Good navigation is an essential element for every successful website. A good question to ask yourself is can the reader interpret and get to my intended destination? And is it easy for them to do so?

Here are four tips to write links like a pro

1. Write out links in their context.

Gone are the days of click here and learn more. Not only are these kinds of links not as search engine friendly as higher ranking links, but they also present accessibility issues for people with disabilities using devices such as screen readers. In general, they don’t inform the reader of what they are clicking on.

A better way to format links (and adhere to accessibility standards) is to write the link in the context of what it’s referring to.

Example: You can get help with writing in WSU style by visiting the WSU Editorial Style Guide.

Example: For more information on this topic, check out the article 4 Reasons to Avoid Using ‘Click Here’ in Link Text by Hirsch Fishman that gives a quick overview of formatting links for the modern-day web era.

How do you know if you applied this correctly? If the linked text makes sense read aloud by itself, another reader (or a disabled person using a screen reader) will be able to interpret the context of the link.

When read aloud, “click here” doesn’t inform the reader as much as the link “WSU Editorial Style Guide” in relation to what they’re clicking on.

2. Always embed links when referencing websites and resources.

Imagine reading this: For registration criteria, please visit research.wayne.edu.

The link is there but it’s not clickable. Not very helpful ☹️. Whenever you write out addresses in the body of a web page, news article, spotlight, etc., be sure to embed the link of the address that you’re referring to.

Example: For registration criteria, please visit research.wayne.edu.

Not only does this create a better experience for your readers, but it will also enhance the rank of the page in search results.

A step further

Even when referring to resources where the website address is not spelled out, it’s always helpful to link to those resources where appropriate.

Example: You can choose from several disciplines from our list of minors offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

In this example above, I’ve linked to resource/page that I want my reader to reference. This method of embedding the link in context keeps the body of text short and sweet by embedding the link where it naturally occurs in the sentence [without having to literally spell it out] and it saves the reader the hassle of trying to locate this resource on their own.

Not only does embedding links improve the reader’s experience and chances of getting to your intended destination, but it also communicates thoughtfulness.

3. Keep visible links short.

The length of a link doesn’t matter so much when it’s embedded like so, e.g. Make a donation. You can see the text but you never see the link [written out].

Written out on the page, however, this particular link actually looks like this: https://giving.wayne.edu/donate/clas?utm_source=go.wayne.edu&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=quick-access&utm_content=

This is not very fun to look at much less easy to read through. In such cases, you should either embed the link, e.g. Make a donation, or shorten it (if written out), e.g. go.wayne.edu/give-clas.

Always remember your reader when writing. Go.wayne.edu/give-clas is much easier to read than https://giving.wayne.edu/donate/clas?utm_source=go.wayne.edu&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=quick-access&utm_content=.

Don’t write out “https://”. Ever.

This applies to flyers, social media posts, as well as web pages.

You’ll notice in all of our examples here where a link was written out, the https:// portion was omitted for clarity and brevity. Not only is this assumed knowledge of web addresses today, but modern web browsers automatically append this to a link regardless of whether you type it out or not in the address/search bar.

For flyers, graphics, and social media posts, always remove the https:// prefix when writing links out visibily, e.g. “for more information, visit go.wayne.edu/give-clas.”

Warning for web pages! The “https://” prefix still needs to be appended to embedded links when inserted, e.g. go.wayne.edu/give-clas. This ensures that the web browser processes the link correctly.

Note: Citations and references in the footer of a document or webpage are the exception to this rule in conjunction with those respective writing style guides.

GO URLs and faculty/staff profiles

Shortened URLs, e.g. go.wayne.edu, can be requested through the CLAS Marketing Team at clas@wayne.edu.

Faculty and staff can also request a shortened GO URL for their profile, e.g. go.wayne.edu/heather-dillaway that forwards to the full address, i.e. https://clasprofiles.wayne.edu/profile/ao1701.

4. Write memorable email addresses.

By default, every Wayne State employee is assigned an email address of AccessID@wayne.edu. However, these default addresses are very impersonal and difficult to pronounce and remember when sharing verbally or written.

Whenever possible, and specifically for written communications, format your email addresses in the format of firstname.lastname@wayne.edu.

Example: For help and feedback with CLAS marketing matters, please contact Mel Mills, mel.mills@wayne.edu.

This address, also known as an email alias, is also automatically created and assigned to every Wayne State employee. In other words, firstname.lastname@wayne.edu will automatically (with some exceptions) forward email to your default address with no additional configuration needed by you.

The idea is that a name, e.g. mel.mills@wayne.edu, is much more personal and impressionable than the default AccessID, e.g. aq8389@wayne.edu (which sounds more like a secret government spy name 😉) when given out.

If you’d like to create a different email alias, e.g. yourchoice@wayne.edu, see C&IT’s How do I create and use a custom email name? guide.

Happy linking!