Leave Those Links Blue!
|
|
Don't mess with those links! When you're designing your site, you should leave your text links in their natural state--blue and underlined. We all want to be creative and not do the bland, expected, normal thing. We want to change our links to red, green, yellow, even black--anything but blue. And we have the urge to take off those underlines.
Resist the temptation. It's hard. But there's a good reason to leave them alone.
From the earliest days of the web, text links have been blue. People intuitively recognize that blue, underlined text is a link. They know they can click on it.
The combination of blue and underlines means "If I click on this, it goes somewhere". We're conditioned to recognize those distinguishing characteristics. We're like Pavlov's dogs--we see the link and instantly know what it means. There's no time wasted in trying to figure out whether or not that particular word or phrase is clickable.
If you mess with the natural appearance of a link, you lose that instant recognition. People have to stop and think (and often click) to figure out what your colors mean. I have watched countless people try to navigate websites and spend half their time figuring out what's a link and what's not. They have no way of knowing.
In addition, people scan a page for links. They like to be active on the internet, and they like to know what they can do. When they recognize a link in your copy, it's a clear signal of someplace to go. Visitors want to know what their options are. It's not a good idea to make life difficult. They'll appreciate coming across a site that's easy to use and doesn't try to confuse them (for once!).
It is becoming more acceptable to use other colors for your text links, as long as they remain underlined. But if you can, it's still best to use blue. This is because so many people use underlined, colored text on their sites that is NOT linked. Visitors have a tendency to get confused. They never know what to expect. With blue, it's obvious.
Some people have brought up the point that if we stick to the status quo, there will never be any improvements in the system.
My answer: In a medium like the web, forward movement will never be a problem. The web continues to push ahead, regardless of whether your site jumps on the bandwagon or not. There will always be new growth, no matter what your site does.
The question is, when is it appropriate for your site to adopt the latest fads? To answer that question, you must keep in mind your site's purpose and your audience.
If your site is technology oriented, and your visitors are technically-minded and on the cutting edge, then going for the latest trend is more appropriate.
But if your site is focused on an average web user, it's different. If you're sellling a product/service, communicating information, or driving any specific action, you need to keep your visitors focused on that goal. You shouldn't distract them with trying to learn a new set of skills and standards just so they can navigate your site.
Never move faster than your audience is ready to move. At this point in time, people still struggle with being able to recognize links. A majority of people have a difficult time finding what they want. If they are still struggling, your site needs to accomodate them.
As more and more people become comfortable with advances in technology and design style, it will be appropriate to incorporate those advances into your site. Just wait until your audience is ready.
Final thoughts: If the context of your site makes it clearly obvious what is a link and what is not, it is sometimes permissible to use a color other than blue for your links. For this to work, your copy should have no colored text that isn't linked (with the exception of headings) and no underlined text that isn't linked. Only use another color if you are sure that visitors won't have any trouble recognizing your links.
The main point: Visitors shouldn't have to think about what is a link and what isn't. Whatever you can do that maintains instant recognition is great. Go for it!
About The Author
There are 580.8 million people online. Can they find your business? Jamie Kiley creates powerful and engaging websites that make sure YOUR company gets noticed. Visit www.kianta.com for a free quote.
Get a quick, free web design tip every two weeks--sign up for Jamie's newsletter: http://www.kianta.com/newsletter.php
|
|
|
Created & Maintained by Empower! CMS Web Sites
Host2Sell Web Hosting | Emarketing Workshops | Site SEO Review | FREE NewsletterTo Flash, Or Not To Flash
When considering whether or not to incorporate Flash into your website, you must also consider the target market you are trying to reach.For instance, a website which serves as a depository for articles and information catering to lawyers would probably not be a good candidate for a Flash "makeover". However, if you are a rock band, you may want to consider it.Those are two very opposite ends of the spectrum, but exemplify ho...(related: Web Design)
An Ideal Home Business Home Page
From my personal experience of around two year as home business website operator as well as owner, I have spent enough time learning and unlearning. Observing other sites and constantly reading and contributing in online forums about managing a website.Having a website is all about being able to draw targeted traffic to you site. The more the traffic- betters the sales- improved commissions. This is everyone's ultimate goal behind runnin...(related: Web Design)
Website Savvy: 10 Key Steps To Turn Your Customers On!
"How to turn "slightly interested" customers into "I've got to have it!" customers!"I am truly amazed as to the lack of information websites contain. You would think that a business would realize that a potential customer would at least like to know how to contact the customer service department. But, you'd be astonished at how many times I've actually come across NO information on the business except "place your order here". That truly leaves the customer with a feeling of abandonment. Since I visit so many websites through...(related: Web Design)
Build Web Pages From The Top Left Corner Down
There are two important reasons to build your website from the top left hand corner down.The first one is that this is the way people (at least in the western world) read pages. They tend to begin at the top and read towards the bottom. And they tend to look at the left column before they look at the right. This is why your web...(related: Web Design)
Website Redesign For Existing Websites
Does your website need a re-design? Here are some questions to ask yourself when you are looking for investing in your website redesign.1) Is your website fresh - Having a website fresh helps your visitors to stay on your website rather than skipping your website? When I mean fresh, fresh with content, Every website owner should have their website updated with latest content, Search engine spiders index new content and in turn your website will rank high on search engines.2) Create a professional image for your website. Out dated graphics and look of the website can turn away your visitors to your competitor's website which is Eye-catching and easy to use and functional website. A clean looking website gives a professional image to your business and it creates leads and sales.3) Forbidden code which can lead to be bann...(related: Web Design)
Web Publishing Guide For The Beginning Entrepreneur (part 1)
The best things don't come easy. - QuotedThe finished web pages in your hands could be likened to a painting by Michelangelo without the Sistine Chapel. In your case, the Sistine Chapel would be the web server to host your web site masterpiece.This is the first part of a series of articles touching on various aspects of publishing on the web. In this edition, we will dwell on the aspect of domain name and web hosting.Domain NameFirst, you need to register your domain name. FYI, a domain name is the location of your web site on the Internet, just like http://www.internetmarketinglearningcenter.com.You should have your own domain name if you e...(related: Web Design)
My Top Ten List Of Extremely Annoying Web Page Design Elements!
Easy navigation and usability are one of the most important aspects of creating a "user friendly" website. However, there are still a "plethora" of web-sites out there that are, to be politically correct, "functionally challenged." Does your website keep people captivated, or does it send them fleeing as soon as they get to...(related: Web Design)
Congratulations! You?ve Gotten Visitors To Your Site! Now, Can They Find What Theyre Looking For?
As search engine marketers, we spend an enormous amount of time trying to get targeted traffic to our site. But, once those visitors get to our site, can they find what they're looking for? If not, guess what? We've lost a customer.Think about it this way. How many times have you found a site through a major search engine or directory, only to visit the site and not be able to find what you're looking for anywhere on the site? What do you do next? You go back to the search engine and click on the next site. That site has lost a customer: you.Helping your visitors find what they're looking for on your site can cover a great many areas, such as navigation, user interface issues, and the lack of a clear "call to action."But one way ar...(related: Web Design)
Maximising Web Site Viewability - Browsers
With so many different configurations internet users have their computers set up with, it can be difficult to decide how web sites should be configured so that it is viewable in as many configurations as possible.So in the last 6 months i have been logging the statistics from my web design site to achieve as accurate a result as possible to answer this question.The results are interesting reading and in my next few articles i will be analysing this data. First is browsers, and here are thegeneral statistics :Microsoft Internet Explorer 6....(related: Web Design)
The Golden Rule Of Website Building
Copyright 2005 Robert EvansSetting yourself up to earn a steady monthly income has to be a pre-requisite to your success online. There is no doubt that large sums of money can be made (and indeed are being made) from s...(related: Web Design)
Simple Steps To Proper Web Design
Over the course of the last decade, the Internet has grown beyond all expectations. Each and everyday there is a new website that is being developed. The biggest challenge a new website will face is getting viewers to stay on their site long enough and to attain high search results with search engines.One of the factors that could help you address these issues is having a website with good web d...(related: Web Design)
So Much About Meta Tags!
I've written about META tags in the past, and I thought I'd help you expand your search engine optimization efforts and increase your web hits.Rule #1: META tags always go in between the HEAD tags on your website.Rule #2: NEVER include any line breaks in any META tag!Most everyone knows the two basic META tags: keywords and description.Keywords should be in a descending order of import...(related: Web Design)
Teach Yourself Css The Easy Way
I taught myself HTML back in the mid-nineties and was proud of the fact that I was able to accomplish the design of fairly complex web pages with nothing more than a starter HTML book, an HTML reference book, and the knowledge I had stored in my head. But back in those days, we web designers had what looking back was a fairly limited amount of tools with which to work, and the quality (or lack thereof) of sites on the web was lackluster at best.Fast-forward to...(related: Web Design)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 Empower! Web Design | All Rights Reserved. | Web Design