Hyperlinks
Hypertext links are one of the most basic elements of any web-based experience. Learning to write good hyperlink text can improve your emails, web pages, course websites, and documents.
This page will cover the following topics:
- PowerPoint Tutorial: How to Hyperlink
- Avoid Uninformative Link Phrases
- URLs as Links
- Fix Me PowerPoint Hyperlink Activity
PowerPoint Tutorial: How to Hyperlink
- Estimated Total Reading Time
- 1 Minute
Avoid Uninformative Link Phrases:
- click here
- here
- more
- read more
- link to [some link destination]
- info
In fact, the phrase "click here" is unnecessary, even if it precedes a more meaningful phrase.
For example, a link that says "click here to access today's weather" can be shortened to "today's weather."
In some cases it may make sense to precede a link phrase with "more" or "read more about," (e.g. "more about global warming"), but if these extra words can be avoided, it is probably best to avoid them (e.g. "global warming" may convey the same meaning as "more about global warming," depending on the context).
Empty Links
Links should never be empty. They must always contain text or images with alternative text. An empty link will receive focus, but it does not present any content. This can be very confusing for keyboard and screen-reader users as something is receiving focus...but there is no content.
URLs as Links
Web addresses, or URLs, present two types of challenges:
- Readability
- Length
URLs are not always readable or screen reader friendly. Many URLs contain combinations of numbers, letters, ampersands, dashes, underscores, and other characters that make sense to scripts and databases but which make little or no sense to the average person. In most cases, it is better to use human-readable text instead of the URL.
Try It!
In your Fix Me PowerPoint, create descriptive hyperlinks on Slide 21.
Use the Answer Key as a reference.