Self-Edit Tip # 11: To Link or Not to Link, that is the Question
And how to make it look nice when you do
Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Remember that cigarette commercial from years ago that asked if we wanted a filtered cigarette or more rich tobacco flavor? Or that beer one with the tug of war between great taste or less filling.
TV cigarette ads were banned in 1971. We’ve come a long way, Sisters.
While this link question may seem trivial, it comes up a lot in the editing process. So, here goes:
Why link anyway?
Because after all, we don’t want people clicking away from our riveting story, right? At the same time, we’re trying to be helpful and provide value for our readers. So here are some thoughts to keep in mind:
Quoting and linking your sources adds credibility to your assertions. And if you quote, it’s a good idea to simply hyperlink the source of the quote to the name or article you got the quote from.
Example:
Helen Keller recalls that moment in her autobiography, The Story of My Life:
“I stood still, my whole attention fixed upon the motions of [Anne’s] fingers. Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten — a thrill of returning thought; and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then that w-a-t-e-r meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. The living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, set it free!”
Linking saves the reader time. If they want to pursue the topic further, all they have to do is click.
You can put your linked references at the bottom of your post with or without asterisks. That way readers can finish reading your story before clicking away.
Hyperlinks look nicer than the URL link itself.
In other words, don’t just copy and paste a URL into the body of your story. Underline the words the link pertains to, and when the menu box appears, click on the link icon that looks like two links on a chain or a slanted figure eight.
Paste the URL into that box and violá! You’ll see the word or phrase underlined — the now universal clue that these words are linked to something only a click away.
Do link on actual words.
That’s much better for your SEO — Search Engine Optimization — than something like: For more information on hot flashes, click here.
Instead, put the link on the words hot flashes.
Using Pretty or Embedded Links
That’s the link that makes that clickable box with an image in it. They look like this:
To make a pretty link, paste the URL on its own line. Put your cursor at the end of the link and hit enter. Voilá! Pretty link. Medium writers often put pretty links to one, two, or three–at most–of their related stories at the bottom of their posts. You’re welcome to do that here, preferably to other stories of yours in Middle-Pause.
Just make sure you use the URL at the top of the page, not the friend link. That’s a Medium rule.
What to link?
This is up to you. But the recommendation is to link to as original a source as you can. If you’re talking about a person or organization in the public eye, link to their website, maybe the about page. That’s usually better than Wikipedia.
Nothing against Wikipedia. I use it often and link it often as it may be the most comprehensive discussion of my topic. But I look for original sources first.
Linking Youtube and other Videos
I do this a lot. If I refer to a song in my post, I’ll link the music video to the title of the song. And, at the bottom of my post, I’ll put the pretty link to the video so readers can play the song while they read.
Hint: Don’t use the Google URL. That brings up the whole Google page. Click through to Youtube and grab that link. It’s much shorter. And it will take readers to a Youtube page with just that video on it.
Once you paste the link and hit enter, the video shows up like a photo, asking for a caption. I put the link in again as the caption. Yes, it’s redundant, but that’s what I was taught to do. Easier than researching who recorded that video, right?
Here’s a good example:
But don’t do that with your regular photos and images. Please credit the photographer and artist.
So there you have it. Let me know if this is helpful. Happy Linking!
For more info about our editing process and self-editing:
Marilyn Flower’s a sacred fool who writes every day — fiction, poetry, and blogs — inspired by a process called SoulCollage®. She’s the author of Creative Blogging and Bucket Lister: Get Your Brave On. Follow her Sacred Foolishness or SoulCollage® for Writers, and Stay in touch!
