Don't Click(Z)

Is it a bad idea to include links off of your site? Apparently the folks at ClickZ think so. I find it mighty ironic that an internet marketing site, part of internet.com, is afraid of hyperlinks.

I noticed this in a story today about the new BurgerKing site which got 46 million visits this week. Clickz explained it this way: "The site, at subservientchicken.com, features a chicken-suit-garbed human embodying the classic BK tagline, 'Have it your way.'"

So if you wanted to go see the site which the story is about, they expected you to copy and paste, or retype the URL. I understand the idea of keeping users on your site where they read your copy and see your ads. I'm sure someone has tested and these links send people away who never come back. But somewhere there has to be a balance. Including links where they're natural and informative and helpful to the reader is a good, not bad, practice. People who work at internet.com should know this.

Posted by Craig Danuloff at April 16, 2004 04:07 PM