Best practices for including links

Good linking provides access to related material without diverting the reader from the focus of the topic that they are in. If related topics in a chapter or manual add value to your content, consider linking to them in the topic.

Before adding links into your content, consider these best practices:

• Don't include links in the first paragraph of a topic.
• Provide critical information in your topic, not in linked information.
• Weigh any cost of including a link, such as distraction or confusion to the reader, against the benefits.
• Give readers the opportunity to decide if it's a link they want to select. Don't hide a link behind other words or actions in a sentence without stating what the link is and where the link takes them.
• In most cases, use the word "See" to introduce a link in the sentence or clause.
• Use the exact topic title or section heading, name of the page, or name of the entity you are linking to for the link text. Don't paraphrase the linked-to topic name.
• Keep punctuation that isn't part of the title outside the link.
• Use links in notes or cautions only if it helps the reader complete the task or aids their understanding of the note or caution content.