I was browsing around this morning, checking out some news stories on the anticipated Apple tablet, when my reading experience was interrupted by a little contextual link widget. We all started seeing these years ago, first, as tool-tips then as hyperlinked definitions. The later of which is helpful if you’re browsing a medical journal and are unfamiliar with some of the terms and jargon. Now, however, they are used as full-on mini-microsites, complete with their own tabs and navigation.

I have no desire to browse a website only to experience another microsite which is the size of my wristwatch. Hyperlinks should always be used in context of the article you’re reading. An example of the proper-use would be when it links to an article that is relevant to the hyper-linked word. It’s when they’re used to advertise that it degrades the reader’s experience. For example, the article I was reading had the word “business development” hyperlinked. As your mouse grazes the link, a little contextual ad for IBM business solutions pops-up. If you were going to tell me that there is a great article on business development waiting for me on the other side of that link, I would say – Thanks for the reminder. Instead, my reading experience was interrupted by a page peppered with these ad links, most of which had little or no relevance to the article I was reading.

As a UX consultant I am always faced with the challenge of how to monetize websites but this really isn’t the best way to do it. Don’t go for the cheesy contextual link-ads to gain a quick win. Especially in the case of a news and information site, you are bound to lose credibility with your readers.