You can make your websites navigable by ensuring there are multiple ways to move around a page, and that links to other pages or websites are clearly presented. Page navigation Page navigation is how a user can move up and down your webpage and click into other content when they need to. Webpages built using EdWeb 2 can be navigated by manual scrolling with a finger, trackpad or mouse, or by using keyboard arrows. Having different page navigation options means your users will not be limited by disability or the technology they are using when accessing your content. Effective links When you are including links on your webpages, whether internal or external, you should consider: Their placement on the page The link text Link placement Links should not be placed in-line (mid-sentence or paragraph) because this makes them more difficult to find. If there is any additional link information, for example describing where the link redirects to, it will be read out in the middle of a sentence and the text would not make sense. You should avoid a list of links at the bottom of a webpage, where users are more likely to skip them. Visitors are more likely to engage with your links if they are placed meaningfully underneath the content that is related to them. The best links are placed on their own line beneath a paragraph of related content. Link text You should never publish naked web addresses or URLs as links in webpages. Using link text such as 'Click here' is not helpful to visitors using screen reading technology, because it does not tell them content of the link or how it will open. Instead, you can connect the link to well-written link text. Good link text should describe the destination to the user, and make sense without the context of the rest of the copy on that web page. You could include the title of the link destination, and state whether it links to an external site, a downloadable item, or requires a login, for example. Detailed guidance on adding links and writing good quality link text can be found at: Links – Editorial style guide Add a link – EdWeb 2 Wiki [EASE login required] This page is a good example of link placement and link text, and good practice is used across the EdWeb 2 Demonstration Site. Explore links and navigation in EdWeb 2 Link Adding links to your webpages improves user experience and search engine performance. Menu and navigation We are working on providing improved menu and navigation options in EdWeb 2 by developing a megamenu and reviewing our Information Architecture guidelines. This article was published on 2024-02-10
