When you make links within your website content it is very important to visualize them using different tactics which will increase both clickability and website usability. So here are contemporary guidelines for you to follow.

1. The most common and simple way of making the links more visible and thus clickable implies using some separate color for them or underline the text of the link. The visitors of your online presence should see clearly where the link is instead of trying hard to figure them out scrolling every web page. If you decided to color your links it is not necessary to underline them. But if you want to make them as visual as possible you can underline the links text in addition to increase accessibility and to make sure that even visitors with low vision will notice your website every link.

2. Be attentive not to underline any other text within your web pages except the links, even if you don’t underline the link text, as it may confuse the visitors. The users associate underlines with clickability so they will get disappointed if the underlined text won’t appear a link in fact.

3. Using colors for marking your links choose different ones for visited and unvisited links. As usual the color of the unvisited links is brighter unlike the color of visited ones which is dull and looks like “used”. The two colors you choose for your links should imply tints of the same one and look related though different. This is recommended because if you use completely different colors to highlight visited and unvisited links it could be difficult for the users to figure out the connection between two types of links and will take time and effort to check which color is for visited links and which is for unvisited ones. Traditionally all webmasters use blue tints to color the links but if you decide to make use of another one it is up to you, just don’t forget about the shades.

4. Don’t use the links color for the text that is not a link. It is better for your website written content not to possess different colors but if you still want to use one it must differ from the color you have chosen for the links. Another rule recommends not to use blue color for non-linked text even if you don’t use it for links either because this color is strongly associated with clickability and your visitors may again become confused.

5. Try to avoid tiny text in links and don’t put the links too close to each other as it may be hard for the visitors to select them at once especially for those who have weak sight. You are allowed to use small text font for the links if they are placed somewhere in a secondary location, for example, the footer of the page, so the visitors are not obliged to read them.

So the guidelines listed above refer to the ways of improving the appearance of textual links used within your online presence. And if your website main goal is accessibility you need to follow them beyond doubt.