Using Links

Links can allow your readers to engage with your page and dig deeper into your site. They are calls-to-action (CTA) that prompt readers to fill out forms, register for programs, read more, or request information. The goal of a link is to encourage a user to complete a task – even if that task is just clicking through to another page.

Before linking to another (non OPL) website, consider:

• Does the link unnecessarily send the reader away from OPL’s website when we don’t want them to leave?

• Is the information provided at the other website necessary or useful to the reader, relevant to the content, and not available on our own website?

• Would a user have a hard time finding the information on their own if we didn’t provide a link?

• Is the source we are linking to trustworthy?

• Is it clear to the reader that they are about to leave the OPL website when they click on the link?

• Will you be able to check the link to make sure it continues to work for as long as it is available on our website?