How to Write Navigation Links

Navigation links within the page or document help guide readers to the information they seek. Navigation links in standard use on NCI’s website include the following elements.

On This Page 

Presenting a list of links at the top of the page that jump users down to content lower on a long page helps them scan and find information they seek. Simply clicking the link moves them quickly to their topic of interest.  These links are sometimes referred to as “anchor” links or “jump” links.

Examples: Coping with Cancer: Managing Physical Effects
Screening and Testing to Detect Breast Cancer

Related Pages box 

The “Related Pages” box, placed in the upper right corner of a content page, is a navigation tool content owners can use to offer readers links to other relevant content on NCI websites or on partner websites such as Flu.gov. The links in the “Related Pages” boxes can be displayed with or without brief descriptions.

Ideally, a “Related Pages” box contains:

• a maximum of three links when descriptions are displayed
• a maximum of five links without descriptions displayed
  

Examples: Breast Cancer Home Page; Cancer Drug Information;

Back to Top 

Placed between subsections and at the bottom of long pages, “Back to Top” links are counterpoints to the anchor or jump links at the top of the page. Presenting links at the bottom of a long page helps readers leap to the top of the page without having to scroll all the way up. Extremely long Web pages benefit from having “back to top” links placed in the middle to help readers move quickly around the page without having to scroll.

Example: Drugs Approved for Leukemia

Page Options

The Page Options Box is a tool content owners can use to invite readers to engage in the content by offering any or all of the following choices, depending on the type of content:

• Print This Page
• Print This Document
• View Entire Document
• E-mail This Document
• View/Print PDF
• Order Free Copy
• Bookmark & Share