Target=Blank question for external links on a website

Started by AlwayzBluFFinG, 07-07-2020, 02:56:46

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AlwayzBluFFinGTopic starter

Hey,

What do you think about target=blank attribute for external links? I always like to add this for external resources in order not to lose visitors and let them go to another website.

Also, I assume it makes it easier for them to keep both resources open, so they can later return to the original article they were reading.

As a reader, I always prefer to open links to external pages in new windows. But as I am biased being in digital marketing for many years, it might be different when it comes to "regular" internet users.

Still, the main issue is that it sounds like a good strategy for desktop, but what about mobile? On mobile, it might be not that great UX-practice to have new tabs opening up. It might create a bit of a mess unlike desktop where you have more space. What's your opinion on this?

I was analyzing one blogpost and found that the guy that was dealing with the website before me left (probably unintentionally) all links opening in the same window. So, my first reaction was to change this. However, I saw from the Search Console that this page has 5x more visits from mobile than desktop.

So, here is the question to be or not to be :D / to add "target=blank" or not :)
SEO Day & Night
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RuskinF

The target attribute specifies where the linked document will open when the link is clicked. The default is the current window. If target="_blank" , the linked document will open in a new tab or (on older browsers) a new window.


Ensafeindia

The target attribute specifies where the linked document will open when the link is clicked. The default is the current window. If target="_blank" , the linked document will open in a new tab or (on older browsers) a new window.

Ensafeindia

Like it or not, target="_blank" is a change in default behavior. ... A Bad Reason: "Internal" links and "External" links are different. ... Or any other type of non-web resource. ... I think of CodePen where users are often writing code.

marksmith112

Like it or not, target="_blank" is a change in default behavior. Links opening within the same page is the default behavior (as if the link had target="_self" on it).

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markly32

The target attribute specifies where the linked document will open when the link is clicked. The default is the current window. If target="_blank" , the linked document will open in a new tab or (on older browsers) a new window.