Don't format a web link like this

 

Are you making a simple formatting mistake that stops people clicking?

How you format a web link in your emails needs to change according to the relationship you have with the recipient.

If they know you, it’s fine to hyperlink.

If they don’t know you, don’t hyperlink.

For example, because you know me, I can hyperlink like this.

But when I am sending information to a new client, I instead provide the web URL address like this: www.briwillia

How you format a web link in your emails needs to change according to the relationship you have with the recipient.

If they know you, it’s fine to hyperlink.

If they don’t know you, don’t hyperlink.

For example, because you know me, I can hyperlink like this.

But when I am sending information to a new client, I instead provide the web URL address like this: www.briwilliams.com

While hyperlinking makes your email look nice and clean and avoids disrupting the flow of text, hiding the URL creates a problem.

👉 When something is concealed, we need to trust its source before we risk clicking.

Hyperlinking therefore forces your recipient (and their firewall) to decide whether they trust you. You’ve planted a seed of unnecessary doubt.

For that reason, I recommend the uglier, clumsier full disclosure path in an initial exchange before switching to hyperlinks once trust has been established.