Skip navigation links are just what they say, a text link on a web page that says either " skip to content", " skip navigation", or "skip to main content". So what is the point of a skip link ? The answer to this is that they are extremely important to a lot of internet users. For example, 750 million people worldwide are disabled and 180 million people worldwide are visually impaired. For disabled people, using a mouse or touch pad may be very hard work and a skip link will enable them to get to the content they are seeking without all the clicking through conventional links. Many use screen readers and unless they can use a skip link, they have to listen to repetitive descriptions on every page they visit. This can often turn the visitor away from your site. Other applications where skip navigation links are important are, text browsers, mobile phones, and PDA's. The whole point of your website is to attract visitors to your pages and give them what they came for, so skip navigation links, in a nutshell, could open up your site to millions more users or at the very least make the browsing experience much better for a significant portion of them.

Some tips for putting skip navigation links on your website.

1. Place a link on every page.

This will be extremely helpful to disabled users as they will not have to see or hear repetitive content and therefore may stay on your site longer and browse more of your content.

2. Place the link directly after the page header.

Some designers place the link before the page header but this can be confusing to users because they dont know which site they are on.

Also some skip links are not shown, or are invisible, this can cause problems for screen readers which sometimes misinterpret the code.

3. The link should read "SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT"

"Skip to content" and "skip navigation" are not always understood whereas "Skip To Main Content" has been proved to be the best term for screen readers and users alike.

Adding skip navigation links to your websites may increase your traffic and at the end of the day it is traffic that drives the internet. Most English speaking government and educational websites now use skip navigation links so why not make your websites more user friendly by adding them too.

Truffles.

www.skipnavigationlinks.com