The official BalloonHQ.com survey

To link or not to link

Once again the BalloonHQ.com survey will be used to address a question that has stirred up strong feelings among many on the the BHQ mailing lists. That is the issue of placing links on your business site to other businesses.

Please vote only once. Your name and email address is used solely for counting purposes and to limit people to voting only once. This information will never be revealed to anyone else - it stays right here on BHQ.

Who's right? Who's Wrong? Vote In The BalloonHQ Poll!

There are 2 sides to the debate of linking or not linking. Which side are you on?

If you've already voted, check out the current results.

To Link

The World Wide Web is, as the name implies, a web of interconnected online resources. It has only grown to be as big and powerful as it is because of the ability to jump from one place to another. If one site doesn't contain the information you want, another might. Therefore, you're helping your customers by placing links to resources that might be beneficial to them. By sending your customers to other sites with related information, you're showing your confidence in your own work and letting them know that your primary concern is their happiness. Customers remember the businesses that have treated them well and will reward them by using their services. Additionally, by pointing clients to sites that contain the information they want, you don't have to provide, and therefore maintain, that much information on your own. A business can benefit from other resources on the web every bit as much as its customers. Balloon decorators often have booths at wedding shows where they are in direct competition with other decorators. Potential clients can visit at the same time. Why should the web be any different?

Not to link

Once a potential customer leaves your site, they may not be inclined to come back. They may find something else that suits them better than your own offerings. A link to a competitors site, or even a neutral site that has additional links to competitors, may result in a lost sale. A web site, like any promotional materials, is expensive to produce and maintain. Why should your competitors benefit from your own promotional efforts?