Buttons and links might look like interchangeable design choices on a Shopify wireframe, but the distinction matters. It affects usability, accessibility, and how confidently a user moves through your funnel.
Here is how to ensure your UI is driving action, not friction.
Buttons are the "do this now" signal
Buttons are designed for action. They stand out, carry visual weight, and invite commitment. Because most users skim rather than read, a well-designed button acts as a visual command that clearly states: this is the next step.
Use a button when:
- The action requires commitment (e.g., Buy Now).
- The step is crucial to the customer journey (e.g., Finish Checkout).
- You need to deliberately guide their attention.
- The intent is to create momentum or urgency.
Links are the soft nudge
Links are for navigation, not commitment. They offer optional paths, a quiet “explore if you want to”, and move users to new information without demanding they take a hard action inside the current interface.
Use a link when:
- Sending users to another page or section.
- Offering background or optional information (e.g., Learn More, View Details).
- Directing users to a utility action (e.g., Forgot Password, Terms & Conditions).
The common mistakes costing you sales
When teams get this wrong, the user experience breaks down quickly:
- Using the wrong element: Using a link where an action should be taken, or a giant button where simple navigation is intended, confuses the user's momentum.
- Removing focus indicators: This is a common but damaging aesthetic design choice. When users (especially those navigating via keyboard) can’t see where the focus is, they lose context and confidence.
- Breaking accessibility: If you style a link to look exactly like a button without proper ARIA roles and keyboard handling, it breaks for screen readers. Keyboard users expect 'Enter' for links, but 'Space' or 'Enter' for buttons.
The Takeaway
Users won’t always know what they want to do next, but they instantly recognise what you want them to do.
Buttons provide direction. Links provide context. Use them intentionally to clear the path to purchase.
1 Month to Go: The Connect MCR stage is set
7th May, 2026 | Manchester
We are exactly one month away from DTC Live Connect MCR, and the agenda we have built is entirely focused on solving the biggest bottlenecks in eCommerce right now.
We are diving deep into the tactical strategies driving sustainable growth, breaking down:
- Niching Down: How to focus your brand and win big.
- Maximising Margin: Extracting more profit through smarter AOV and CRO strategies.
- Community Building: Turning a transactional customer base into fiercely loyal advocates.
- The Infrastructure of Growth: Tackling operations, logistics, and building fulfilment partnerships you can actually trust.
Taking the stage are leaders from the UK's fastest-growing brands like Full Power Cacao Deviant Skincare Recondition Embrace Beauty BANTU CHOCOLATE July Child Grenade Pretty You London and many more…
Tickets are completely free for brands. Just fill out the form to sign up!
In Other News…
- Meta Finally Fixes its Pixel Setup: Meta has quietly rolled out an official Google Tag Manager template, allowing brands to completely reuse their existing GA4 dataLayer instead of relying on clunky third-party workarounds. This automatically maps crucial enhanced eCommerce events (like purchases and add-to-carts), stripping out hours of implementation headaches and significantly lowering the risk of tracking errors across your campaigns.
- The £10k Threat Hiding in Your Inbox: An alarming new report shows that 43% of UK businesses suffered a cyber breach in the last 12 months. With ransomware attacks doubling year-over-year and average losses hitting up to £10,000 per incident, experts are urging brands to stop treating cybersecurity as an IT afterthought. The most common entry point? Emails spoofing your suppliers or senior leadership to redirect invoice payments.
