Should an internal link open in a new tab or in the same window?

[NicheSocial]

Should an internal link open in a new tab or in the same window?

Seems like this is an issue that has never had a definitive answer one way or the other. But I couldn't find any recent articles from reliable sources taking a stance and answering this question.

Does anyone know if user engagement metrics (time on site, bounce rate, pages per visit) are impacted if a user clicks a link that opens in a new tab? Thanks!

[Saqibssheikh]

Internal links should be on the same page, for the most part. The exception, like Emily, said, would be if the link is unrelated and you want them to come back to the original content (e.g. opt-in landing page linked from a blog post). External links in a new tab!  For example, this is a link (opens in a new window)  And External Link ( Visit Website )

[Chris_Hickman]

Hello,

There is no definitive answer, it really comes down to how you want people browsing your website. For instance, I would suggest a user stay within the same tab if they click from one blog article to the next. There's no reason they need to have a new tab opened. Now if they are on a product page and you have a suggested items section, once they click the suggested item should open in a new tab. This will let the user remember what they were originally browsing along with seeing additional products.

Also, I believe many users get suspicious once a new window opens when they click something. If they are expecting to stay within the same window or even tab. It can look spammy or like an ad/pop up, which could result in closing all.

Browse any major website, how often are you forced to open a new tab or window? Hardly ever, the only time it happens is when you are leaving the main URL.

I hope this helps.

Chris Hickman

Adficient.com

[Linda-Vassily]

I agree with Bernadette, internal links should open in the same window. [This is despite the fact I personally like to open things in new tabs, or even better, new windows.]

It is the default and what people expect and they also have the option to open in a new tab/window if they prefer.

There are many navigation/UX conventions across the Internet and they help us know what to do when we go to a new place. Yes, there are sometimes reasons to go against convention, but they should be thought out.

If your internal links always open in new tabs and your website has interesting content that someone is browsing through, things can get messy pretty quickly...

[Have you ever clicked on a link and had the new tab come up behind your open window? That is the worst--easy to miss it altogether.]

[becole]

Based on our experience, we generally think that as long at you're on the same website, links should open up in the same window. They should not open in a new window. If you are going to open a link in a new window, then you'd want to notify the user that you're going to do that by telling them before they click the link.

For example: this is a link (opens in a new window)

This is a general user experience issue. While I don't necessarily have any specific stats to show, it just makes sense.