 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
How to write a top level page for your website
Craft your website’s tables of content
When searching on a drop-down menu, web visitors should either:
- Start at the top and move linearly down to the bottom of the menu (EPIC model)
- Randomly search the menu (ACT-R model)
Or so say classic models of cognitive processing.… Read the full article
Steal tricks from the world’s best online headlines
BBC’s heads are short, clear, front-loaded and context-free
Who writes the world’s best web heads?
The folks at BBC News, according to usability expert Jakob Nielsen.… Read the full article
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
What’s the average time spent on a web page?
Reach surfers and divers by passing the 30-3-30 test
All readers are not created equal. So how can you give your in-depth “divers” enough information without overwhelming your casual “surfers”?… 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.
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