Monday, May 12, 2014

Social Media Monday—How to use Hyperlinks Effectively on Your Blog

by Edie Melson

What is a Hyperlink? It's is a clickable link found within a post. The previous sentence contains a hyperlink—the words WHAT IS A HYPERLINK. If you position your cursor above any of those words and left click, you’ll be taken to another page on the website. Other common terms for a hyperlink are a Hotlink or just a Link.

Hyperlinks are a good thing to have within a post for a several of reasons.

  • Including them will raise your search engine ranking.
  • It’s a way to utilize previous posts and get more traffic on your own blog.
  • They can give your readers more value by linking to valuable site that your readers may not have visited.
  • It’s a way to build credibility by linking to other sites you’ve written for.

BUT, there are some tricks to formatting hyperlinks correctly to give you the best results. 
  • Tie your hyperlink to valuable words. The words hyperlinked in your post are also searchable by search engines and you don’t want to waste them, so pick words that are specific to the topic you’re linking. For example, in the first paragraph, I could have made the word POST the link. It would have made sense, after all I was referring to a post. But how often do people do a Google search for the word post? Not very often. So I linked to a much more interesting set of word, What is a Hyperlink.
  • Be sure the site you link to opens in a new window. This is important because your website stays open and it’s easy for your reader to check out the info you’re referencing and return to your post. Otherwise you might lose them. In most standard blogs and websites you have an option to decide this.
  • Always check your links. Let me say that again—ALWAYS CHECK YOUR LINKS! Very few things will irritate people more than to be curious about something and then be directed to a dead-end when they try to learn more. I don’t care how familiar I am with a link, I always test it before I publish a blog post.
  • Inform others. If you’re linking to someone else’s site or article it’s polite—and smart—to drop them a quick email and let them know. We all like to know that others have found our information valuable. Frequently the honoree will tell others about your article and this can also help you get the word out about your blog or topic.

Step-by-Step Instructions to Include a Hyperlink
Including a hyperlink in your blog posts isn't difficult. 
  • In your editing window, highlight the words you want to link.
  • Now click the LINK icon in your toolbar.
  • Insert the URL you want to link to.
  • Remember, if you have the option, always check the box that opens the link in a new window.
Now it's your turn, what questions do you have about linking? Be sure to post them in the comments section below.

Don't forget to join the conversation!
Blessing,
Edie

TWEETABLES

10 comments:

  1. I often put hyperlinks in my blog but I'm not careful about the words I use and I don't usually check the link :( I always learn from you, Edie!

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    1. Sherry, I had one of those head-slap moments when I found out that hyperlinks were searchable and added to the SEO of my site. We're all constantly learning because technology is constantly changing. Thanks so much for dropping by, Blessings, E

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  2. Have you written a post of how to get a wordpress blog hyperlink to open in a new window? My colleague and I were trying to figure this out Saturday :) Any help would be appreciated...

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    1. Jennifer, it's about the same as blogger. I know it still works because I just tested it. Here are the steps.
      1. Go into your compose pane on your dashboard.
      2. Type the words you want to link.
      3. Highlight the words and click the LINK icon (it's the icon that looks like two pieces of chain.)
      4. When you click the LINK icon, a new window pops up. There's a place in that window to paste your URL and a box to click that says: OPEN LINK IN A NEW WINDOW/TAB.

      I just took a screenshot of what it looks like. If you want to email me directly, I can send it to you. I hope this helps! Blessings, E

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    2. Thanks Edie! The granddaughters are here, but I will try this in the morning. You are so ultra-helpful!

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  3. Edie, Good stuff. Like Sherry, I try to include hyperlinks, but generally link them to the wrong word--I'll remedy that, though. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Richard, thanks so much for stopping by. I can hardly wait to hang out at Blue Ridge, lots of folks are super-excited you're going to be teaching! Blessings, E

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  4. Ironically, Edie, the hyperlink in fb didn't work--(a fb issue). But I always learn so much from you.

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