Many websites I come across don't have a single link to another website. Ask the webmaster why not, and the answer you get is simple enough: "If I link to other websites people might leave my site." At this point I break the news that site visitors will leave your site. And there's nothing you can do about this.
Site visitors won't leave your site because you provide links to external sites. They'll leave for one of two reasons:
- They've found what they were looking for and no longer have a reason to stay on your website
- They can't find the information they're looking for and leave to seek it elsewhere
"OK, so site visitors are going to leave my site. But why should I hunt around for websites to link to?" I can think of four reasons why linking out is good for you and will ultimately increase traffic to your website:
Proof there's a real organisation behind the website
One of the best ways to prove your organisation really exists is to link to other websites that reference you. Any website willing to mention your organisation is in effect providing a reference for you. Just 52.8% of web users believe online information to have credibility (source: http://ccp.ucla.edu/pdf/UCLA-Internet-Report-Year-Three.pdf) and four in five users say that being able to trust the information on a site is very important to them in deciding to visit a website (source: http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/news/1_TOC.htm).
Links about your organisation can include:
- Press articles
- Affiliation listings
- Professional association membership details
- Awards your organisation has won
- Articles published by a member of your organisation
- Directory listings (such as Yahoo! or the Open directory)
Anyone can put up a website making whatever kind of claims they want to. Have a look at the fantastic Christian women's wrestling website at http://www.jesus21.com/poppydixon/sports/cww.html. It's got quite a lot of information about them and lots of photos. And it's 100% fake.
Backs up your arguments
Ensure that all statements about your organisation are backed up by third party websites. For example, if you sell toys it's very easy to make a statement such as, "We're the number one online toy seller in the country!" Anyone can make this statement, so prove that it is true by linking to an external website showing a list of the top online toy sellers last year.
Most of the time your site visitors probably won't follow these links, but that doesn't matter - the important thing is that you've shown evidence to back up the claims you're making.
Benefit to your site visitors
The Internet is designed for users to flow through it from one website to the next - don't make your website the last one in the flow. If you know of websites that you find really useful, and you think your site visitors might too, be sure to link to them. By offering a range of useful links you may even come across as an industry expert and someone who really knows their stuff.
When providing links make sure you do so at appropriate times. Don't relegate external links to a links page - site visitors aren't so likely to visit this page as a links page doesn't immediately address their needs. Instead, provide links as and when they're appropriate to the content of each page.
For example, if you run an accountancy firm you may wish to link to a website that has an up-to-date reference guide about new tax laws in the field of accounting. You don't have the time to provide that kind of regularly updated information on your website but your site visitors would find it really useful. Help out your site visitors and they'll hold your organisation in a positive light.
Search engine benefits
One of the ways search engines try to work out what your website is about is by analysing its inbound and outbound links. The more confidence a search engine has of what your website's about, all other things being equal, the higher search engine ranking you'll achieve. By providing outbound links to related sites you actually help the search engines analyse your site and therefore help your search ranking.
Jon Ricerca did a mini-analysis to see if outbound links affect search engine rankings and his results were pretty conclusive: web pages with more outbound links generally achieved higher search rankings ( see http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/search-engine-optimisation/number-links.shtml ). Be warned though, an inbound link is worth far more than an outbound link so do not link to your competitor's websites!
Conclusion
Don't be afraid to link out. Your site visitors will appreciate you introducing them to useful websites, you can increase your credibility and you can achieve a higher search engine ranking. So check your favourites folder and if you think your site visitors would benefit from any of the websites there be sure to include them in an appropriate place on your site.
This article was written by Trenton Moss. He's crazy about web usability and accessibility - so crazy that he went and started his own web usability and accessibility consultancy ( Webcredible - http://www.webcredible.co.uk ) to help make the Internet a better place for everyone.
Culver prom limo ..More and more non-profit organizations are developing websites to help... Read More
We are clearly well past the innocent "golden age" of... Read More
The Disability Discrimination Act states that service providers must not... Read More
In my previous life.....Actually, my previous JOB life, I was... Read More
Recently, a friend asked "What's the deal with those DIY... Read More
Appealing to others is really important when you have a... Read More
Internet Marketing is not a miracle marketing strategy ? competition... Read More
A website provides invaluable advantages for businesses who have one.7... Read More
Many small companies choose not to invest in a professionally... Read More
When web content gets discussed on webmaster bulletin boards, the... Read More
Every business needs to know how it is doing. That's... Read More
When people think about the Internet, they think about technology.... Read More
There are hundreds of millions of Web surfers today. Each... Read More
There have been many significant changes to the face of... Read More
Project Safekids provides webmasters a valuable tool which could save... Read More
Many web developers today are starting to KISS their website,... Read More
If you're fairly new to the Internet scene, you may... Read More
Build it and they will come is not always true;... Read More
Web templates by nature are created to aid and ease... Read More
Understanding and using web analytics.In recent years, website marketers were... Read More
Every online entrepreneur I talk to is asking the same... Read More
Your ObjectiveYour small business needs an appealing and professional website... Read More
Your business website is a critical aspect of being able... Read More
Cost Effective Advertising. Online selling. Increased geopgraphic range. Wider... Read More
A website is lifeline of internet home business. In order... Read More
Wood Dale limo ..Every online entrepreneur I talk to is asking the same... Read More
If you're fairly new to the Internet scene, you may... Read More
Creating a content management system either from scratch,... Read More
Fantastico is a 3rd-party cPanel add-on and can be purchased... Read More
RIVERSIDE, CA August 4, 2004 ?- "Historically, small business owners... Read More
"What's in it for me?" you ask. "Why should I... Read More
Rosalind wants to share her inspirational poetry with a wider... Read More
Looks like every client wants a Flash site these days... Read More
Creatively marketing your corporate site takes time in the set... Read More
Optimize your time. How much time each day must you... Read More
When people think about the Internet, they think about technology.... Read More
Making money with your web site is the dream and... Read More
Many websites I come across don't have a single link... Read More
Just like all things in life, the ways to run... Read More
The internet is a sea of knowledge. Getting your information... Read More
The first step in setting up an online business...Starting an... Read More
Project Safekids provides webmasters a valuable tool which could save... Read More
Your site is fast and getting traffic, but conversion rates... Read More
Although there are significant differences among the various types of... Read More
If you ever want to create a state directory, article... Read More
I'm a freelance programmer and somehow I managed to get... Read More
Simply ensuring your website is accessible to screen reader users... Read More
Many small companies choose not to invest in a professionally... Read More
A PHP Redirect automatically transfers a web user from one... Read More
So you have a good idea for a business and... Read More
Web Development |