Is Your Website's Click Area Clear - Or Complicated?

By Chris M Hunter

One of the most important goals when building a website is that it be user friendly, although achieving this objective can be easier said than done. When designing a useful, functional website, developers have to look at the website from a user's point of view, which is especially true when it comes to links being recognizable and functional. By being presented the right way, links can ensure that visitors can easily navigate a website.

What Is A Click Area?

The click area of a website is the field that includes a link and any surrounding related space on a web page. These include textual ones within copy, navigational menu ones, and action buttons - all of which need to be clicked in order for a user to progress to a designated page; however, in some cases the click area may not be well defined. When this is the case, users may have a hard time determining the active part of the connection that leads to the desired location. Having to search for the active link is frustrating not to mention time consuming for the user. Preventing such a problem depends on clearly defining the click area and making it obvious enough so users can find it.

Functionality

The basic goal in defining the click space of a link is to make it obviously stand out from the rest of the page, be easily located and useable. Some of the ways this can be accomplished are listed below.

• Effects - It is most convenient when links behave differently based on usage. Not only should all such connections stand out from regular text with a different color than the rest of the text on a page; they should also include hover effects and maybe offer a different color when already visited.


• Color - Whether the links are text or menu driven, each one should stand out from everything else while also being complimentary to the entire page's color palette. Using different variations of a color can indicate ones yet to be clicked, ones hovered over, and ones that have already been clicked or perhaps various levels in the navigational structure.


• Text versus Menu - Links within text usually display active words and not the space around it; menu ones are usually handled in the opposite way. Whether displayed on a bar or a list, most navigational menus have written content one color and the rectangular space around it that indicates the link area is a different background color. The main concern with menu buttons is for the entire area to be active, not just the text - and this should apply to any other page buttons as well. Text should appear centered in a click area and upon hovering, the entire area should activate with highlighting and movement to the desired connecting page.

Buttons or any defined spaces of color and text being used for navigation should work together. Since this is an element that is generally expected on any web page, deviating from the expected standard could leave users searching for the active link area within a button, which can be frustrating. By easily defining the whole area around the text in menus and buttons as the click area - and providing an effect to make the whole area active upon hovering - navigation can be quick and simple, requiring no hesitation at all.

Website links, especially navigation menu ones, should always be easily spotted when hovered over and include a framing block of space and color around the actual text. By maintaining this standard to ensure that there is no question as to which part of a link or button is actually working, users can be happily retained!

Chris Hunter is an expert in Web Design and Search Engine Marketing. To find out more about Austin Website Design, go to the main website at:http://www.webunlimited.com.

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