How To Include A Link In Your Post

Sometimes we find something online we think our readers would enjoy and want them to be able to click-and-go. It's a simple concept and is easy to do once you get the hang of it. You just need to tell your blog where to go!

BEFORE YOU BEGIN - Decide where you're sending the reader 

If you send your reader to "www.whateverwebsite.com" they will go to the "Home" page and see the most recent news. Once they land on the site, they can click around. That's good when you just want to introduce your reader to the site. ("Check out this new magazine - www.hopeforwomenmag.com")

If you want your reader to read a specific article or post, you need to link to that specific page. 

For example, if you type in www.susanstilwell.com you will go to my homepage which is programmed to show the 10 most recent posts. I post 3 times a week, so the page constantly changes and the older posts roll off. 

If you want to send them to a specific post, let's say - our NCompass weekend, you need to send them there. And that's easy: 

- Find the post and click on the title. 

- The post will then come up but the address line will be much longer:  http://susanstilwell.com/2011/10/i-get-by-with-a-little-help-from-my-friends/

Now decide if you want to send the reader to the homepage or to a specific article, and pull that up in your browser window.

ADDING A LINK

1. Get the address of the site you want to send your reader.

You can either type it longhand (not the best way because you're bound to make a typo on a long, complicated address), OR copy and paste it (the best way). Here's how to copy and paste using any browser (like Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Chrome, etc)

A. Go up to the line where the web address is. It will start with "http"

B. Click on that line until the whole line is highlighted. It will look like this: http://susanstilwell.com/2011/10/i-get-by-with-a-little-help-from-my-friends/

C. Once that line is highlighted, here's how to copy it:

1. If you have a mouse with a left and right click button, right click and click "copy"

2. If you don't have a mouse, then go up to the top of your computer or internet window where it says "File Edit View" and click "Edit" and then click "Copy"

2. Paste that address into your blog post. 

A. You can paste that big long address, which is perfectly fine. Lots of people do it. Just put your cursor to the place you want to insert the link, and paste it there.

1. If you can "right click" with your mouse, do that and click "Paste"

2. If you can't "right click" then go back up to the "File Edit View" line, click "Edit" and then click "Paste"

Voila! There is your link -- 

Check out my friend Susan's post from our retreat weekend: http://susanstilwell.com/2011/10/i-get-by-with-a-little-help-from-my-friends/

But there's a cleaner, more professional way to do it.

B. Create a hyperlink, or "hot link"

1. Type in a descriptive word or phrase that you want people to click on, like Susan's NCompass post.

2. Highlight that word or phrase by clicking your mouse or your touchpad, Susan's NCompass post

3. On the toolbar above your post, click the "link" icon to create the link.

4. A "pop up" screen will appear with a web address box for the website you want to link. 

5. Put your cursor in the web address box and "Paste" the address you copied

a. If you can "right click" with your mouse, do that and click "Paste"

b. If you can't "right click" then go back up to the "File Edit View" line, click "Edit" and then click "Paste"

6. Click "ok" to close the pop-up window

Voila! There's your link, all nice and neat!

Check out my friend Susan's NCompass post