Incorporate Links Into Content
Construct sentences in ways that allow you to link to related information.
For example: Subheads help readers
navigate a document quickly.
What To Make a Link
- Background and explanatory information. Removing this
information from a main page makes the page shorter and allows readers who
are familiar with the material to move more quickly through the document.
Readers who want more detail may read it at their discretion.
- Related concepts. If you mention an idea that is featured
in another part of your report, link to it.
- Footnotes or endnotes. Linking notes should be done in
two steps. First, link the note number or intext citation to the full citation
(and vice versa). Then, in the full citation, link the title of the document
to the actual document if it is available online.
- Cross-references to other sections of the document (e.g., "See
the Additional Reading list for more information.").
- Partner agencies. Many authors acknowledge their partners
by including their Web addresses (also called URLs) in copy. This is
acceptable in online writing with one caveat: These URLs should be placed
on a tertiary page such as Acknowledgments. Including a link to a Web site
outside your e-pub invites readers to leave the publication—and once
they're gone, they're unlikely to return.
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How To Label Links
Links are most effective when they are obvious and the user does not have
to think about them. Offer easy-to-find text links instead of URL addresses
by hyperlinking a word or phrase in a sentence.
Don't say—
For more information about OVC publications, visit the OVC Web site at
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc.
Do say—
Visit the OVC Web site for more information about OVC publications.
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Avoid Overuse of Links
Don't overuse links. Too many links on a page will distract readers
and make the page more difficult to understand. If you find yourself in
this situation, rethink how you are chunking information
onto individual pages.
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