Diesel News

Don’t Goof Around with Links

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Have you ever been to a website and clicked on a link that implied that it was taking you to a site that had anything to do with the word or phrase that you clicked, yet took you to something completely different? That’s bad form, it’s kind of rude and a bit deceptive and if you have a website with links that don’t take you where your viewer thinks they are going to be taken then you should change those links now. In example, you go to a website about crafts, everything on the site is about crafts so, you click the link that says, ‘crochet’ but the clever webmaster thought it would be a good idea to make that ‘crochet’ take you to some ad for a car. This practice is annoying, rude and a sure-fire way to lose a customer or viewer forever.

When you have decided to use advertising on your site, most people understand that it is a way to supplement whatever income you are getting from your business. No harm in that, in fact a lot of people find it helpful, however, if you use deceptive practices to get people to click advertising, then there is harm in that.

Tricking someone into going to a site that has nothing to do with your website is appalling. Any hard work or money that you have put into your website is completely wasted as soon as someone clicks that deceptive link and is taken to some odd affiliate advertising that will surely get you some cash if they sign up, but you will have broken your customers trust.

You can be up front about your advertising efforts. People really do understand and it is better to be upfront than be caught in this type of deception. You may even earn more money for your truth in advertising.

Your links should always go to where the user thinks they are going to go. Even a slight mistake in link direction can be seen as highly negative. Just make sure that you check your links, follow them and make sure that your website is easily navigated. If you have any broken links then either fix them or remove them just for the sake of professionalism. Broken links can make a website seem shoddy and that kind of website is not going to be trusted with credit card information.

Broken links, faulty web design, programming errors, these are all very bad signs for a website. These kinds of problems, while they still happen now, were more predominant in the early days of the internet. Webmasters would even put links on a page that would let you send them a message if you found any problems with the website. That always seemed to be a bit lazy. A webmaster should know if the site works or not. Test out your links, test your website out in different browsers and be honest with your advertising efforts. This will boost your conversions and will get more word of mouth from a satisfied visitor.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent anyone other than myself. All material is copywritten and cannot be reprinted or copied without the owner's consent.

Michael Whitlatch

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