Online text consists of many independent parts that are linked together. The texts must be written in such a way that they work independently, but can also be easily linked to other pieces of writing.<\/p>\n
For Those Who Need More Information<\/strong><\/p>\n A link connects two parts of the content on one page, or two separate pages. Sometimes people talk about structural and associative links; the first serve the purposes of navigation and the latter offer additional information.<\/p>\n Links that give extra information can lead to either the content on your own page or somewhere else. It has become customary that internal links to your own website open in the same browser window, while the pages outside your website open to a new window \u2013 even though some usability experts have expressed differing views on the matter.<\/p>\n If the text is long, its usability can be enhanced by adding a linked list of contents<\/a>. The subtitles come straight after the main headline \u2013 usually one below the other and sometimes side-by\u2013side, separated by a vertical line. A list of contents takes up some of the precious space from the top of the screen, but it offers the reader the possibility to pick up the information he needs without scrolling down the page.<\/p>\n Link Your Key Words<\/strong><\/p>\n When naming your links, you should follow a consistent practice: you can lead to pages by using only the name or an address \u2013 or both. The first alternative is the easiest for the reader, however. While thinking about naming the links, you should focus on what best serves the reader. Keywords support skimming very well, while long links make the text seem patchy, while choosing only pronouns offer poor predictions for content. For example: “You can read about Twitter here<\/a>” should be changed to \u201cAre you interested in Twitter<\/a>?<\/p>\n You should provide enough clues in your text to show what the content of your link is. The better the reader is able to predict the content opening with a link, the less there will be unnecessary clicking. Transparent links, names and titles make the text more usable.<\/p>\n