Naming Your Links

Hello.

I just got back from our trip to Vegas. We broke even, which is pretty good in Vegas. We stayed at the Bellagio, my favorite hotel and saw Cirque du Soleil “O”. If you’re ever in Vegas, this is the show to see…hands down.

Anyhoo…

As you can see, in most of my blog posts, if not all, I like to provide links to my previous posts or links of interest. Deciding what words to establish as a link is important. Why? Because linking is the primary force of the internet. The internet is just a bunch of computers talking to each other via, what else, links. This is how we find out about other websites. It’s also how search engines find out about other websites – by scanning a page and visiting the links on the page.

Here are some guidelines to follow when naming your hyperlinks (links):

1. Don’t use ‘click here’ or ‘read more’ when naming your links. These words do not mean anything to search engines or give your visitors any clue as to what they are clicking.
2. Use ‘call to action’ words, if applicable.
3. Use words that give a description of where you’ll be going after the link is clicked.

Most people scan websites – they rarely read every word. They look at headings, bold words and LINKS. Give your visitors what they’re looking for.

I think Dave Winer gives the best example of the right way when naming your links. Check out his link names.

Photo by Aaron Sebastian on Unsplash