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This guide is for sites built in the new version of Drupal (like Study or Scholarships).
If you're working on a Drupal 7 (UQ Standard) site, see links on Drupal 7.

Writing link text

Link text should be descriptive, specific and integrate seamlessly with the text around it.

Aside from proper nouns, link text should always be lower-case and accurately describe the page or resource it is linking to.

Users should easily understand where they’re going and why if they click on a link.

Example: We’ve written a list of common academic writing errors so you know what to avoid.

If a link is accurate, descriptive and specific, it will help all users, including those using assistive technologies, to better understand our content.

Best practice

  • Avoid using vague or generic instructions like ‘click here’.
  • Use the language of your audience – avoid jargon, branding or marketing-speak.
  • Try to include link text at the start of the sentence or paragraph so it is easy to scan.
  • If your link includes a call to action, make sure to include the verb in the link text (e.g. 'Subscribe to our newsletter', not 'Subscribe to our newsletter').

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Linking to other pages on your website

Creating links to other pages on your website (also called internal links) improves your site architecture and SEO.

Internal links will also update automatically if your page's title or URL changes.

If you're working on the Study website, there are different steps to follow to link to a program page.

How to add an internal link

  1. Highlight your link text and click the link icon in the WYSIWYG editor.
  2. In the 'Add link' box, type the name of the page you want to link to. The system will auto-suggest a list of pages.
  3. Select the appropriate page.
  4. Click 'Save'. Drupal will insert the link using the page's node ID.

Don't manually create internal links in HTML or copy and paste to insert e.g. /node/11 or https://study.uq.edu.au/node/11.

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    Linking to other websites

    You'll need to use external links when you're linking to a page on a different website, including:

    • other UQ websites (like faculty websites or my.UQ)
    • third-party websites (like government websites or the QTAC website).

    You'll also need to consider the risks associated with external links. External websites can change without notice. The links can break entirely, or end up linking users to irrelevant or incorrect information.

    Before linking to third-party websites

    Only link to a non-UQ (or third-party) website when there is a clear user need.

    Before linking off-site, consider the following:

    • Have you been fair and impartial in choosing which website to link to?
    • Are there other websites that provide similar or better content?
    • Is the third-party website free to access?
    • Is the site authoritative and trustworthy?
    • Does the third-party website work on mobile devices?

    Try to avoid linking to commercial websites and never link to a site in exchange for a reciprocal link or payment.

    How to add an external link

    Make sure users know where they will be going by using clear and informative link text.

    Example: Visit the Department of Home Affairs website for more information about student visas.

    Send users to a specific page rather than to a homepage to avoid confusing them. You should also routinely check external links to ensure they are still working.

    There are different steps to follow to link to a program page.

    Follow these steps to add a link to an external website (including other UQ websites):

    1. Highlight your link text and click the link icon in the WYSIWYG editor.
    2. Paste the full address (also called an absolute URL) into the 'URL' box. Be careful not to click on the suggested content that appears under the box.
    3. Click 'Save'.
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    Linking to program pages

    Program and plan pages are published on the Study website. They provide prospective students with information they need to decide whether to apply to UQ and what to study.

    Because program pages have different versions for each year (e.g. 2023 and 2024), you need to link to program pages in a specific way. If you link to the 2023 version specifically, you will be sending users to an older version when new versions are published.

    Linking to programs from other UQ websites

    In most cases, create an evergreen link that's not tied to a particular year.

    To create an evergreen link, use the whole URL (also called an absolute URL). It should look like: https://study.uq.edu.au/study-options/programs/bachelor-arts-2000.

    If you do need to link to a specific year version of a page (e.g. if you're referencing content that's specific to that year for a short period of time), use a URL with '?year=YYYY' on the end and insert the relevant year.

    It should look like: https://study.uq.edu.au/study-options/programs/bachelor-arts-2000?year=2023.

    Linking to programs within the Study website

    You'll need to use a type of internal link called a relative URL. You can add these links using the insert link function or directly in HTML.

    Follow the instructions for the content type you're linking from:

    Linking from basic pages, landing pages, articles and events

    If you want to link to a program or plan page from another content type (basic page, landing page, article or event) on the Study website, choose the most appropriate option below.

    For most content, the evergreen link is best.

    Don’t just paste in the full URL e.g. https://study.uq.edu.au/study-options/programs/bachelor-agribusiness-2007.

    Evergreen link

    To create an evergreen link:

    1. Prepare a relative URL by removing https://study.uq.edu.au/ from the start of the URL. It should look like: /study-options/programs/bachelor-agribusiness-2007
    2. Highlight your link text and click the link icon in the WYSIWYG editor.
    3. Paste the relative URL you created in the 'URL' box. Be careful not to click on the suggested content that appears under the box.
    4. Click 'Save'.

    This will take the users to the default program year regardless of which year they have stored in their browser and means the link won't take users to outdated information as future versions are published. 

    Only use a specific year link for content that will be on the site for a limited time to promote programs for a specific year (e.g. campaign pages). If not updated, these links may redirect to the default year or break.

    To link to specific year, use in the insert link field, search for the program and select the relevant year. 

    This will take users to the specific year you’ve linked to regardless of which year they have stored in their browser.  

    Linking between program and plan pages

    In specific circumstances, you may need to create a link between program and plan pages. Follow the instructions to ensure that the link retains the user’s selected year. Once you do this, you won't need to update links again when we import future years.  

    To create the link you need to combine:

    • the relative URL of the page you want to link to by removing https://study.uq.edu.au/ from the start of the URL. It should look like: /study-options/programs/bachelor-agribusiness-2007
    • a year query ?year=
    • a year token for the page type you are linking from
      • To link from a program page, the token is [node:program:entity:year]
      • To link from a plan page, the token is [node:plan:entity:year]

    Example URLs:

    • Link from program to program: /study-options/programs/bachelor-engineering-honours-2455?year=[node:program:entity:year]
    • Link from program to plan: /study-options/programs/bachelor-engineering-honours-2455/data-science-datasa2455?year=[node:program:entity:year]
    • Link from plan to program: /study-options/programs/bachelor-engineering-honours-2455?year=[node:plan:entity:year]
    • Link from plan to plan: /study-options/programs/bachelor-engineering-honours-2455/data-science-datasa2455?year=[node:plan:entity:year]

    Once you’ve put that together:

    1. Highlight your link text and click the link icon in the WYSIWYG editor.
    2. Paste the URL you created in the 'URL' box. Be careful not to click on the suggested content that appears under the box.
    3. Click 'Save'.
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      Linking to documents

      When you link to a non-HTML resource (for example, a PDF or Word document), the file size and document type need to be included in the link text. For example:

      • Download the undergraduate guide (PDF, 800KB)

      This ensures a user knows what to expect when they click the link.

      If the file you're linking to is hosted on your website, the file size and type should appear automatically when you link to a file in your media library. If they don't, you will need to add it manually to the link text. Check that it's appearing correctly before you publish.

      If the file you're linking to is hosted on an external website, you will have to manually add both the file size and file type. In general, try to avoid linking to documents hosted on external websites.

      How to add a link to a document

      To link to a file hosted on your site:

      1. Highlight your link text and click the link icon in the WYSIWYG editor.
      2. Start typing the name of the file you want to use.
      3. Select the file from the drop-down under the 'Media' heading.
      4. Click 'Save'.

      To link to a file hosted on an external site, follow the instructions for 'External links'. Make sure you manually add both the file size and type to your link text before creating the link.

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      Email addresses

      When you link to an email address, you can activate the default email software on a user's device, which the user may or may not want depending on the context.

      To help users understand what type of link it is, use the entire email address as the link text. For example:

      Including the whole email address is clearer and more accessible for users and also gives them the option of copying and pasting the address if they want to.

      Whatever happens, avoid writing out email addresses phonetically (for example, by writing "j dot blogs at uq dot edu dot au"). This is just confusing for everyone.

      How to link to an email

      1. Highlight the email address you're adding a link to and click the link icon in the WYSIWYG editor.
      2. Copy or type mailto: into the search bar.
      3. Copy the email address and paste it after 'mailto:'. It should look like this: mailto:applicationstatus@uq.edu.au
      4. Click 'Save'.
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