4 creative ideas to do more with links

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4 creative ideas to do more with links

When you add a link on your website, you’re probably linking to another web page. But did you know links are good for way more than that? Links can also cause certain apps on your computer or mobile device to take direct actions. Here are 4 creative link ideas to help you do more with your links.

1. Tweet with a link

You can use a link to auto-fill a tweet for someone who clicks on it. Here is an example. Use this URL in your links to add it to your site:

http://twitter.com/home?status=Put your message here

Note that hashtags will not work in these links because the # symbol in a link references a specific location on a web page known as an anchor point.

2. Add an event to a calendar

An .ics file can be used to add an event directly to Outlook, Apple’s Calendar app, or a mobile phone calendar. Use this event generator to create an .ics file, upload it to your website, and then link to the file. When someone clicks it, they’ll be presented with the option to save the event to their calendar.

3. Create a Back button

This trick is slightly more complicated than the others, but you can create a custom link that functions just like the Back button on your browser.

Because this link uses JavaScript, you’ll have to add it manually. Switch from the WordPress visual editor to the text editor, clicking the Text button at the top-right corner of the main editor pane. Once you’re there, copy and paste the following code:

<a href="#" onclick="history.back(-1)">Back</a>

You can change the word “Back” to anything you want it to say. Once you’ve pasted in this code, you can switch back to the WordPress visual editor.

4. Create a direct point of contact

Several apps allow you to create a link that, when clicked, will contact you directly. Use these URLs, replacing italicized words with your information:

  • Email: mailto:address?subject=Subject+here (Note: Using mailto is not recommended, as spam bots target these. If you decide to use one anyway, use a plus sign instead of a space in the subject.)
  • Phone call: tel:number (Note: Be sure to include the plus sign and your country code, and don’t use hyphens. For example, 1 (800) 123-4567 would use +18001234567.)
  • Text message: sms:number&body=message (Note: The same rules for phone numbers apply here.)
  • Skype: skype:YourSkypeName?call (Note: You can also use skype:YourSkypeName?add to allow someone to add you to their Skype contacts instead of calling you.)
  • FaceTime (for iOS/Mac): facetime:number (Note: The same rules for phone numbers apply here. You can also use your Apple ID email address.)

 

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