A website link is a method of connecting one web page or website with another.  A user who clicks on a link is taken away from the current page and redirected to either a different page or website entirely.  A link can be created to reference a relevant page on your site or push a user to another site. There are many reasons why small business owners and bloggers should utilize website linking. There are also some best practices on how to link.

What Does a Link Look Like

An active website link is easily identified by its different colored font.  Also, when you hover your mouse over a link, an underline appears.

Below is an example of what active website links look like.  The 3 links in the picture include: GoDaddy.com, Domain.com and Google.com.

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Why Include Links on your Website

There are several reasons for a site owner to add links to their content, including:

– To reference a relevant article that is posted on a different website
– To give credit for an idea, inspiration or photo from a different website
– To improve the user experience on your own site by linking to applicable posts or pages
– To improve your site’s search engine optimization (SEO)

How to Link

The step-by-step process of creating a link varies by platform, though the overall concept is very similar.  In general, you need to first type the words you want included in the link, then highlight those words. This can be done by selecting the text you want to link with your mouse while holding down the Shift Key. Then click on the chain link icon in your menu bar and finally, enter the web address of the site you want to link to.

The chain link icon can also be found in your email provider and most Office software. It looks like this:

To create a link on Blogger:

While holding down the Shift key, use your mouse to highlight the words you want included in the link.  After highlighting, click the blue “Link” button.

After clicking on the blue “Link” button, a box will appear on your screen.  Type the web address for the web page you are linking to in the “To what URL should this link go?” field.  Then click “OK” in the bottom left corner of the box.

Below is a complete, active website link in the Create Post view of Blogger.

To create a link on WordPress:

While holding down the Shift key, use your mouse to highlight the words you want included in the link.  After highlighting, click the chain link button.

After clicking on the chain link button, a box will appear on your screen.  Type the web address for the web page you are linking to in the “Target” field.  Then choose “Open link in a new window” in the “Title” field.  Click “Insert” in the bottom right corner of the box when you are done.

Below is a complete, active website link in the Add New Post view of WordPress.

Linking Best Practice: While both approaches to linking are technically sound, one method is preferred.

OK Linking – To read our post on purchasing your own domain, click here (with the words “click here” linked to a different web page).

Preferred Linking – For more information, be sure to read our post about purchasing your own domain (with the words “purchasing your own domain” linked to a different web page).

Often, linking to the words click here can be seen by users or spam filters as potential spam. Including the relevant keywords in your link makes that link more valuable.

Including Links Improves the User’s Experience

Linking allows users a way to find related websites and web pages, and improves their experience working with your site.