Simple Steps for Creating Effective E-mail Links

by John S. Rhodes

Many people have asked me how to create effective e-mail links. I want you to know that creating hyperlinks in e-mail can be easy if you know a few simple rules.

There are two basic types of hyperlinks: e-mail addresses and URLs. E-mail hyperlinks allow your users to click on a link to send you an e-mail whereas URLs allow your users to go to a Web site via their browser. If you haven't learned how to do this yet, don't worry. You're definitely not alone!

Most current e-mail programs allow hyperlinks to be created in the fashion I'll describe below. If you create hyperlinks for your users, they will have to do much less work. Instead of opening a new e-mail message or their Web browser, they simply click on your (very usable) hyperlink. With effective hyperlinks, your users don't have to cut and paste. One click and they are all set.

Here are the steps that will make your links clickable in email messages:

E-mail addresses

1. For e-mail addresses, precede them with "mailto:". For example, mailto:john@webword.com. Make sure there are no spaces between the colon and the e-mail address!

2. For more advanced e-mailing, you can include 'set ups' (subject line messages or information). For instance, if you click on this link mailto:john@webword.com?subject=howdy, the word 'howdy' would be positioned in the subject line. You can also place a space between the words. For example, if you wanted to have 'Howdy John!' inserted in the message body, you would use %20. Here is how the link would look in your e-mail mailto:john@webword.com?body=Howdy%20John!

For usability reasons, I wouldn't recommend using anything other than the simple mailto: command. Not all e-mail programs can handle hyperlinks. If you string a bunch of commands together, someone who cannot use hyperlinks will have a hard time figuring out what they are supposed to do. A long mailto: hyperlink will look bizarre (most folks don't even know what mailto: hyperlinks are). Secondly, adding these things on can make a link appear quite long. As you might suspect, you can get choppy looking lines and the link might need to be pushed onto the next link. This is a big no-no. Stay simple.

Web Site URLs

For URLs, precede your domain name with "http://". For instance,  http://www.WebWord.com. Once again, don't include any spaces. When you add the "http://", your domain name (e.g., www.WebWord.com), becomes a link that your users can click on.

By the way, it is also a good idea to put URLs and mailto: commands within
brackets like this: <mailto:john@webword.com> and <http://www.WebWord.com>. This helps you add proper punctuation. Also, some e-mail programs require them to make your hyperlinks work properly. If you don't use brackets, then make sure that you don't have punctuation or any other character directly following the end of the URL (you must leave a space). The period interferes with the URL.

Here's an example of what NOT to do:
http://www.WebWord.com. (Notice the period at the end? It is bad!)

Here's an example of what you should do:
<http://www.yourdomain.com>. (Brackets are good, and the period is fine here).

Obviously these techniques don't always work, but they work most of the time. You can usually significantly increase the usability of your e-mail using these simple tips.

By the way, if you are interested in improving your e-mail signature (or if you want find out what an e-mail signature is), read my article on the subject.