How to Link

HTML

Creating hypertext with HTML can be done with this simple code: <a href="url">Link text</a>

Example: To link to a page about linking, I would use this code <a href= "http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_links.asp#gsc.tab=0">Links</a>. It would then appear as: Links

Use the Link button

Many blog sites don't require users to write HTML code. These sites offer a method of linking with the click of a button. This button is most often a graphic representing a chain linked together.  

Make it obvious where the link leads

Contrast

Encourage flight?

Use a sidebar

What to Link

External links

Related content

What is the reward for following the link?

Sources, supporting documents, empirical research and reports, and corroborating accounts.

Definitions, explanations, maps, and artifacts.

Internal links

What not to Link

Punctuation marks

Headlines

Why to Link

Credibility

Site traffic

Interactivity

1) Provide context for your article

2) Provide attribution

3) Reward readers with something extra or another layer or dimension to the story

References

http://webdesign.about.com/od/beginningtutorials/qt/external-links.htm

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/02/13/the-definitive-guide-to-styling-web-links/