        Hyperlinks: viewers wantedIs it time to update your hyperlink text? With nearly three-fourths of Americans now online,* navigational hyperlinks such as click here are dull, dated, obvious reminders. Grab the attention of multi-tasking Web users with well-written, concise links. Use active verbsEffective links focus on what the viewer can find or accomplish. Links should track with the topic, instead of the action or mechanics of the Web. For instance, save on your mortgage generates more interest than to save on your mortgage, click here. Verb-based links motivate the Web site visitor to act. Keep it shortShort link text, between one to five works, increases hyperlink visibility. If your link is within a sentence or list, link key words instead of the entire phrase. Use trigger wordsAlso, links with key, trigger words, make it easier for people to scan your Web site. According to a study by User Interface Engineering, when Web pages contain trigger words – words consumers associate with a product or service – consumers find their desired content 72 percent of the time compared with 6 percent of the time when the trigger words do not appear on the Web page. Maintain the viewer’s attentionKeep people clicking through your Web site by placing hyperlinks on every screen. Topic-focused links appeal to more audiences, enticing viewers to take a closer look. *2006 Pew Institute and American Life Project report |