MSU Libraries Web Content Standards

Links are not only an integral part of our website - they are the reason the World Wide Web works. It is imperative that they function properly, that they are easy to notice, and that they get the user to the most relevant information.

Some MSU Libraries' resources must be linked to in particular ways. Please take note of these!

Also:
ALWAYS CHECK YOUR LINKS!!

Our proxy URL: https://go.openathens.net/redirector/msstate.edu?url=

Don't talk about something you can link to instead.

This saves both you and your readers time, and ensures that the information is kept updated in one place.

• Avoid:

  The MaxxSouth Digital Media Center provides group and one-on-one instruction on a variety of technologies, including Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Office, digital design, mixed reality, and laser cutting.

• Use:

  The MaxxSouth Digital Media Center provides group and one-on-one instruction on a variety of technologies.

• Why?

  There's no need to duplicate the information when it already exists on the DMC's website - and if they ever change what technologies they teach, you don't need to change your content!

Don't tell users to click here - link from keywords.

This helps with scannability and is more screen-reader-friendly.

• Avoid:

  Our Research Guides can help you find the right database. Click here to browse the Research Guides.

• Use:

  Our Research Guides can help you find the right database.

• Why?

  You're linking the resource, not the directions. Also, screen reader users get more clues about what they're clicking for.

Avoid using more than two links per sentence.

If the term you're linking occurs several times in a page, only link its first occurrence.

• Avoid:

  All Archives and Special Collections materials (including items housed in Archives and Special Collections and the Mississippi Political Collections) are available for use by anyone who agrees to abide by the following rules.

• Use:

  Anyone who agrees to abide by our Research Rules may use any Archives and Special Collections materials.

• Why?

  Having too many links clutters the page and decreases their impact.

Make sure you're using the most recent and direct link to a resource.

This saves the user loading time.

• Avoid:

  http://lib.msstate.edu/ragtimefestival

• Use:

  https://festival.library.msstate.edu

• Why?

  While we have a redirect set up for the "Avoid" example, if the server we use to make the redirect works ever goes down, that link will stop working.

Pull database links from our A-Z Databases page.

Avoid collecting links from the address bar once you've logged onto a database.

• Avoid:

  https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/search/advanced?vid=0&sid=b36b2b2b-f3a1-45e8-ac97-93db1c28afc2%40redis

• Use:

  https://guides.library.msstate.edu/asc

• Why?

  The "Use" example is a redirect which contains our OpenAthens redirector and a correct link to the Academic Search Complete database. If the link ever needs to change, we can change it once (in the LibGuides A-Z tool) and no one using this link ever has to correct anything. The "Avoid" example contains session information specific to the user and the moment they accessed the link; that link will never work again for anyone.

Use links that are human-readable and make sense.

A good link provides clues about the page to which it leads. If you aren't sure whether your link is friendly, Web Technologies can often generate a friendly URL for you.

• Avoid:

  https://guides.library.msstate.edu/c.php?g=1087088&p=7928823

• Use:

  https://guides.library.msstate.edu/contentstandards/libguides

• Why?

  Screen readers read out the entire URL. The "Avoid" example grants no clues at all about the page to which it points. The "Use" example makes it clearer; it's a link to a page from the content standards about LibGuides.

Respect users' link preferences: all links should open in the same window or tab.

Avoid setting links to open in new windows or tabs - this disables browsers' back function and can frustrate users. Users who prefer to open links in new windows or tabs know how to do that themselves.

Check your links at least once a year to make sure they still work.

The best way to check links is to simply click on them. Link checker utilities exist, but often yield misleading results.