Link Density in Hypertext

	In this paper, I review three articles that address the issue of link density in hypertext documents. Following the introduction on this page, the paper is organized as follows: Review of Articles on Link Density Guidelines for Creating Hypertext Links References
	Introduction Over the past four years, I have occasionally enjoyed the experience of serendipitous discovery while exploring the World Wide Web. More often, I have wandered aimlessly like a traveler without an itinerary, unable to reach any purposeful destination. Especially irksome are mystery links that leave me guessing as to the nature and value of the linked material but still manage to entice me. Instead of unearthing a treasure trove of information, I typically find worthless, uninteresting, or unreliable documents. In the end, I have merely wasted my time. Unfortunately, this frustrating experience of "wayfinding" or disorientation is all too common on the Web. As I develop my own Web site, I find myself acutely interested in learning what constitutes effective hypertext writing, partly due to my own troubling experiences as a user. Besides the actual text itself, one aspect of Web writing concerns the use (or abuse) of associative links. In this paper, I explore link density in hypertext documents by discussing the suggested guidelines of three sets of authors. Bernstein (1991) advocates a plentiful but thoughtful use of links, guided by what the rhetorical situation allows. Khan and Locatis (1998), through their research on information retrieval using hypertext links, support the notion of using low-link density in a list format to produce the best overall results in search performance. Lynch and Horton (1997) recommend using links sparingly, if at all. Though all three articles present broader, and conflicting, guidelines beyond link density, I focus my discussion only on this aspect. [Top of Page] [Webfolio] [Home] Comments? Please email me! Pixel painting courtesy of Sebastian Marquez Last Updated: May 2, 2001