Our checklist tells you what a good link structure looks like in order to provide your website visitors with an optimal user experience (UX).
Use meaningful link texts!
The most important thing to start with: use understandable and equally activating language for your links. Make sure that the right expectations are aroused in the visitor.
Be sparing with links!
Basically, there is no rule that says how many links should be set per page. The fact is: the more links are set, the more confusion is created for the user. At the same time, links can be beneficial for SEO reasons, because they inherit so-called “link juice” to other pages.
Link images too!
Images and photos are known to attract a lot of attention. So also the attention of your visitors. However, since images do not have a link text, it is especially important to use the ALT tag and image title. This ensures a positive ranking within the search results.
Highlight links visually!
The linked text should be visible to the naked eye and should stand out clearly from the text. Often the linked text is underlined, displayed in a different color, or provided with the hover effect.
Especially “clickable” look visually highlighted buttons.
Link only relevant content!
Only place links that are relevant for the reader. This sounds obvious but is very often overlooked. The intention of the visitor is always decisive. Only content that is helpful in the respective context should be linked.
Pay attention to the users of mobile devices!
Not only on the desktop but also on the smartphone or tablet you should offer your website visitors the best possible user experience. If buttons, navigation elements, or links are too small, your visitors will be frustrated. When placing the elements, pay special attention to the size of the touch elements and the spacing. In addition, the user’s focus is in the middle of the screen on mobile devices. Accordingly, essential content should also be found here.
Avoid dead links!
The web is constantly on the move. Therefore, every user knows the message “Error 404 Page not found”. Therefore, check your links constantly for topicality and relevance. Both internal and external links!