diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 358f9b22..c2f35e9c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
-# Serde   [![Build Status](https://api.travis-ci.org/serde-rs/serde.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/serde-rs/serde) [![Latest Version](https://img.shields.io/crates/v/serde.svg)](https://crates.io/crates/serde)
+# Serde   [![Build Status]][travis] [![Latest Version]][crates.io]
+
+[Build Status]: https://api.travis-ci.org/serde-rs/serde.svg?branch=master
+[travis]: https://travis-ci.org/serde-rs/serde
+[Latest Version]: https://img.shields.io/crates/v/serde.svg
+[crates.io]: https://crates.io/crates/serde
 
 **Serde is a framework for *ser*ializing and *de*serializing Rust data structures efficiently and generically.**