Issue

How should I style text when writing for the Web?  What is appropriate and inappropriate styling, and how is it different than writing for hard copy?  When I'm linking to an online resource, what is the standard method and style I should use so that my links are clear, usable, and easy to understand?

Resolution

Text styles are very important when writing for the Web because in addition to providing aesthetic and organizational cues, styles applied to text can also provide functional cues (underline = hyper link).  The latter is unique to the Web because not only does the style serve a visual purpose, but the style also implies that the text is also an element on the page capable of causing an action to occur.

Because Web users are conditioned to identify underlined text with a page object that can be "clicked", it is imperative that you do not apply an underline style to text that is not itself a hyperlink.  Mixing underline styles with link and non-link text will cause users to become confused about what is and is not a link.

Never rely on text color alone to indicate a link, as persons with low visability or color blindness will be unable to distinguish between plain text and hyperlinks.

When linking to a page, the rule is to generally never copy/paste the URL into the text.  This is visually distracting, and depending on the length of the URL, can actually cause the page to scroll horizontally.  Horizontal scrolling can potentially hide important navigation elements or other pieces of page content.

When making a hyperlink, use language that is descriptive of what kind of information the link contains.  This will better inform your users what the link "is" and prevents them from having to click links that they may not really be looking for.

An example is instead of saying "Application instructions: http://www.seattleu.edu/home/prospective_students/freshmen/how_to_apply/" say "Please see our Web site for more information about how to apply to Seattle University.".

Providing your Web site's visitors with simple, clean, straightforward links following these basic guidelines will create a more professional, usable page and will help your visitor's find the information they are looking for faster and with fewer clicks!