Sep 04
target=”_blank”
…because you don’t want people to leave your page when they click a link.
People don’t want to leave a page when they haven’t finished reading either.
Describe your link and explicitly say “Click here”
| Quality | Example | Analysis |
| Bad | URL | Ambiguous. Reader doesn’t know what the URL contains |
| Not so bad | Tai Tran’s Lab | Offers the title of the link, but is still general |
| Good | Tai Tran’s Lab where you can find information on business and technology | Offers title and description of the link |
| Better | Click here to Tai Tran’s Lab to read information on business and technology | Clear instruction of what readers should do: Click |
| Very bad | This link is super cooool. It’s the best! Click here everyone! | Ambiguous & childish |
Throw your RSS subscription options out
- For tech-savvy readers, RSS icon is all they need. Show off this in an easy-to-spot place
- For non tech-savvy readers, offer email subscription at the end of an entry. Since around 85% traffic comes from search / social media, readers normally jump right in one post of yours and you want to keep them by offering them the option when they finish their reading.
- To many who are not familiar with RSS subscription, the word “Subscribe” sounds like they’re being charged to receive service. Make it clear to them that subscription is free.
Previous posts
Click here to read the first 4 tips in the series.
Click here to read the next 4 tips in the series.
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Tags of this article: feedburner,google,linking,plugin,readership,writing.
Last update September 4, 2008
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September 4th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
target=”_blank”
Be careful with this one. If your blog uses XHTML 1.0 Transitional, you are okay. If it is XHTML 1.0 STrict or XHTML 1.1, it will not validate.
Even though I used target=”_blank”, it is frowned upon. People with disabilities who use only text readers or listening devices will have problems with your blog. In the US, it will violate Section 508 regulations meaning you are violating someone’s rights to have full access to the site.
Ironically, XHTML 1.0 Transitional was only meant as a transitioning period to help websites transition from HTML 4.0 to XHTML 1.0 Strict. I used XHTML 1.1 for awhile until I realized it was overkill.
Can’t wait for HTML 5.0.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
target=”_blank” is ugly. It’s non-standard. People will right click and open the links in new tabs if they haven’t finished reading.
September 6th, 2008 at 2:22 am
Thanks Kevin for the information on Section 508.
September 6th, 2008 at 2:23 am
Huy wrote
My question is: how are you sure that your readers know and practice the simple action you described?