Links

One of the most frequent missed opportunities I see in websites involves links. There are two things you want to be careful about:

1: Is this link going exactly where I want?

2: If a visitor clicks this link, will I lose them?

In number one, the most frequent issue I see involves Facebook and Twitter. People will link to the homepages of these social networks and not to their own profiles. It drives me crazy! Linking to www.facebook.com does nothing for your visitor, as the link will take them to their own profile (if they are signed in) and they will then have to search for you all over again. Be sure to link to your profile on those sites. For example:

Join us on Facebook (Correct)
Join us on Facebook (Incorrect)

In number two, it is important to have a great respect for the awesome distraction power of the internet.  If your links take people off of your pages, you may never see them again.  That is why its important to have your links open new pages (leaving your page open in the background).  For example:



You should hire this social media consultant. (Correct)
You should hire this social media consultant. (Goodbye)