'Click here' is actually good copy

[samanime]

I have thought of a few times when "Click here" just plain sounds appropriate, which they have all been mentioned, such as:
"If you aren't bob, <a>click here</a> to logout." sounds better to me than "If you aren't bob, <a>logout</a>."
"Click here if you would like to read more." or "If you would like, <a>read more</a>."
etc.

Those aren't the best examples and I had some betters ones which I forgot, but I think sometimes it just sounds more appropriate to use a "click here" then it does to try to be proper with your link.

[ericpang]

i will use "Click here to [keyword]" rather than just "Click here". This will improve both conversion rate and SEO point.

[PlayOn]

I have heard that by using "Place your whatever here" works better than "Enter your whatever here".

Example would be those zip code and email offers.
Enter your Zip Code or Place your Zip Code. People seem to respond better to Place Your Zip Code in my CPA ads. I have a feeling it's because people get used to certain things.

I automatically skip offers and stuff that offer the same old marketing pitch "ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND WIN MILLIONS". Perhaps when I see "Place your email address.." I may think differently.

[Daz]

I hate click here so much that its actually the last thing I'd do and more often than not it causes me to leave a site.

[BlazeMiskulin]

Just one last point from me:

"Is acceptable in some situations" != "is a good practice".

Good links are reader-friendly, SEO-friendly, screenreader-friendly, and contextual. Those are what you want to use. Sometimes "click here" is acceptable. But it is (in my opinion) never preferred.

[Stormrider]

Exactly. The title of this thread is misleading, and all that study shows is that one not very good link text is slightly better than another not very good link text.

[Raphaelle]

@Raphaelle: Isn't that what title and alt tags are for? (adding descriptions to link elements for accessibility purposes)

I just wanted to reply to that; in my previous post (page 2) I was suggesting ways of making links accessible.

Regarding the TITLE attribute, it is not actually the best accessible way to do links for different reasons:

1) it is not picked up by all screen readers
2) there are a few drawbacks to using TITLE attributes.

The drawbacks are not just for disabled users, I think it can be very annoying to have a TITLE attribute show when rolling over a link, particularly when it is a pretty navigation button.

[rguy84]

It's better to use:

<a href="page2.htm"><img src="clickme.bmp"></a>

This will work in emails too and a pretty image will get much more click throughs

Uhm sorry not if it is formed that way. If you are using a screen reader, it would say "Link Image" really useful

[Chroniclemaster1]

I think it depends on the perspective you read the results from. It's just statistical data until you ask a question. If you ask the question "Is 'click here' outdated?" then the data would seem to say no.

I would say the much more valid question is "What's successful at holding user interest so that they click through?" I think the idea that "click" is somehow a magical word is patently naive. However, It was the only example where the final words of the link tell the user what you want them to do. As several people noted, the other choices give you secondary goals of getting to more content. That's fine, but the data does tell you that you're more successful by asking them to do the primary action they need to get there, activating the link. I think it is valid to say that, as writer's of persuasive copy have known for thousands of years... your last few words are the most important and they should exhort the user to take the action that you want them to take. Any way you can phrase that persuasively and succinctly should work.

I would be interested to see a survey that measures "click here" against primary rather than secondary alternatives.

[webchalkboard]

I occurs to me that perhaps it's just the particular choice of words that has led to the increased clickthrough rate (ok sounds obvious I know but bear with me). 'Click to continue' is more vague and perhaps alluring as it could mean anything. As opposed to the more description 'click here to read article'.

I wonder how the rates would change if they put 'click here for winning lottery numbers', or 'click here for something mysterious'. Totally irrelevant links, but I bet clickthrough would increase. Of course the user would go as soon as they realised they'd been duped

I think you should try and be as descriptive with your links as possible, for text readers and accessibility if nothing else. This often includes keywords which is also good for seo so everyones a winner!

[Irish.ness]

It's absolutely an interesting concept. I have to agree with some of the people on here however that an overabundance of "Click Here" buttons will decrease the marginal utility of each. After redaing this post though its definately worth a shot.

[Chroniclemaster1]

Also note that the survey referred only to the "last three words" of the link. This is not a survey to indicate a return to the bad old days of two word "Click here" links. Descriptive links won that battle for 1) ease of understanding, 2) SEO, and 3) accessibility. The point it makes is that you should end the link with a persuasive "call to action".

[eldacar]

I have thought of a few times when "Click here" just plain sounds appropriate

"Click here" never sounds appropriate if you're not using a mouse.

[samanime]

Ah, that is an excellent point. For screen-readers users and the like, it would be very awkward sounding.

[ceeb]

It's not just screen-readers - mobile phones, PDAs, and game consoles have browsers where there is no concept of 'clicking'. These devices are increasingly used: they offer quick access to the internet without booting up a PC and the browsers are getting more powerful.

[Bleys]

Mobile phones don't have a concept of clicking? How do you press on the buttons? How do you press down with your stylus? When you press the 'B' button on your console controller you're not clicking it? Huh?

I think we're getting into silly semantic arguments... Screen readers, maybe, but everything else you mentioned most certainly does have a concept of 'clicking.'

[cymrojazz]

Patrick, I don't think anyone is arguing that all your links say "Click here," only that is can be useful and shouldn't be dismissed outright as antiquated or poor copy.

Further, I believe everyone who has argued for the use of "Click here" has talked about giving the links context with surrounding text (i.e., "Click here for ____" rather than "Click here.").

I think you're arguing against a point that no one made.

Should we be thinking about being consistent with our links
At the moment we only seem to be thinking about two categories of users
1. Web Savvy with 20 20 vision
2. Someone who has to use a screen reader

What about people with less than good eyesight, who aren't that web savvy and don't use a screen reader. (Like my parents for example). Simply having a word in different coloured text or underlined isn't going to necessarily register visually, or cognitively as a link unless there is also some sort of instruction.

And on the other side of the argument - Shouldn't context be doing some of the work - ie the reader's common sense. Otherwise one could end up having to hyper link all of every sentence or paragraph that has a link in it.

Personally, I feel, for a site that is not specialist or techie or webbie then an instruction verb and brief description of what you get when you follow the link , within the link tag, is still good copy.

[Wilks_eye]

Ive been using a link in the main keyword, followed by "Click it. What do you guys think of it? It seems compelling to me.

[eldacar]

Mobile phones don't have a concept of clicking? How do you press on the buttons? How do you press down with your stylus? When you press the 'B' button on your console controller you're not clicking it? Huh?

I think we're getting into silly semantic arguments... Screen readers, maybe, but everything else you mentioned most certainly does have a concept of 'clicking.'

There are many people who predominantly use their keyboards rather than mouse.

I had an interesting thought, but unfortunately don't have the time to do any proper study on it. Do other programs and UIs tell you to click stuff? A quick survey of the programs I have open now says they don't. Anyone use programs that do?

[ceeb]

Mobile phones don't have a concept of clicking? How do you press on the buttons? How do you press down with your stylus? When you press the 'B' button on your console controller you're not clicking it? Huh?

I think we're getting into silly semantic arguments... Screen readers, maybe, but everything else you mentioned most certainly does have a concept of 'clicking.'

'Click here' implies the use of a mouse. 'Tap here' reads better for a touch screen (PDAs, PSP, DS, recent mobiles). Both terms imply the use of certain hardware even though the web is device-independent.

This whole thread is a discussion about semantics! 'Click here' is not good copy, and I don't think there's a compelling argument to dispute that.

[Bleys]

'Click here' implies the use of a mouse.
...
This whole thread is a discussion about semantics!

You're right on the second part, and I disagree on the first part.

[samanime]

People are going to hate me for this, but here is a definition:
2: to select especially in a computer interface by pressing a button on a control device (as a mouse) (Webster)

"Pressing a button" could mean a cell phone button, a PDA button, a keyboard, etc. You could even extent it to tapping the screen of a PDA. I think we, as savvy web users, think of a mouse when we think of "click", but those that barely know what a mouse is make little to no distinction.

[cruelty4]

people are smarter.click here stuff doesnt work so well lately

[Wilks_eye]

Still, its a clear indication a link is there. What if the typeface and font color of the link is barely distinguishable? (Kind of when you do it in goarticles.com) "Click here" indicates there something there.

[ceeb]

What if the typeface and font color of the link is barely distinguishable?

Mmm, well I don't think that "click here" should be used to solve a website's design problems. If links aren't obvious, then "click here" won't stand out to anyone scanning the text either.