Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks allow users to navigate around our webpages and find the correct information. They need to be clear, up to date and accessible.
Types of hyperlink on T4
There are three main types of hyperlink on T4. You can learn more about the content types to use in the 'Signposting' section of a Content Type Directory.
Section link
These should be used when you are linking to another webpage on T4. Linking to a page this way will mean that if it moves, or its name changes, the link will still work.
Content link
This type of link is used when linking to a specific piece of content on T4, not an entire T4 webpage. The most common examples of this are news stories and staff profiles, as on T4 these are content items rather than traditional webpages.
External link
This type of link should only be used when linking to external webpages that are not housed on T4. This will usually mean webpages not related to Queen Mary.
Avoid anchor links
Anchor links are often not the most accessible way to navigate through a webpage, so we recommend you use alternative T4 content types, such as tabs or reveal more items.
Accessible links
When hyperlinking copy on your webpage, it is important that you make the hyperlinked text descriptive. This means it should describe the link's location, rather than say something generic like 'click here'.
Example
Don’t say - ‘We’re a Russell Group university. To find out more click here.’
Do say - ‘We’re a Russell Group university.’
Avoiding repetition
Some screen readers will be set up to read all links on the webpage first, before reading out the surrounding content. This means repeating link text won't make it clear which link goes where.
For example, the two below links would appear identical to some using screen readers, even if one was a download link and the other linked to Google Maps.
Download the Mile End campus map
View the Mile End campus map on Google
To avoid this issue you should instead hyperlink the whole sentence, to add context.