Links to other pages or sites naturally draw reader’s attention and their placement can negatively affect your copy’s readability.

Just a casual browsing of the web shows us that most of us are haphazard about our link placement. We put them in the middle of paragraphs, in the middle of sentences and just about anywhere else that seem like a natural fit.

But, consider what a link does to your copy and to the reader.

Since most links are colored and underlined they naturally stand out and grab the reader’s eye. When you place a link in the middle of a sentence it stops the reader as they consider whether to click now or come back later.

In order for your web copy to read more smoothly, and to make sure the reader absorbs all of the information you want him to absorb, consider writing your copy so that the link appears either at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.

Here’s an example:

As a patient, you may not know your legal rights before you enter treatment - and because of that - some providers will take advantage of your lack of knowledge.

And the re-write:

It’s sad but true: Medical providers sometimes take advantage of their patient’s lack of knowledge when giving them treatment. Which is why it’s vital that - before you even think about getting treatment - you fully understand your legal rights.

In this example, the reader isn’t tempted to go off before reading what you have to say. And the link at the end actually serves as emphasis to your main point for a double whammy.

In addition, placing a link at the beginning of your paragraph gives you the opportunity to expand on it without interruption.

Remember: The main goal for writing effective web copy is to make it easy for the reader to get all of the information you have for them. That can’t be done if they’re being distracted by links placed all over the place.