Linking to others is courteous and adds value to your Web site
They used to say that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," but these days it can be just as sincere to post a link to the article or site that you value. In fact, when you link to a Web site or article that you like, you help improve the value of your own site to search engines, as it shows that your site uses references and adds to the value of the Web as a whole.
But you can't link if you don't know how. So here are a few articles on linking in various editors as well as how to maintain and manage your links:
- Links: Creating, Styling, and Using Links on Web Pages
- How to Add a Link with HTML
- How to Create a Link in Dreamweaver
- How to Create a Link in Expression Web
- How to Create a Link in FrontPage
- How to Create a Link in GoLive
- How to Create a Link in Homesite
And if you want to link to any of the articles on the About.com Web Design / HTML site, please feel free! Or if you want to use a pre-prepared link, there are link text and graphics you may use as well. Thanks in advance for any links to my site you might add.
Comments
I always thought that it was best to get permission first, in order to link to a site?
I do this even if it is a quick email and the webmaster/person in charge of the site replies back with the ok. It would seem to me more professional.
I appreciate persons asking persmission to link to our site. Some have been organizations/products we don’t want to be associated with.
Corky,
You’re absolute right! People forget that it is still against the regulation to link to another web site without their permission. Sad to see that a “host” of a forum here doesn’t even care, or not even know about it. That’s - in my opinion - misleading users she should actually help and/or coach here.
-hm
hamaer: As far as I’m aware there are no laws on the United States books against linking to a Web site. There are plenty of laws against taking content and re-posting it, but none against linking. If that is incorrect, please post a reference URL.
There are some companies who would like people to either not link to them or only link to their home page, but this isn’t a “regulation” as you put it. It’s something the companies would like you to do.
I do agree that it’s a nice habit to request permission to link, but personally if I had to choose between random links or someone simply stealing my content, I’d choose the random links. I may not agree with the site linking to me, but most customers understand that I don’t control who links to me only who I link to.