How to Link Email to a Web Page

Let visitors to your website contact you through email links.

Linking to an email address from a Web page is an easy way to help your visitors reach you. It is not always the best way, since spammers use software to extract email address from websites, blogs and other places online. But if you want to spare your visitors the hassle of filling out a form, a direct email link may be desirable. Note that this method works only if the sender has an email client such as Windows Live Mail or Thunderbird installed and properly configured.

Instructions

1. Start your Web page editor. You can use Notepad if you do not have an editor installed. Use the editor to open the Web page on which you are going to insert a link to your email address. For example, open index.html page if you want to include the link on your home page.

2. View the source code of your Web page. If you use a text-based editor such as Notepad, you will see the source code immediately. Type display text for the email link. For instance, "Contact me" or "Leave feedback."

3. Select the text and choose an "Insert Link" command if you use a dedicated Web page editor. If you use Notepad, place the mouse cursor behind the text.

4. Enter the HTML tags and attributes to create an email link on the page. If you are using a visual editor, it will do this for you. Otherwise, type the following before the display text: <a href="mailto:"> and type the following after the text: </a> Your text should now look like: <a href="mailto:">Contact me</a>.

5. Type the complete email address after "mailto:", as follows: <a href="mailto: [e-mail]">Contact me</a>

6. Add a subject title if you want all email from that link to have the same title. (Useful if you want your email filters to catch it, or just to make it easier to identify.) Enter a subject as follows: <a href="mailto:[e-mail]?subject=Feedback>Contact me</a>

7. Click "File" and then "Save." This will save the changes. Preview the Web page in your browser. Click the email link. Your default email client, e.g., Windows Live Mail, should open. Notice it has your email address in the "To" field and the title you entered next to "Subject."

Tips & Warnings

• Use the same format for adding a subject line if you want to add CC or BCC fields. To add a CC, for example, the code will look like this: <a href="mailto:[e-mail]?subject=Feedback?cc=[e-mail]">

References

• Outfront: Getting More From "mailto"
• W3Schools: Create a Mailto Link (2)