To Link, or Not to Link
That is the question —
Of course we link. This is how we as content consumers proceed along the world wide path; stepping off only where we choose, or where we are invited, in order to pick a little more amplifying information from a particular tree of knowledge. This is our conduit to the wonderful discoveries and hidden treasures of each web page and those beyond. Perhaps the real question is how many links per page, and in what context do we use them? This can only be answered by a couple of follow-up questions: Who are we marketing to, or rather, who is the target audience and what is it that they are looking for?
Another way to look at this is to ask if we are attempting to sell a product or market a thought. Is it possible that Price and Bernstein are both correct in regards to their linking philosophies? If we follow Price’s thought process we are to understand that brevity and getting to the point is far more important than strolling along a garden path as Bernstein would suggest. Regardless of which school of thought we choose to follow I emphatically state that links are truly our friends. They are either going to expedite our travel to a destination we wish to reach quickly, or they are going to offer us a unique and wonderful literary experience.
Price is absolutely correct in his teaching regarding linking as it applies to the online marketing world. He is instructing web builders to keep their content and links streamlined allowing readers, or rather, skimmers to get in, find what they want, and get out. This is great! This is exactly what I, and many like me, are looking for when we want something specific. A good example would be Amazon’s or Best Buy’s web sites. They will funnel your desire directly to the page you need in no time. These sites even allow their patrons to easily and rapidly narrow their focus and land directly the item or items that they desire. These companies and those like them carry hypertext one step further by linking you and your purchase to the carrier bringing it to you. As a consumer I know instantly that my order has been placed, what carrier is bringing it, when it shipped, and when it will get to me. Oh, and if it needs to be returned I am instantly emailed a shipping label to send it back. All of this happens with just a few little clicks.
According to price another benefit of linking is connecting to other sites. By doing this the reader is given a sense of integrity regarding the posted content. How is this, you may ask? Well, because it shows that the site is open and willing to be compared to other sites. In essence, if the content writer is being open to other sites it gives that writer credibility and an honest writer has nothing to lose and everything to gain. In the same fashion, outbound links can be a helpful source of information for the reader. This show of “value added” is seen as being helpful and builds a better rapport with the consumer. An example of this would be a customer placing an order with Company A for a specific item. This customer then receives a confirmation email with a link to Comapny B suggesting items that may be needed in conjunction with the original order; items that Company A does not offer. This makes Company A look very customer orientated.
Bernstein is absolutely correct too. But, on a completely different level. What he is advocating for is more along the lines of hypertext prose. An early example of this is Geoff Ryman’s 253 which is listed as a novel for the internet written in 1996. This style of writing allows the reader to choose their own path through the narrative. How incredible! If you think about it for the purchase of one book the reader is essentially getting several more for the price of that one. For the avid reader looking for something new in prose or poetry hypertext offers an entire new world in reading.
Bernstein also argues in Hypertext Gardens that large web sites need not prescribe to a rigid structure of hypertext calling it “streetscape and corporate office.” He further states, “Shoppers learn of new and useful things and find unexpected ways to meet their needs.” What he is suggesting is something along the lines of what Amazon offers on their website. Links on their site allow patrons to do exactly that; finding new and innovative items while shopping for something that they thought they wanted. By offering links to these innovative items Amazon is giving their shoppers access to something a little better. This also adds value and keeps customers coming back to their site.
So, how many of these wonderful links should web content readers expect to find per web page? The rule of thumb for the past several years is that there should be no more than one hundred links per page. One hundred? This may sound excessive, but according to Matt Cutts of Google, that by current standards it is possible to embed up to four hundred links and not run into any indexing issues with Google. Four hundred links per page? Wow, think about that massive amount of content. A page that large would contain “substantial amounts of substance and real stuff” for the reader. Even with such a large number of links if the designer gives enough information on the link, as Price suggests, skimmers can move on past and click on the link that is more relevant to what they are looking for.
Absolutely linking is our friend! Both Price and Bernstein point this out and both are correct within their own realms of thinking. It does not matter whether your site is selling plastic dog poo from Taiwan, or a beautiful work of prose or poetry; rather, it is the linking that will make the online experience either enjoyable or expedient. Not only does linking offer customers options as well as time savings, it also offers the site owner the opportunity to build their business through customer service, or the writer the opportunity to expand their piece of prose or poetry in several different directions.
