A mail to link is a hyperlink you can put on your website that when clicked launches a site visitors default email program on their computer with your email address pre-populated in the send to field. In the early days of the web these links could be found on many website contact pages. However times have changed and here's why...
1. Many people no longer use mail clients.
In the last 10 years many people have moved away from using email software like Outlook on their local computer. The email programs have been replaced with web-based solutions like Gmail. Web-based email is more convenient than installing an email client software on your local machine. Mail to links are designed to launch a default software program on your computer and don't open your web-based Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail account. Some of those programs do offer a separate software program called a "notifier" but most people don't bother to install them.
If you use a mail to link on your website and someone doesn't use their default email client software they'll have a bad experience. When the link is clicked rather than opening up their Gmail or Yahoo account they'll see a program launch they likely have never setup like Microsoft Outlook. This usually creates confusion for the end-user and makes them far less likely to contact you.
2. It makes your site look like it was built in the 90's.
Since mail to links have fallen out of popularity with web designers finding one on the web has become a associated with a site being out of date or abandoned. As a business owner the last thing you want your site visitors to do is think you're not really working behind the scenes or that you're out of business. If you're using a mail to link it's like putting a sign on the door saying you're closed.
3. You can't capture the information you need.
Another problem with mail to links is the fact they don't capture the information you really need. Simply launching a default mail client with your email address on a computer, even if the end-user does understand what's happening rarely results in your getting the information you need to properly support your site visitor.
Using a contact form is the modern replacement for a mail to link. By using a form you can customized fields and ask for the information you need. In addition when you use a form you won't be publishing your email address on the web. So you don't have to worry about bots crawling your website and accumulating your email address to spam later.
A WebStarts Pro plan comes with everything you need to create and manage forms directly on your website. So don't waste anytime and get busy replacing those mail to links today. If you haven't already signed up for a WebStarts website you can do it by clicking here now.
