Linking to websites, email addresses, phone numbers, or other articles

Please view the knowledge article regarding this topic.

Phrasing

When linking to other articles or websites, avoid the phrasing "click here" or mentioning the article number. Instead, integrate the link into the existing sentences as naturally as possible.

BAD EXAMPLE: You will need to connect to TTUnet VPN if you are off campus. Click here for information regarding TTUnet VPN.

GOOD EXAMPLE: You will need to connect to TTUnet VPN if you are off campus.

Avoid typing out the entire URL in your text unless you have a specific need to inform the audience of the URL. This is especially true of long URLs. Instead, just integrate the link into the sentence text and understand that your audience will follow the link to get to the destination.

An exception to when we do provide the URL is when we're linking to an official third-party support resource instead of providing instructions ourselves.

EXAMPLE: For the latest and most accurate information regarding how to set a passcode on your iPhone or iPad, please visit Apple's website at https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204060.

When linking to other articles, when it's not possible to integrate the link easily into a sentence, use the full short description of the article. Do not use a colon before the short description unless proper grammar calls for it.

BAD EXAMPLE: For assistance connecting, follow these instructions: How to: Connect to TTUnet Wi-Fi using Windows

GOOD EXAMPLE: For assistance connecting, please see How to: Connect to TTUnet Wi-Fi using Windows.

URL formatting

• When HTTPS is available for a site, specify it in the link you create instead of just using HTTP. This will ensure that the initial browser request is secured instead of relying on redirects, so it will prevent MITM attacks. For example, always link to eRaider Account Manager as https://eraider.ttu.edu, never http://eraider.ttu.edu, www.eraider.ttu.edu, etc.
• When a URL is included as part of the text of the article, it is preferable to leave keep URLs as short and simple as possible. This is in case the audience decides to write down the URL, read it to someone, or type it. Almost always, the index or default file name at the end of a URL can be removed without affecting the functionality of the URL. For instance, https://www.depts.ttu.edu/ithelpcentral/hours/index.php can simply be referenced as https://www.depts.ttu.edu/ithelpcentral/hours.
• Always begin IT Help Central website addresses with exactly https://www.depts.ttu.edu/ithelpcentral, not http://ithc.ttu.edu or some other version.

Common scenarios for linking to other articles

Often when writing a article, you do not want to deviate from the flow of thought in order to explain how to do something outside the scope of the article. For instance, you may want to explain how to uninstall programs in Windows, but you do not want to have to write several steps explaining how to open the Control Panel first. In such cases, it is helpful to link your audience to a separate article explaining how to accomplish the related task. For the benefit of your content creators, it may behoove your knowledge team to keep a list of such scenarios and article numbers to which you commonly link.