Links with arrows

What's best >this or this>

[KennyJ]

When using either > or a graphic as an 'arrow' in a link what is best.

The link and then the arrow?
eg. next page >

Or, the arrow and then the link?
eg. > next page

I've read design/usability books that say "arrow before link" is the correct way to do it, but I've seen an equal number of sites that use the other method.

Hardly a major point but does anyone have any views?

[Stratus42]

hmm.. personally.. I like to do it the way you would see a street sign.. a one way sign on a street for instance would say ¦oneway====> if that was the way or <===oneway¦ if left was the way.. so.. if I've got pages that, for example have 'previous' and 'next' functions on them I would go

<<Previous Page____________ Next Page>>

since that makes sense in my brain.. If I were to go >>next then the arrows point at the word.. not the direction we're going right?

just my opinion though.

Lana

[HelenDev]

I would say that both have their place.

Where you might have navigation at the top of a page say, I would do it like this...

widgets home > blue widgets > small blue widgets

but where I am dividing up database search results into pages I would expect to see something more like this...

< previous page next page >

Helen.

[karmov]

For navigation's sake as previously mentioned, I would say after for sure.

ex: < previous - next >

You might want to consider the differences between > and >> as well. Usually > is used to move forward one step and >> is used to skip to the end. Not that there's any real reason for the distinction, but many people are used to these types of buttons on CD players, DVDs, etc...

[fashezee]

Double Arrow works for me!
&raquo;