New Window for a New Link?
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Freedom Tunnel by Pro-Zak. When we link out to another site, it can be hard not to consider the readers you may have just sent away. In an attempt to lessen the likelihood of losing the reader, many people force links to open in a new window, but is this really the best solution?
The Reasons For
- Your page stays open. This is undoubtedly the main reason for it. The link is loaded in a new window. When the user has finished with it, and closes the window, they’ll find your page still sitting there.
- Some links are intended to be used as references. For instance, if I were writing an article about nuclear power, I might reference my source like this: nuclear energy is a heavily debated topic (Eco Warrior)… The link will open in a new window/tab, allowing the user to check my reference, and then continue reading the article.
The Reasons Against
- It is not your browser. As much as you would like to control your readers, you can’t. It is their browser, their internet connection, and their choice. Trying to force your choice upon them will annoy them, and every little annoyance increases the likelihood of them leaving permanently (Think about how you feel when a website forces new windows to open on you).
- If a user feels your page is worth continuing to read, they will open a new window themselves. With the advent of tabbed browsing, this ideal is true now more than ever before.
- The user is not lost, even if they leave your page temporarily. The back button is probably the most frequently used part of a browser. Once the user has read the link you gave them, they can get back to your site easily if they want to.
In the end, you want your users to come back to you. As any honest blogger knows, you can’t trick users into becoming loyal to you. You show them your best side, and leave the decision up to them. In my opinion, whilst new windows might scrape a few extra page views out of half-interested users, the annoyance it poses will hurt your potential for building the good relationships that you really want.
There is a good discussion on this topic in the reader comments of this article. What is your policy on your blog? New windows or not?
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About the Author
Michael Martin
Michael Martin is the founder of Pro Blog Design. He works as a freelance web designer, loves WordPress, and has an unhealthy addiction to smilies.
I tend to try to make the majority of my links open in a new window, partially so users stay on the site, and partially because personally *I* prefer when sites do it, since my mouse does not support the cool little “back” thumb button.
But after reading this, perhaps I should think through that reasoning a bit more carefully!
Valid points, my friend!
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Thanks for the comment. :)
You make a good point. The mouse itself probably does play a good role. I know that I use the scroll wheel on mine constantly for opening/closing tabs! I’d dread to go back to a normal mouse.
Can I ask what browser you’re using as well? (A tabbed or non-tabbed one?)
This is a good piece of advice. I never really thought about it before. I always have my links open in new windows on my blog but I think I will change that. When I’m reading a blog and there is a link that interests me, I typically right-click on the link and open it in a new tab. I guess this is probably pretty common with most bloggers…
I think it is, Matt. I do the same as you, open links in new tabs, so I don’t usually notice when the blog is forcing me to open new windows or not. It’s only when you don’t open the new tab yourself that you realise you aren’t the boss on this site. :(
(You have to wonder why the browsers don’t add an “Open in this tab” link to the right-click menu though…)
We should put a link that open a new window like this:
click here to go to somewhere (open in a new window)
It’s wise to advise your reader before they click on it.
Respect your reader, and they shall respect you. :)
Nice post Michael!
It’s a great topic anyway Michael !
I prefer new windows. Not to trick visitors to come back. So that, they don’t confuse on the content. I personally open links in new tabs. So i assume my readers too prefer the same – where i may be wrong.
Must congratulate you on finding such topics that prompts users to comment.
Cheers!
Mani
I am guilty of using target=”_blank”. But its another way for more stickiness. I dont think it will really trick visitors.
The only problemis that readers maybe using IE6(yes, there are some), and they get bewildered when they get new windows.
Ken Xu – That’s a great idea. I can actually imagine a way in which you could use CSS to do something like that for you. (You could even use a little icon instead. :) ).
Very good idea, thanks for sharing!
Mani – You make a good point, and may very well be right, but if you know that you usually open links in new tabs anyway, is there any need to force readers to do the same? (Won’t they do it anyway?) Or do you think that users open so many tabs, that the annoyance would be very small, if at all?
And hehe – Thanks. I’m just really glad that the readers here have been so involved so far! It’s really great to hear what other blog owners do with their blogs. :)
Techzilo – Yeah, IE6 tends to be a problem for everything online! Still, the number of people using it lessens everyday. That thought usually makes me smile. :D
Both of them is important, so I think up to you all (blogger) :D . BTW I am newbie here.
Welcome OknooRap! Don’t worry, everyone here is sort of a newbie. The blog isn’t even two weeks old. :)
Hope you’ll find something worth reading here,
Michael
I’ve thought about this before, but I still prefer to open links in a new tab. I know how annoyed I feel when I forget to select a new tab on a website and lose the page I’m viewing. Knowing I’ll have to remember to press the back button when I’m finished reading instead of the close button.
Thanks for the opinion Karen. Good example. I can see how that could get annoying. (I would usually hit back immediately, and then open the link properly, but you’re right that not everyone will do that.)
I use to force links to open in a new window, but now with tabs there really is no reason too and I have also noticed the disadvantages. Great post on an important topic. You should enter my contest.
I usually open my links to new windows so that my readers don’t have to “copy and paste” the link addresses. It also helps to keep the readers on your site.
Nice post.
Sly from Slyvisions.com
It ticks me off when links open in new windows. I use tabs alot and I usually only use a different window when I’m starting a research topic that I know I’m going to use lots of tabs for.
There are a few exceptions when you know that a site is going to give you a new window, when they’re using javascript for example. In fact I’m thinking I might need to change my blogroll dropdown boxes because they can’t open in a new tab…
I think Sly saying that he forces new windows so users don’t have to copy and paste is patronising to his users. If they haven’t found the right-click options to open in a new window or tab, forcing a new window is not going to help them learn.
I actually also prefer websites that do open their links into a new window, I usually click the open link in new tab button now days just to be sure I don’t lose what I was reading, but when I forget, I HATE when they open into what I was reading.
With the newfound popularity and SEO benefits of links within the content of pages, I constantly find myself clicking mid article.
Now if the links actually did open into a new window, I might find that irritating as well, but I have FireFox (might be available in IE too, beats me) and when I open a link that is set to open in a new window, it opens in a new tab (per my personal settings) and loads behind the page I’m currently reading.
Sly – I don’t see how they’d ever need to copy&paste a link, either way. But yes, it probably does help keep them there a little.
Kristarella – That’s a very good point. I’ve gotten into the habit of automatically opening links in a new tab so much, that when I do come across one of those javascript pop-up windows, it doesn’t work first time, because of the tabs. (I think there should be some sort of indicator that the link is a pop-up tbh)
Webmaster Mommy – I do the same. An interesting article with links is just begging for some tabs to be opened!
Good call, I often try to open javascript links in a new tab and just get blank, so I go back and yes indeed, it’s javascript. I have seen a little icon before, two little rectangles overlapping. That might be a symbol for new window, it would be cool if more people did that.
Agreed. I used to have a Firefox extension that gave you a different icon depending on the type of link, but it gave out too many icons, which was annoying so I turned it off… :(
I used to open all off site links in separate windows because I wanted to keep people on my site. After a discussion with a friend, several things occurred to me: the most commonly used button in a web browser is the back button. Opening a new window essentially breaks it’s functionality. A new window can confuse some users too (really). If my content is good, that will keep people on my site more than anything else. The final and main reason I stopped opening off site links in new windows: it is not XHTML compliant. If you open links in a new window, your code is no longer standards compliant. As a developer, this is important to me – I’m not sure why, but it is.
I agree Jerry. Your users are the most important thing, and if new windows are causing hassle for them, it’s just not worth it.
As for the validation, it’s only non-valid if you’re using an xHTML Strict doctype. It’s fine in xHTML transitional. :)
I prefer links in the same window. Users always have the option of opening them in a new window if they choose.
Agreed. Giving users the choice of doing what they want to do, not what you want to do, is usually a good idea.
gravatar
I don’t like it when a link automatically opens in a new window or tab, especially when it makes your browser automatically close on you. If I really wanted to open a link in a new tab or window I’d just right click and click on either “Open Link in New Window” or “Open Link in New Tab”
cool analysis ✔
New window is useful to keep ur visitor
I was also reading about this somewhere else recently, until then i would usually set links to open in a new window but after reading that it should not be forced upon them i now dont and wont force that on the visitor.
I’m considering both sides of the debate, but my guess is that most users who are not web designers prefer to have links open in a new tab/window. For most people, it would never cross their mind that “someone has taken control of my browser” – only a web professional would think that. It seems reasonable to assume that if your main readership will be web savvy individuals (they know how to open in new tab) – same window, but if your readership is more general – new window. Just my opinion, but if you make your decision based on what other web designers think, you might not be giving your actual users what they want.
Interesting that this “do I / don’t I” debate rages on for years, with opinion apparently fairly evenly divided on all sites I have found.
We ran a simple poll on our site for a day or so, precisely to obtain real life visitor opinion.
Question:
Should links to external sites open in a new tab/window?
Yes. I want to keep this site open in the background (81%, 25 Votes)
No. I know how to get back here if I want to. (19%, 6 Votes)
I actually came here looking for info on how to make the Gravatars plugin (overrides comments-template.php) comment links open in a new window. Alas, my search goes on!
This is a good advise but please can you show me how to do that, presently the problem am having with my blog is that all the site i link to my page do no open in new window or new tab. i will be very glad if you can tell me how i will do it
Good Article. thank you so muck.
cheers
Elijah
Really interesting topic out there, I prefer my links to be opened in a new window, reason is I don’t want my bounce rate to go up, also I think readers will find it useful to come back and check your page again rather than leaving your page and forget it forever.
Having just created my website the question of same or new windows arose in a forum. I must admit I`d never really given it a lot of thought up until now. The suggestion some users made is to use the same window for all but external links to such things as news-type sites, and of course if a form has to be filled in and the terms etc are on a separate page.
New window helps to keep the visitor!! I personally like that the link opens the a new window, if I’m reading a interesting blog.
I gave this a lot of thought when creating links at my new site, and eventually decided that apart from a News Page I`d make them all same window links.
In response to Geoff and Jar kko, I have formed an opinion that the “No” (= open in same window) believers make more noise on the Internet, although they are in the minority. Our simple poll indicated that 80% of our visitors like links to open in a new window. And I can understand why.
I am like Jar kko – if i have navigated to a very interesting post and then click on a link in that post – if it opens in the same window I get ANGRY.
I think “what a stupid design” (my opinion)
I WANT a new window.
I WANT to keep the original post open.
But I guess we are all different
I’ve been involved in professional web-dev since 1998- including design, UI, UA, and QA.
I’ve never MET a user who prefers to be navigated away from the page they initially intended to view by clicking a link.
I’ve never MET a user who was confused by a new browser window opening. “Oh there’s a new window displaying the link I clicked. Oh there’s also the window with the page I originally intended to browse.” Where’s the confusion?
Not to say that these users don’t exist, I’ve just never MET one in 10+ years.
“It is not your browser. As much as you would like to control your readers, you can’t. It is their browser, their internet connection, and their choice.”
…and it’s your site, your decision on how the user experience should play out, your creative vision, and your responsibility to provide a consistent and focused experience. I think the statement “as much as you would like to control your users” is misleading, purjorative, and inflammatory. Do you really think this is about developers wanting to “control” people?
“Trying to force your choice upon them will annoy them, and every little annoyance increases the likelihood of them leaving permanently”
…Is serving hot coffee in a heat resistant cup “forcing your choice” on someone? Semantically speaking, yes it is, and for a damn good reason. Should said coffee buyer be allowed to have their hot coffee served in a baseball cap just because 100% user choice is the end-all goal of everything? I think not.
“(Think about how you feel when a website forces new windows to open on you).”
In this situation I feel that the person who designed this site knows what they are doing, and cares about providing users continuity with their initial browsing intent.
I’ve never MET a user who was “angered”or “annoyed” by a new browser window opening. The anger/annoyance claim is the biggest BS argument in my opinion. C’mon, we’re not talking about pr0n-ad popups that the user never intended to view. The only people people who think rights are somehow being violated and choice taken away are the high-horse theorists who disagree with this practice on a philosophical level. Crafting how the user experiences the content is an integral part of web design and if the designer wants to guide the user’s experience in a certain way that is certainly their prerogative. As a designer, I want to keep the user focused on the original site with all external links provided to support, not drive them away from the original site.
In my opinion all EXTERNAL links fall into the category of “additional resources”, are not part of the original site, and therefore should be displayed in a new window.
I’ve had a change of heart and now reached the conclusion that for all links to other pages on my site I would open them on the same window, all external links to a new window.
Good one. I believe this post is the another perfect solution to most of them. Take a look : http://praveenbattula.blogspot.com/2010/06/open-all-anchor-links-in-new-window.html
Michael, I have noticed that wordpress offers the option to open links in a new window when one is posting a new blog post. After many years of visiting blogs, and websites on the internet, It seems like most blogs, and websites on the internet have their links open in the same window. I usually post my blogs, and have the links open in the same window! I figure if they really like my blog they will add it to their favorites or bookmark it etc.
For the last couple of weeks I’ve been testing using target=”_blank” on my top pages and recipe index pages. As Google seems to re-index only about every couple of weeks, Google Analytics isn’t showing conclusive results yet, but early indicators are a bit worrying. Ad revenue is holding steady, so are visits and pageviews, but bounce rate is up, pages per visit is down, time on site is down – I thought the opposite would happen if users were happy with this. There may be technical reasons too that I don’t grok.
Like Danny, 1.8.10, I ran an informal survey on my FB page, and got more like a 90% yes response. Most users including me, my friends and family appear to prefer having the new page or pages and the original page remain open at the same time so you can go from one to the other easily! That to me is the big issue. Even if I bookmark the new page – out of sight, out of mind!
Even though I’ve had a website for 7 years, and am reasonably successful in my niche, I didn’t actually know that you could open a link in a new page by right clicking on it, or set that option in my browser settings. I feel old/dumb, but suspect that most web users are equally techno challenged, and more importantly, don’t want any unnecessary extra thought or effort whatsoever! That’s another big reason for liking links automatically opening in a new window.
My husband is in the geek camp – he’s a software developer turned web developer. He’s great at the technical aspects, but he has no interaction with users, never writes any content, doesn’t really get blogs and social media. He takes it as gospel when Jakob Neilsen says that you shouldn’t open links in new windows. But he’s been saying the same thing since 1998 and I haven’t seen any updates. It’s 2010, and the web has changed! Web users have changed! Don’t you think that this web useabilty issue should be re-examined?
Nice post :) Thnx alot :)
This article is truly relevant to my study at this moment, and I am really happy I discovered your website.
My blog which is very new and I’ve done the same thing – opening the link in a new window. But I’ve experienced in this short span of time that its better not to.
I vouch with your opinion……and yes I’ve seen people using back button more.
Thanks & Regards,
Swapan Das
India
[BTW, google brought me here while search on this issue]
There are always some little no-sayers spreading crap – avoid this, don’t use that,… Articles like this one is the real nightmare to avoid.
There are specific needs for popups and new windows, and if some dope gets confused, so be it – he/she probably just confused the screen for a microwave anyways…
Clients usually ask to open a link to external website on a new tab. Does opening an external link on same or external tab/window has any effect on SEO ?
I don’t believe so. I think most people if they are really moving through the things and they are loading really slow, then opening a new windows is probably the way to go.
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I usually make my links in new windows of such a nature that my readers do not have to “” the link copy and paste addresses. It also helps to keep readers on your site.
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Will links opening in a new window affect your SEO?
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I think that this blog is a really good point and everyone has their own opinions, I think that it depends on the links as to whether is should open in a new window or not. If the link is going to an external site it should be a new window so you can go back to the site. If the link is to another page within the site or post then I think keeping it all in one browser is much easier.
How about iframing in a new site instead of using a link that opens in a new window? Or is that over kill?
Not always is this the best answer to force the link open in another window. I have found that it works though for what I do in mechanical engineering apprenticeships
I WANT my links in a new window since I like to read articles and open reference links for a quick look then close that window and still be on the article pade.
But the dumbasses at firefox have made that almost impossible with settings which don’t work. And these answer sites do no better since the big mouths who usually answer them are clueless too. :-(
First, awesome topic, just the advice I needed.
I’ve decided after reading this to add a little icon that allows users to open the link in a new window. Clicking on the link will open it in the same window. I think that some users are having trouble with my links because popup blockers or antivirus programs are stopping them from opening links with the blank target. I’ve had a lot of complaints…they seem to work fine for most users, but not all.
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hi can u please tell me how to create a new tab link???…and thanks for the information..
I wonder if this is similar to windows and creates issues with SEO? I personally set all links to open in new windows because I like this feature especially when I don’t want to lose my place in a long article.
Excellent site, keep up the good work my colleagues would love this. I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I’m glad I found your blog.
I definitely agree with you. You want the readers of your blog to see your content as ‘valuable’; and if you manage to do that, they won’t want to stray away from pages and are likely to open new windows to keep your content in sight. Nice post
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