You’ve got to be kidding me. A pro copywriter is arguing that ‘click here’ is the best text to use to tell someone to, well, click here.

For years I’ve been avoiding the inane ‘click here’ like the plague because it’s archaic (we’ve had the Internet for nearly 15 years, I don’t think we need to be told how to use it anymore), it’s condescending (you don’t know how to use the Internet, so I’ll tell you) and it’s not helpful (what am I actually clicking here for?).

Plus, the always controversial usability guru Jakob Nielsen suggested so in Designing Web Usability where on page 55 he writes:

The oldest web design rule is to avoid using “Click Here” as the anchor text for a hypertext link. There are two reasons for this rule. First, only mouse-using visitors do in fact click, whereas disabled users or users with a touch-screen or other alternative device don’t click. Second, the words “Click” and “Here” are hardly information-carrying and, as such, should not be used as a design element that attracts the user’s attention.

Nielsen suggests linking the most important words that actually describe what you’re linking to. That’s why I linked the title of his book, instead of ‘click here to buy Nielsen’s book’.

Sorry Mr. Pro Copywriter. I just can’t click here.