Resist temptation. It's hard. But there's a good reason to leave them alone.

From earliest days of web, text links have been blue. People intuitively recognize that blue, underlined text is a link. They know they can click on it.

The combination of blue and underlines means "If I click on this, it goes somewhere". We're conditioned to recognize those distinguishing characteristics. We're like Pavlov's dogs--we see link and instantly know what it means. There's no time wasted in trying to figure out whether or not that particular word or phrase is clickable.

If you mess with natural appearance of a link, you lose that instant recognition. People have to stop and think (and often click) to figure out what your colors mean. I have watched countless people try to navigate websites and spend half their time figuring out what's a link and what's not. They have no way of knowing.

In addition, people scan a page for links. They like to be active on internet, and they like to know what they can do. When they recognize a link in your copy, it's a clear signal of someplace to go. Visitors want to know what their options are. It's not a good idea to make life difficult. They'll appreciate coming across a site that's easy to use and doesn't try to confuse them (for once!).

It is becoming more acceptable to use other colors for your text links, as long as they remain underlined. But if you can, it's still best to use blue. This is because so many people use underlined, colored text on their sites that is NOT linked. Visitors have a tendency to get confused. They never know what to expect. With blue, it's obvious.

And then what?

Unlike phrase made famous by movie, "Field of Dreams", starring Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones, just because you build your web site does not necessary mean "they" will come.

Oh sure, spiders of some Search Engines will find your web site but that does not guarantee any significant listing or any sort of major traffic jam.

And also, you can surely count on those spiders belonging to email harvesters that will find your web site and then pull every email you have posted on it so they can SPAM you into frustration.

That is NOT kind of "they" you want to visit your web site.

BTW, a great way to frustrate those email spiders looking for email addresses to SPAM is by coding your address with HTML.

Find out how, it is simple and easy, by sending us a blank email to- mailto:stopspam@emailexchange.org

Do not let all negatives dissuade you from building your very own web site. Because positives FAR outweigh negatives.

Whereas email is BEST form of COMMUNICATION, a web site is BEST form of INFORMATION DELIVERY.

And, not only can your web site best inform your customer, it can also then lead him or her to CLOSE THAT SALE!!!

Afterall, that is what we are all trying to accomplish online.

We want to establish and have our potential customers follow natural progression of a business transaction, just as in real world, also online in cyberspace.

A web site is excellent for this purpose.