Death to ‘Click here’ and ‘Read more’!

I have to admit that I still wince every time I see an elegant, robust and indeed usable site being spoilt by a lack of thought for one of the most important elements on any website or app in terms of usability, persuasiveness and that benefits SEO and accessibly: A direct and influential call to action. By this I mean that the simple hyperlink should never be overlooked.

From a usability point of view it is lazy because not only does it not help to set expectations or signpost a user to meaningful content within the context of their needs, but it is an opportunity missed to enhance expectations in an engaging manner. Links can work hard at being persuasive and at the same time can be direct calls to action. Labels and titles should be succinct enough to capture users’ attention and for them to understand what is achievable and what isn’t so that they can satisfy their needs effectively and efficiently or dismiss it. A dismissal in this context is not a bad thing.

From an accessibility perspective, not understanding or designing for your users is making them work harder by which time you might have lost them – quite literally. Consideration should also be given to screen readers and the visually impaired. The way in which a site is made ‘accessible’ is also one that is much more easily indexed by search engines.

Use your links to help create an emphasis for the keywords that are being used in your SEO campaigns. Keyword selection is the foundation of the SEO and is crucial in helping to decide on a realistic SEO strategy. Selection is based on the keywords and phrases which are positioned in the mind-set of the user and must reflect their use of language. The more targeted key phrases and search terms are the more qualified traffic a site will attract.

In everything digital, doing every little thing as well as it can be has a greater overall impact than doing one big thing well – in this I mean that the sum of the parts is greater than the individual elements. You can not do the big hitters without building on solid foundations.