Joanna asks – “I’d find it useful to hear your views Darren on the question of links opening in a new window. I was tutored to set them up to open in a new window so I didn’t lose visitors, but I see other people think it’s ‘spammy’.”
The old ‘should I make links open in a new window’ question – an oldie but a goodie.
My personal preference as a web surfer is that if I want to see a link in a new window (or tab – I’m a big tabbed browser fan) I’ll open it in one (and I do – regularly). I find it incredibly annoying when a new window opens up without me asking for it to. I have enough windows open on my desktop at any one time without needing more!
This personal preference has shaped my own practice as a web developer and blogger – I let readers choose how they wish to open the link. Yes, in doing so I’m sure some leave my blog, never to return, but I’m sure in not forcing new windows on readers that I also retain a few that would become annoyed by new windows opening all the time.
My priority as a blogger is to develop communities of readers who have positive user experiences. While keeping people on a blog by opening new windows for links might seem to make a blog stickier – I’d rather keep people engaged with content that they just can’t live without coming back to. If they do leave the site and want to come back they’ll use the back button.
From what I can tell – the two main reasons that it is legit to have links open in new windows is when you’re linking to a document (PDF) or a large image.
IF I ever decided I had a good reason to open something in a new window I’d make a note of it so the reader knew what to expect.
What Do You Think?
I’d be interested to open this up for a discussion though as I’m sure there are a variety of opinions on the topic. Perhaps others with different kinds of goals for their blogs see things differently.
Do you open links in new windows? Why or Why not?
Great timing. Just last week this question popped into my mind.
I think having links open in a new is the old school way thinking. I can remember professors harping on why it was the way to go and getting scornful remarks when you forgot to add a _blank tag to one of your links on a final project. You have to remember that years ago a websites value was mostly based on how many visitors and how long they stayed on the site. Every visitor you sent away were possible lost “hits”.
Personally I always open links in new tabs, even if I’m relatively sure I’m done reading the site I’m currently on and clicking away from. Using the “Back” and “Forward” buttons are linear and so web 1.0.
It’s been ingrained in my head for such a long time that I still find myself doing it. And to be honest I never really gave it much thought. However, after reading the comments here I definitely think it’s better to let the reader decide.
My feeling is the opposite of conventional wisdom. I like to click the links as I go and have them open in a separate tab or window that I can read later. I want to stay on the page I navigated to and I don’t want to be sent willy-nilly all over the internet. I’m often doing things with my hands while I surf (like knitting) and while I can activate most links with the enter key, nothing annoys me more than being interrupted mid-post and having to navigate back to the site to finish an article I enjoy. I’m reading your post. Why are you sending me away?
Besides, don’t most newer browsers give you the option to control the way you open your links if you don’t want to follow the page settings?
Strange…I was just thinking about writing a post like this. Are you psychic?
I don’t force open new windows on people either (unless it’s absolutely necessary for something). My browsing habits involve one windows, and opening new tabs by middle-clicking links (scroll mouse), so I’m not about to open new windows on other people’s computers.
The most used browser button is the “BACK” button. If you send the user to a new window, you loose the option of them able to go back to your website via the back button…
I agree with Darren that you should only ‘ever’ send the user to a new window is with a large image or a pdf and if you do that, you need to tell them so via text or little icons next to the link.
It’s ironic that this topic came up because as I was reading this post in my Google Labs, when I clicked to make a comment, a whole new window popped up. I think it is annoying for a new window to open when you click on some links. For the most part, I would think most people use browsers with tabs, to cut down on the amount of windows that you would have open at any given time. I am a fan of tabbed browsers, and like it when my newly clicked links open up in a tab, and not as another window.
Lots of interesting opinions here…….
I know that I personally right click and open new tab…. But — I believe the issue of having the link open in a new window depends on who your readers are…. and what your website subject is about……….
In a niche where people are internet savy — or at least learning to be internet savy — then I vote do not open in a new window….
But — What about the website that’s subject is quilting or model building? While I am sure there are internet savy users in that group – I would guess there are more folks who are not so savy and who don’t care to be internet savy — they just want info on quilting or model building…. For those websites -I vote open the link in a new window…….
Just my .02
Ellie
I personally like to open new window because it is easy for me to check the previous site. I always link other sites to be opened new window in my blog. if i linked my previous articles, i did not let it open new window.
I agree with comments 54 and 55. Note: I’ve been building my own web-based RSS reader (AJAX) that doesn’t open new windows. :D
I currently open other websites in a new window, and open other pages of my own site in the same window.
Tabbed browsers may cause me to change my policy – although of course the user with such a browser can CTRL-Click to force a new tab anyway.
The thing that I have done that is not mentioned above (I think) is that I have the policy stated in my about page, along with how I do copyright acknowledgement, trackbacks and all that. See the link above.
Yes, just to add to the overwhelming consensus — normal links, every time. If I want a new tab/window, I can open the link in that, and usually do (resulting in a Firefox window with about fifty open tabs, but that’s my problem…).
The only possible reason I can see for *ever* having links open in new windows is within a web application, where you might have a “Help” link open a new small window, for example.
Re: comment #35 on usability studies.
I believe that studies have been done and the answer is: don’t force links to open in new windows. I think it’s actually against the W3C accessibility guidelines to do so without explicitly flagging the link as a new window opener, but it’s been a while since I’ve looked at them.
The main problem with opening a link in a new window is that the browser history is generally not cloned into the new window. Combine this with an un-savvy user and you wind up with someone who doesn’t realize that a new window has opened and instead thinks you’ve somehow disabled their back button, which also happens to be a major navigational tool.
Some people eventually get used to the new window behavior and even come to prefer it, but forcing new windows pretty well violates usability/accessibility rule #1, which is to leave control of the browser’s behavior in the hands of the user.
Depends on the kind of link you have.
Wow, I’m with Barbara up in Comment 7, in that I get off on Internet exploration tangents and prefer to have a new window open and come back to the original site later, since otherwise I’d be “back-buttoning” for eternity. So, I open into a new window on my blog because I thought that was easiest for everyone. No nefarious intentions at all.
I had no idea that this annoys people so much, and am somewhat puzzled by what you accomplish when you get miffed about new windows and never return to that naughty site. Why not leave a comment for the blog author; maybe they’re like me and had no idea that it gets people in such a twist.
I know life’s short and we’re all busy, but don’t be passive-aggressive. Give straightforward feedback.
This has inspired me to ask my readers what they’d like — thanks so much for the food for thought, Darren.
I like having the link to open up into a new tab, therefore if I don’t like that content I can easily close it down and get back to where I was.
Thanks for the great article. I used to make my links opening on a separate windows or a tab because I thought I can keep my readers on the blog. But after reading your article I understand that I have to give them choice whether they want it on another window or not.
Darren mentioned that a legitimate use of a new window is when the file is large, such as a PDF.
I never use a new window for any sort of link. However, I do give the reader a heads-up if the link leads to any sort of an abnormal file. I enclose the information in parenthesis, immediately following the link:
(PDF file)
(DOC file)
or whatever…
I enjoy your blog, Darren. I read it frequently, but have never commented before!
I understand the comments pro and con about leaving the decision up to the reader, but I don’t understand the reference to “spammy”. How is having links open in a new tab/window spammy?
Personally, I really hate clicking on a link without thinking (I´m still new to the tabs business) and ending up having to click the Back button to return to the content I was reading. However, it looks like a lot of people find new windows more annoying, so I might have to rethink what I do with my links!
I always put links to external sites to open in a new window, but internal links (to pages / posts on my blog) to open in the same window.
I guess it´s because I want to keep my visitors, and that I prefer this myself when I surf. The reason is that sometimes there are links close to the top of a post, and when I click on them I will go to another site but within the same window, and this is before I am finished reading the initial post. I guess I think it´s easier to just close the window to get back to where I was in the first place.
Yes, I also prefer links to open in new tabs. One thing often leads to another and re-tracing the trail is tedious!! I’m beginning to develop the habit of ‘right click – open in new tab’, but it would be just that tiny bit easier if the site took care of it.
I’ve also set my Google preferences so that when I click on an item it opens in a new tab. That way, the Google list of found items is always available alongside the pages it points towards.
And I love the way Bloglines opens sites in new tabs.
I’m a NewTabber!!
But I don’t think you’ll get far by asking readers to vote for a preference — some like it one way and others like it the other way. You’ll never please everyone.
The way that I look at it is that if my content is good enough my visitors will stay at my site. Therefore I make my links open in the same window and allow my visitors to choose.
Anything else is bad manners.
My preference is “target=_blank”. When I’m reading an article heavy with interesting links I want to open many of them to read later — kind of like footnotes to the main piece. As Sheila and Barbara say, I’d be hitting the back-button forever and losing the thread of the article in hand if no new windows were to open. Netiquette, to me, is about ease: I find it much easy if I’m allowed to keep reading what I’m reading. If I click a link, it is a “note to self” to read/refer to later — if a click takes me off on a completely new tangent, away from the original article, I’ll tidy up my tabs and browser windows as I go along.
I always prefer to open in new windows. By this way, we can make sure that readers will not leave our blog for reason of opening new windows.
You’re right on target when you say that when you do set a link to open in a new window there needs to be a note for the reader. I’d say that’s even more important when, as you suggest, you use a new window for a large PDF file. Nothing will get me to not visit a site again faster than clicking a link only to have a large PDF file lock my browser up and lose whatever other tabs I had open and working. OK, there is one other thing that will get me to leave and not come back – having a “Contact Us” link that is actually a “mailto:” and instead of taking me to a professional page of contact information pops open the otherwise never used default email program on my machine. Sorry, but that is *sooooo 1990s*.
New window. I want to keep my visitors. =)
Wow! I didn’t realize this was such a big issue for people! It’s given me a bit to think about, but I think I’m going to keep doing things as I’m doing them…
As a reader, I try to open things in new tabs (I’m using Firefox). However, sometimes I forget to do so and this is the number one reason, as a blogger/writer/whathaveyou that I make all my links open in new tabs/windows: I get frustrated when I forget that I’ve not opened it in a new tab and close it, then curse things as I try to remember how to find where I was to begin with. And I know I’m not the only one who does that. So that’s why I use new tab/new window links.
Don’t open new browser windows! It’s number 9 on Jakob Nielsen’s top 10 mistakes in web design: “Opening up new browser windows is like a vacuum cleaner sales person who starts a visit by emptying an ash tray on the customer’s carpet.” http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html
Maybe if you have a really good reason and it’s really clearly marked, then you can do it (like all rules, there are some exceptions), but that’s fewer than 1 in 100 of the times I see it done. The rest are modern-day vacuum-cleaner salesmen and they lose my readership/custom as soon as they do it. If they’re willing to use such tricks to keep one browser window on their site, I wouldn’t trust them as far as I can spit a rat.
This has been an interesting and helpful conversation. As a user, I far prefer when links open in a new window or tab, so I don’t get lost in a rabbit trail of links where I can’t get back to the original site, as others have mentioned. I agree with the person who said that following links within one window seems old-fashioned.
Personally, I didn’t know about the right-click option and wonder whether the average layperson does. Perhaps the decision should depend in part upon whether your site is geared the more or less tech-savvy user…. That said, as a blogger I’m seeing that the majority here prefer/recommend staying “inside” with links, so I’ll change my settings today.
Hi Darren and everyone who’s commented so far
Thanks for picking up my question, which was prompted by some comments here on a recent post (Barbara, #64, that’s where the ref to ‘spammy’ came from – being used here as a general term for cheap and nasty looking site maybe, which I certainly hope mine isn’t!).
It’s been very interesting to read people’s comments and reactions. Before I started blogging (about 3 months ago) I was definitely media unsavvy. I had no idea I could right click for a new tab (still not sure what middle clicking is but will investigate!) and often found myself ‘lost’ in hyperspace. Back spacing doesn’t always take you back to where you wanted to be – if you can remember where that was. I think I had people like myself in mind when setting up links to open in new windows (and other groups of readers as other commenters have mentioned). It’s a way of helping them to navigate – I thought.
Also as a non media savvy newbie I was dependent on the advice of others about things like links. But I now I can see there is more than one school of thought or set of advice.
Will definitely reconsider this given the strength of reaction it evokes in media savvy readers. I guess it boils down to knowing who your readers (and casual visitors) are and what they want.
As for being greedy – certainly not my intention. I try to provide links to quality sites in all my posts so people can have a good rummage around elsewhere. Just not get lost in the process.
And as for good content being the real ‘sticky’ point. Absolutely.
Joanna
Shouldn’t this be configurable at a browser level? HTML can be crafted to forcibly open a document in a new window, why not add another option that obeys a user’s preference?
This has got me thinking (and people talking, I see!) – I may well have to change my thinking about this as I never thought of the “spamminess” factor before. Like Barbara (see earlier) I tend to keep loads of tabs open at any one time so I remember to go back and look at stuff, but I never thought that this might bother some people.
But I guess there is an element of wanting to keep people from departing entirely from a site, which come to think of it is not really in line with my philosophy, otherwise I would be blocking the back button and stuff by now!
I always open links in a new tab using the trusty old right click, and so think that’s the way to go when developing your blog or website.
I also hate following a link chain in one window, and have trouble getting back to my original sourec which I may want to bookmark for future reference.
I actually hate posts where links open in the same window. The last thing I want when I’m reading the article is to follow a link from it that sends me away. So I got over that by middle clicking in a background tab any new link.
Interesting discussion. I have always used the blank target to launch a new window on all my sites. I may have to rethink this philosophy. Good topic, Darren!
I can’t live without the middle mouse button that opens a new tab in Firefox! For the mice with scrolls, just click the wheel. To close a tab, give it a little middle-button click and poof! Gone. To open a previously closed tab in FF 2.0, use Ctrl + Shift + T
Hope these tips were useful! (c:
I hadn’t thought about the “spam” aspect of opening a new window..
Actually, my linking is :
– same window for others articles or pages links (as it the same blog)
– open new window for other websites/blogs
I thought it was the “classic” way.
But a lot of people commentating talks about the possibility of middle click but I’m not sure the majority of peole surfing knows about this..
Me too! i always open links in a new tab. Sometimes, if it’s too full,i’ll oepn in a new window.
I prefer links to open in a new window, so I don’t lose the original page or site. But my biggest pet hate is when the link doesn’t open in a new window, and when you try to press the back button, the site is site up so you can’t. I don’t understand why people do this, as they should realise that if they annoy you so much, you are only going to close the browser, and have to start again, causing great inconvenience. Also, you are never likely to visit their site again.
I have my links set to open in new tabs based perhaps on “old school thinking (man new school becomes old school fast on the web!). Since my site is about music I think readers appreciate having the link to say a band’s MySpace page open in another link so they can listen to the music in question while continuing to read The Rock and Roll Report.
That being said, is there a simple way for me to convert my links from opening in a new page if I decide to change?
I really don’t like it when links automatically open in a new tab. I see it as a form of arrogance. Maybe I’m ready to leave the site. If I want to stay, I right click. If right click is disabled on a site…well, I leave, never to return.
That said, many visitors to my site don’t agree and have complained about it. Their argument is that my site is very link intensive and they don’t want to lose their place. I’ve responded with a tutorial explaining how to right click (and it’s not my fault they’re not using firefox).
I agree with an earlier comment. I normally have external links open in a new window. Personally, I think that disrupting an article by leaving the site completely is not too user friendly.
Guilty Newbie! I’m not really a web designer but I’ve always tried to set up my site and blog intuitively in terms of navigation. I guess as a surfer I am a bit click happy and often forget where I came from, which results in disappointment, confusion or exasperation, ultimately ending in abandonment! I like the new windows for that reason.
I am an artist and write for other artists and art lovers, not techies. But I may be making some wrong assumptions, as this is the second time in a week I’ve seen posts about new windows being bad.
I use new windows in my picture galleries on my website, and I’ve also been using them on my blog. It may take me a while to figure out a new navigation system for my website. But I do think I will stop it on the blog and just let people leave their own trail of crumbs to find their way back.
Usability expert Jakob Nielsen (http://www.useit.com/) has said for over a decade that the single-most used and best understood browser feature is the “back” button, and that you interfere with it at your peril. That includes links opening in new windows.
As a web surfer, I HATE when a site, any site, opens links in a new window without warning me first. In some cases, the method used actually breaks the site because it runs afoul of my popup blocker. I am fully capable of deciding if I want a link to open in a new window (or tab).
For Firefox users: CTRL+click will also open a link in a new tab. Also, there is a configuration setting that forces links that try to open a new window to open a new tab instead. Doesn’t work with all techniques, though.
Give me a new window any day– because I have a habit of closing a site only to discover that I’ve lost the blog that I wanted to continue to read. Only one mouse in my house (heh!) has a middle wheel for the new window option.
I’m one of those people who’d rather decide for myself where a new link opens. I I understand having something like a help screen open up in a new window, but if you’re going do that, please either 1) set the type size so that those of us with aging eyes and or monitors can read it, or 2) give us at least the menu bar so we can re-size the screen type. Haloscan for blog comments drives me buggy because there’s no way to open it in a tab; it puts comments up in teeny tiny type that I couldn’t read on my old monitor and can barely read on this one; and AFAICT, there is no way to resize the type. Google/Blogger’s comment window is much easier on my eyes.
Dang it. Do you people realize you are making me change all of my links to open in the same browser?
Logic ruins everything. If this continues, I may even open my blog to comments.
I still prefer new windows, I appreciate when they tell me it will open in a new window, often rt click to open new tabs and loathe the back button. That being said, I LOVE it, recently, when links open up in new tabs all by themselves. Anyone know how that’s done?
One of the Golden Rules of interface design is to give the user control. This is one of the reasons why the browser now have this setting built in, so users can choose for themselves. This way the developer does not need to worry about it and leave it up to the end user to decide how to handle it. Also the ‘target’ tags are being phased out of HTML as an out dated feature for similar reasons.
The moral is: don’t worry about it.
I prefer the link open in a new window. If I am studying something that someone wrote, and they give a link in the article that expands on this topic, I hate it when I am bumped off the page to follow the link. I always prefer to stay on the site, and close the original site when I am ready and finished.
When I was developing my website/blog, I was like many of the posters above. My first thought was to have the links open in a new window so as to not lose visitors. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that I like controlling which windows I have open/closed and don’t like having numerous windows open at the same time (numerous tabs is a different story though ;-) ).
So for me, the decision was easy – let the users decide how they want to use the links on my site.