Moving WebWord: Strategic Linking Techniques

Strategic Linking Techniques

Let me cut right to the conclusion: Utilize hypertext to maximize the interactive experience of your site. Above all else, hypertext should be used to help your users find what they want, when they want it. You want your users to be able to get more information at just the right time and place in your pages. This isn't easy. Poor linking is a major problem on almost all Web sites.

Let's start with something that should be obvious. You don't want too many links, and you don't want too few. However, many sites have giant lists of links with no context. It is impossible to tell what a link will do if you click on it. Many sites also only have one or two links per page. This is generally not enough links to satisfy click-hungry users. You need to find balance.

Learning to balance is a struggle. I argue that you must weigh the number of links on a page versus the value of that page. The greater the value of your own text content, the fewer the links you will probably have. However, and this is important, when you can add links that augment the quality of the content, be sure to add them.

Never add a link just for the sake of linking. Only add a link if it adds value to your content. Need to call in an authority? Use a link. Need to refer to an article that expands on a topic? Add a link. In contrast, adding a general link to say, Yahoo! is a bad idea in most cases. Why send your users to Yahoo! or Microsoft or Netscape? They get enough traffic. If you need to send users to these sites, do it. But, only do it because it helps your site. That means that if you have to make an error, make a selfish error, and don't link.

You must be strategic in your linking. Give your users content and interactivity through links when they want it, and only when they want it. Don't link frivolously; every link is precious.

You should try to test your pages with users to know what works best. In my experience, most large (usually corporate) sites test things like navigation and download time. This is good. However, very few tests are designed to understand the effectiveness of simple text links in the general body of a page. (If you have some feedback about this, contact me please.)

Obviously, some pages such as navigation pages and index pages require heavy linking. This is fine. But remember that these pages should use clearly defined links. Make sure they make sense and try to give your users context to work with. Don't just use generic links to other pages. For example, if I just had a link to "memory", you would have no idea where you'd go if you clicked on it.

Here is a short list of some good linking strategies:

Request permission to link to other sites. When requesting, you should do two things: convey your interest in their site and what they have to offer and also give them a reason to provide a link to your site as well. This is good business and it encourages reciprocal linking.

Look for information, products, and services that provide extraordinary value for your users. Try to supplement your content. If you can't provide (or don't want to provide) help your users with a link. Be sure to ask your users where else they visit online. Gather feedback about sites they like and visit often. Use it to create better links.

Consider grouping links together by subject matter or integrate them within the other content of your site. I do this on my Hot Web Sites page and my Recommended Books page.

Remember to link to email addresses, autoresponders, newsgroups, and FTP sites. These links can go a long way. If you are asking for feedback, e-mail links are critical.

Be liberal about linking to your own pages. If you are going to link, link to yourself first. Keep users at your site if you can. Otherwise, be sure to send them where they can find what they want and need.

Provide more than the name of the site when you link. Describe the link in such a way that your user doesn't have to waste time guessing. Context is the key; this is why having links in sentences and paragraphs is so much better than "stand alone" links or generic lists of links.

The best place to link to is usually not the home page of the other site. Send your user directly to the information they want: an article, an index, a page of interest. Don't make them guess where they should go from the home page of another site.

Always include a link to your Web site in your e-mail signature. This is a great way to send folks to your site with very little effort.

Here is the list of bad linking strategies:

Don't link to other sites "blindly" or without their knowledge. Similarly, make sure that the other site is adding value to your site and your content. Make sure that there is a strategic match.

Don't link to every Web site that interests you. Your links should not simply represent "cool stuff". You want to add value and interactivity.

Don't be afraid to link. If you have a good site, it is smart to provide both internal and external links. If you are creating a useful experience for your users and your content is good, they will come back.

Please feel free to recommend this article to a friend or colleague.

Read another popular Moving WebWord article: Myths Are Better Than Metaphors for Web Site Development