Forum Moderators: not2easy
When you put URLs on your site, either external links or links to your own pages, do you tell people to click on them?
And, when do you do it?
For example, on pages that talk about a product, I usually have a "click here to buy a widget" link, where that whole text would be the link.
Do most users, especially newer users, necessarily know to click on underlined text, or do we need to tell them to do so?
Should it be used just as a sales method (i.e. asking for the sale), or should it be used more generally? For example, I have a site with articles. A directory will give the title (clickable link) and a brief description. At the end of that description, should I put a "click here to read this article" link, or should I expect that visitors will know to click on the article title? Or, should I put directions somewhere on the page that tells users to click on the article's title to view the article?
Thanks,
Dan
Seriously though, I don't think it's ever necessary to tell people to click things. Just make the name of your link pertinent.
I wouldnt discount the power of CLICK HERE! at all, especially for ecommerce and selling sites which are usually full of juicy punters just waiting to be told what to do... Dont be shy.
"Click here" seems to run of the mill....why not say.......Read this Article Now>>>>
there are many ways of saying the same thing...so why not try something new!
Don't you always? hehe! ;);)
I think 'click here' is dumb as hell. If your link is blue and underlined it's clear as day even to the most novice of users. I like to bold links I really want them to click and prefer 'follow this link' to 'click here' if I really have to prompt....
Nick
I agree that "Click Here" is cheesy if those are just the exact anchored text used and the user has no idea where he or she will end up after clicking on the link.
Jordan
jb
If they got to your site, chances are they know how to click a link;)besides what ever happened to professionalism, I mean as well with the standard blue underlined links I say to hell with them, say if I have a err, red colour scheme, I would use shades of red for every thing especially the links and underlining the links just makes them look strange when in a block of text. I say bin the old and onwards to pastures new, underline and darken on hover is the way ahead! sorry for getting carried away dribbling on about what may seem utter nonesence but this sorta thing can set one site apart from another, thanks for listening to my words of wisdom (:S), the creator.
But, the Call To Action it provokes in the usual scenario of browsing a website (ie. one person, one mouse, one button) is powerful beyond its cheesiness. We can ignore the words, but we'll still click them, if we want to get to where they'll take us.
Treat everyone who uses your website as an absolute novice, then the only people you'll annoy are the ones who know better (and they've already made their minds up)
Iechydd Dda (Good Health)
WR
They destroyed my beautifully crafted creatives and added an ugly CLICK HERE to the first line of every ad.
I didn't go with their suggestions, but I'm sure they have a reason for having suggested that. They study conversions carefully, and they probably do see a benefit to adding those words to the ad.
So I think it's always good to tell them to click. I like the "read this article now" suggestion. If you sent that to Google, they would suggest: Read this Article NOW. :)
Yes, but the psychological effect is ... "cheesey".
I personally HATE being told something like "CLICK HERE". And I don't usually follow such links, unless..no, I don't follow them at all.. %) I don't think I am the only one, on whom "CLICK HERE" doesn't produce a "desired" psychological effect, but vice versa.
My personal belief is that most of us here at Webmaster World aren't good judges of whether or not "Click here" is good or not. We see things as "cheesy" that other people wouldn't even notice. Even the least knowledgeable of us knows enough to recognize a link on a well-designed webpage if it's only distinguished from the text around it (and often even if it's identical, simply because, "that should be a link!"). All that to say, we don't often need instructions on what to do at a website.
In my experience, most average Internet users will notice a link if it is set apart from the text around it. But, I still think there's a time for "click here." Consider the following scenarios:
My name is Matthew and I designed my own website.
My name is Matthew and I designed my own website. Click here to read more about me.
In the first instance, people see my name in bold type. Some will recognize it as a link to read more about me; others will just think I'm egotistical. The second option is definitely more clear as to what needs to be done to read more about me. (As if many people would want to do that anyway! ;) Obviously, this is an overly-simplistic example and anyone here will be able to point out good link text. But I think it illustrates my point.
Just for the record: I've actually watched over people's shoulder when they're browsing, knowing what they're looking for. I've told them what link to click on, only to be told that, "It doesn't say to click there!" So we need to keep that in mind, especially when designing pages that contain important instructions, etc. :)
Just my two cents worth!
Best wishes,
Matthew
All: So perhaps MatthewHSE's last point really hit the nail on the head. Sophisticated web users rightfully may think that "Click here" is vague and demeaning. And for them they are correct.
There are millions more though that use the net and find the "click here" useful. I say "use the net", but perhaps better phraseology would be they ride a turtle with dementia from point a to point b. They don't know how to control it, or what happens under its shell, or why it just stops sometimes but they do know that "click here" is how you get a response from it.
The obvious point is: what is your market? The sophisticate or the turtle rider? Plus of course are you on a hard sell, or a consultive sale etc., etc..
All that being said I am personally bored of seeing "Click here" and an more partial to
"Learn more..."
rather than
"Click here to learn more..."
Colin
ps I'd also love to state some points about years of Direct Marketing research that "proves" that the clearer and more forceful the call to action in a Direct Marketing piece, the better your chances of getting your audience to react. But I won't as I can't remember details, I don't have the time to research and I am probably wrong anyway ;-)
