More and more sites are using target=”_blank” for links to make sure they will open the link in a new window and keep the visitor on the site.
I confess, I am using them myself because I assume the visitors are using FireFox browser that opens those links in a new window.
But is it really a wise thing to do?
When Target=”_Blank” Can / Should Be Used
There is the fundamental law of the Internet ethics that says that you let the visitor decide how he wants to open the links. So (especially) when your target audience consists of technically sophisticated users (like SEO audience for example), be warned that they do not like new windows. They also know how to open a new window or how to prevent a new window whenever they want.
The cases when the attribute can (and is encouraged to) be used are the following:
- To link to a PDF document mostly because when it’s first followed there’s often a delay while the browser loads up the plugin and PDF (and thus you can let the visitor read more information on the current page while the document loads).
It is also a wise thing to do to warn the visitor of the type of the file he is going to download and how the link will open:
<a href=”document.pdf” target=”_blank”>Document</a> (PDF 13K, new window)
- To link to “supplemental information” like help files or additional information that would ordinarily clog up the topic with tangent data.
Target=”_Blank” Versus Other Ways to Open Links in a New Window
JavaScript methods versus “target=”_blank”
-
Target=”_blank” will always open a new window or tab exactly the same size as the original, covering up the original and can be extremely confusing, especially if the user clicks and looks away for a moment. With a Javascript method, you can control the size of the window so that’s it’s VERY obvious it’s a new window and you can still see the parent behind it.
- Obviously, JavaScript method won’t work if JavaScript is disabled. Besides, it will prevent the search bot from crawling the page.
Target=”_blank” versus Target=”new”
Here’s an awesome explanation: Using _blank as a target value will spawn a new window every time while using _new will only spawn one new window and every link clicked with a target value of _new will replace the page loaded in the previously spawned window. Try it out for yourself:
Links with target=”_blank”
Links with target=”_new”
Additional reading:
- Check out this excellent reference source explaining various target attributes;
- Also, make sure to take a look at this
coverage of HTML target attributes.
I've been wondering for a while about the implications of _blank, but with regards to SEO instead of usability. Knowing that most webmasters use _blank for external websites, if I were Google I'd see external links without _blank as more trusted than those with it. It could almost be construed as a mini-nofollow.
Anyone seen any evidence of Google using _blank as a ranking factor?
I personally don't think this taken into account in any way. But then again, who knows?
I always use target=_blank for all external links pointing off-site, and keep all on-site links untouched. This to try and keep the visitor on my sites and maybe get an extra few pageviews out of them.
Trying to force people to stay on your site is insane. However, offering links to other sites you cannot vet without providing some protection to your visitors is equally stupid. It reflects badly on a Website if it appears to hang when the visitor clicks on a link to a bad location.
People should ALWAYS use the _BLANK option for external links because they cannot guarantee that the visitor's browser won't freeze when trying to load that other site.
There is absolutely no fundamental reason to use the same browser window to send people to other sites.
There are reasons NOT to open a link in a new window:
-poor accessibility of the page
-poor usability
-nusance for people who use popup blockers = they won't bother visiting your site again
If your content is great they will use the back button, bookmark your site or find you again.
As far as outside links hanging, as a responsible website/blog owner you should be checking your outgoing links for problems. If you did this, then you would know which are bad links and remove them.
Optimize your site for humans first (think accessibility), then worry about search engines. The only time I use the target attribute is when I need to use JavaScript to open a new window in a certain size. Those without JavaScript enabled will still have access to the page and have a similiar experience albeit with an uncontrolled window size.
Have you completely missed the point?
The use of the target attribute is for dealing with frameset built websites only. Any other use of it is completely redundant.
If you feel you *must* force a non-browser default response, then use unobtrusive JavaScript to do the dirty work.
More here: http://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/200603/th…
I can't believe you linked to the SitePoint article and didn't even read it.
IMO it depends on your target audience. Many inexperienced people browsing the Internet do not know how to launch a new browser to open a link. If you have a tech audience the advice is solid.
I agree. If your site is not a computer technical/SEO site then probably most of your visitors won't know how to launch a new browser window, etc.
A lot of SEO sites and advice tend to be directed at people creating (other) SEO related sites, and not “general” websites.
I've used _blank for all of my external links, but wasn't aware of the _new option. Thanks for the tip.
Hey,
You post is really informative, i have used target=”_blank” but now i will try target=”_new”
method. Please keep it up with your post.
Thanks
I agree. If you're using it to prevent someone's in-progress work from being wrecked, fine — although there may be better ways to address that problem.
Nice ! I wasn't aware of this !
Thank you, Ann !
also from usability issue, i think google doesn't weight the _blank links same as the ones with out it. I know this by experiance.
I've used _BLANK for years. Never had a problem with Google. You're not putting the user first when you put their browsing experience at risk by linking to sites you cannot guarantee will be there, are in the same state they were when you embedded the link, or haven't been compromised.
Every external site is suspect. They could have server issues, heavy loads, routing problems, the users could have routing problems, etc.
It's simply irresponsible to open new links in the same browser window.
People should always use _BLANK as _NEW does not guarantee that the external link will open in a new browser window.
I feel like I assume now that external links open a new window. If a site doesn't do that, I might not even notice its the same window, and then at some point I close the window and panic or realize I have to hit the back button 20 times to get back to the original site and I'm annoyed. So I always use _blank for external windows.
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yes, it's right. i'll follow this tip. Thanks for sharing!
yes, it's right. i'll follow this tip. Thanks for sharing!