Publishing notes
Replace “click here”: three link-label repairs
Compare the words on a link with what the next page actually offers. Try three repairs and a short handoff test.
Name the next page before you name the link
A link label is a small promise: it helps someone decide whether the destination answers their next question. Google Search Central recommends labels that describe the destination, stay reasonably short and fit their surrounding sentence. The repairs below apply that advice to a fictional repair-club website. They are writing exercises, not announcements of a real service.
Start by opening the destination. Write one plain sentence about what it actually offers. Then choose the few words a visitor needs to recognize that offer. Do this before polishing the sentence around the link.
Repair 1: two identical invitations
Draft: “Coming on Saturday? Click here. Need a place? Click here.” The first link opens an event-details page; the second opens a booking form. Both labels hide that difference.
Repair: “Check Saturday’s repair-session details. Then book a repair slot.” Link “Saturday’s repair-session details” to the information page and “book a repair slot” to the form. Keep them in separate sentences so the sequence is easy to follow.
Destination check: if the second page merely explains how bookings work, use “How repair-slot bookings work” instead. Do not promise a booking form that is not there.
Repair 2: a useful detail is outside the link
Draft: “Download here for the list of tools to bring.” The linked word is “here”; the useful distinction is elsewhere.
Repair: link “Tools to bring (PDF)” if the destination is a PDF checklist. If it is an ordinary web page, link “Tools to bring” and omit the format label. These are editorial suggestions for setting expectations, not a claim that every link must name a file type.
Destination check: open the file and compare its title and contents with the promise. A label cannot rescue an outdated checklist. Correct the destination or explain its limitation before sending readers there.
Repair 3: a description that promises too much
Draft: “Everything you need to fix any appliance.” The destination only lists items the club accepts. A more detailed label would still mislead if it kept that promise.
Repair: “Items the repair club accepts.” Put any further explanation in the surrounding sentence. A narrow, accurate promise is more useful here than a grand one.
Destination check: the page must actually list accepted items. If it only contains contact details, the appropriate next step may be “Ask whether your item is accepted.”
A small handoff test
This exercise checks wording and destination fit. It does not establish keyboard accessibility, full accessibility compliance, search indexing or an increase in visits. Keep source facts and real-world service details checked separately.
- Make a two-column note: proposed link label and actual destination title. Read each pair and mark any mismatch.
- Give another person only your proposed labels and ask what they expect to find. Treat their answer as feedback on these words, not as a traffic forecast.
- After editing, follow each link on the published page and compare the destination with the promise again.