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
MORE RESOURCES: Rock Archives - RETROPOP RETROPOP 25 Awesome About Us Page Examples For Web Design Inspiration Search Engine Journal Adobe Dreamweaver (2024) review TechRadar 30 Best Web Design Agencies To Partner With in 2024 Influencer Marketing Hub Are you up to build the next best website? Get started with one of these 5 web design courses Fortune Jeremy McGilvrey, A Houston Web Design Agency, Inks Long-Term Lease In Prestigious Williams Tower Office Space Yahoo Finance We Need to Decarbonize Software IEEE Spectrum Why (and How) I Learned Web Development as a Data Scientist Towards Data Science 18 Free Web Design Tools, Winter 2024 Practical Ecommerce Moving Your Website into the Web Design System (WDS) Washington State University Web Design Companies & Agencies In Austin To Know Built In Austin TSTC Marshall spotlights online web design and development program Marshall News Messenger Best web design software in 2024 TechRadar Top Web Design Trends 2024 Designmodo Why isn't Adobe doing web design better? Creative Bloq How to design a website: A beginner's guide CNN Underscored 9 Chicago Web Design and Development Agencies To Know Built In Chicago Best website design service of 2024 TechRadar Jessica Sorden's Transformation from Corporate Burnout to Web Design Maestro - by Carly Winchell The Ark Valley Voice Top 12 Non-Profit Web Design Agencies That Empower Philanthropy Influencer Marketing Hub Web Design and Development Alumni Highlight: Jenna Smith | Digital Media Utah Valley University Valve and Picnik vets Hatch new idea — a no-code web design platform for 'tech curious creators' GeekWire Valpo Web Design supports NWI No Child Hungry in fight against food insecurity with new website Valpo.Life Information technology students delve into web design with capstone project University of Missouri College of Engineering Best Web Design Software in 2024 USA TODAY Valpo Web Design & Marketing helps businesses through intentional design and forward thinking Valpo.Life 5 Top-Rated AI Website Builder Tools Software Advice Sweb CEO puts AI to work for small business web design San Antonio Report Website Design Services of Pop Machine Agency: Leading Wichita's Charge in Global Web Design Trends Yahoo Finance 5 seriously useful AI web design tools Creative Bloq Augmented Reality and the Future of Web Design | LBBOnline Little Black Book Revolutionizing Web Presence: Webness Studios Launch Specialist Website Design Services Yahoo Finance Locofy.ai's accelerates web design-to-code with AI as it pioneers Large Design Models Markets Insider How to Design an ADA-Compliant Website | CO- by US Chamber of Commerce CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Valpo Web Design & Marketing | Partners Valpo.Life Michelle Belleville Science@NASA 6 ways AI is changing web design Creative Bloq 15 Web Design and Development Trends You Need To Know in 2024 SpaceCoastDaily.com Best web development tool of 2024 TechRadar 7 Best Web Design Services of 2024 Newsweek 17 Free Web Design Tools, Fall 2023 Practical Ecommerce The best free blog websites Creative Bloq Grand Cayman Web Design Expert & SEO Qamar Zaman Book Build Google Knowledge Panel Offers Grand Cayman ... Yahoo Finance The best website footer on the internet Fast Company How web design trends have evolved Creative Bloq AI tools are killing web design jobs in South Africa Rest of World Mizzou alumna uses web design expertise to give back to engineering, community University of Missouri College of Engineering Top 13 Custom Web Design Agencies Specializing in Education Influencer Marketing Hub Top 12 B2B Website Design Agencies in 2024 Influencer Marketing Hub U.S. announces official web design system Boing Boing Regulator: “Harmful” Web Design Could Break Data Protection Laws Infosecurity Magazine Kansas City woman inspires Black students through coding, web designing WDAF FOX4 Kansas City 12 Top-Ranked Shopify Web Design Agencies Influencer Marketing Hub |
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