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Are your links as strong as they could be? This is the first of a series of posts all about how to write effective links. There’s a lot to say about links and link text but it all stems from seven basic facts.

Seven facts about links
Here are the seven facts. I’ve listed […]

Dangerous words is a list of cliches and confusions. It’s dated but has some useful corrective advice on the use of spatial concepts online (”back”, “up” etc.). See also The A to Z of alternative words from the Plain English campaign.

This books has several great strengths. The layout is excellent, the examples are effective and the tips are put in context.

Hot Text: Web Writing That Works
Authors: Jonathan Price and Lisa Price
Published: January 2002
Publisher: New Riders
ISBN: 0735711518
Paperback: 416 pages

»» Free delivery on Hot Text: Web Writing That Works now »»

Related books on Amazon.co.uk

These fifty writing tools from Poynter Online are aimed at journalists. Still worth a scan.

Branch to the Right
Use Strong Verbs
Beware of Adverbs
Period As a Stop Sign
Observe Word Territory
Play with Words
Dig for the Concrete and Specific
Seek Original Images
Prefer Simple to Technical
Recognize Your Story’s Roots
Back Off or Show Off
Control the Pace
Show and Tell
Interesting Names
Reveal Character Traits
Odd and […]

A screen reader is a software program that reads the contents of the screen aloud to a user. How do people use them? What does this mean for good web design? This is a summary of research observing users of screen readers carried out at the United States National Cancer Institute.

Screen-reader users scan with their […]

In Designing the User Interface Ben Shneiderman offers eight golden rules of interface design.

Strive for consistency
Enable frequent users to use shortcuts
Offer informative feedback
Let the user know when they have completed a task
Offer simple error handling
Permit easy undo
Provide a sense of user-control
Reduce short-term memory load

You can do stuff on the web! Surprised? Of course not. But a writing tip from the W3C recommends that links should not include verb phrases. I disagree. A verb phrase in your link text can clarify, emphasise and improve fluency. Can I persuade you?

Tell me more…
The W3C Quality Tips for Webmasters states:

When […]

Most users don’t care about the structure of your website. They are highly goal-directed and follow a simple stategy:

Does this page have what I’m looking for? Yes: stop. No: Does this page have a link to what I’m looking for? Yes: follow that link. No: click the “back” button.

This is repeated until the user reaches […]