Goodbye "click here"... again.

Have you been hearing the question, at work or from clients, "What are we going to do about Mobile?"

I am going to bypass that question completely. Instead, let's ask "what are we going to do about Desktop?" Specifically let's revisit mouse-centric views of the World Wide Web.

Web Accessibility Practices Avoid "Click Here" Links

If you've done Web development for a bit, you might have heard "click here" is a poor choice for hyperlink (anchor) text, for accessibility and even for SEO reasons.

Screenreaders allow blind users the ability to navigate and skip around links, but it's not helpful when out-of-context links sound like:

• Click here for more info
• Click here for more info
• Click here for more info

Ideally we should use links that describe the hyperlink's behavior, especially for linked images. For example, your typical top-left image link to your home page should have alt text set to "home," rather than "company logo." A link to my blog's most popular Tridion post should be clear in, and out of context, rather than simply "click here."

So before you decide on responsive web, adaptive web, and/or an app, see if you can get an easy win-win-win for accessibility, SEO, and mobile users by updating some links for your current Desktop site.

"Click" Doesn't Make Sense for Touch Devices

"Click here" links aren't the worst Web sin you can commit, nor are you alone (I still see it in my engagements and sites I frequent). But I'm guessing your users would rather learn, contribute, or start something new than wonder how to click on their mobile screen.*

*Okay, so that won't really confuse most users, but it really doesn't make sense on a tablet or smart phone. Maybe see what the digital natives in your household (or eeps, your workplace in a few years) think about your Desktop-optimized content and links on their favorite mobile browsers.

So let's eventually say good bye to click here... again.

In case you're wondering, I did have one "click here" link as seen in this Google search, but it did have some context to it.

Got some thoughts on the intersections between mobile development, accessibility, and/or content management? Leave a comment!