Write useful link text
Link text is important for search engines and users, and is critical for accessibility. It’s the visible, clickable text in an HTML hyperlink.
The primary purpose of link text is to give users a short summary of the link destination content.
Summary
When writing link text, pay attention to the words used and the length of the link text.
Words
Make link text obviously reflect what the next page is about.
Don’t use words such as Click here, More, and Read more as standalone link text, because they can be confusing when a screen reader reads them out of context.
When linking to a GitHub repository, include
repository
in the sentence text or link text.For example:
- To learn more, go to the
[faro-web-sdk]()
repository. - To learn more about Grafana Faro, go to its
[repository]()
.
- To learn more, go to the
When linking from outside of a documentation page, include
documentation
in the text.
Quantity
Aim for no more than two links per paragraph.
Some links are essential for additional context, and others are nice to have but not necessary.
Using too many links on a page makes it difficult for a user to read the content.
Length
- Keep link text short and concise.
- Never start with articles: a, an, or the.
- Don’t link whole sentences; aim for a maximum of four to five words.
Examples
Use | Don’t use |
---|---|
[Learn more about cluster navigation]() or learn more about [cluster navigation]() | [Learn more]() |
[our Grafana products]() or [Grafana products]() | [our products]() |
visit the [Grafana website]() | [visit our website]() |
[SNMP exporter]() | [exporter]() |
[KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2022]() | [KubeCon event]() |
The basic [definition of cardinality]() | The [basic definition]() of cardinality |
refer to [Configure Kubernetes Monitoring]() | [refer to Configure Kubernetes Monitoring]() |