Protecting outbound links and retaining readers with Sur.ly

As your blog's content ages, the potential for harmful outbound links can increase, often due to something as simple as the target URL having been re-purposed, expired, or coming under new ownership. Unfortunately, this can lead to your readers encountering undesirable content, like malware and spam. To help you protect your readers and maintain your blog's integrity, the folks at Sur.ly have developed a plug-in that will inform your readers of potential harmful content by replacing outbound links with indirect safe links to the same target pages.

How does it work?

If a link leads to undesirable content, Sur.ly will detect it and take precautions to prevent readers from accessing it immediately, providing them with a brief warning message. From there, your readers can click through to the content, or they can elect to go back. Here's what your readers can expect to see if a link leads to explicit or otherwise undesirable content:

Using the Sur.ly plug-in will also allow you to make use of their toolbar. When your readers follow an outbound link replaced by Sur.ly, they see its toolbar at the top of the target page, which can be closed with a single click.

Sur.ly helps readers to keep an eye on your site while they are browsing any external sources linked to it. This toolbar is customizable and includes a set of options to retain your visitors. Have a look!

Sur.ly is free, and easy to install. To get started, just go to Sur.ly and sign up, then click the Add Website link.

Next, click "My CMS is not listed here," and add your blog's URL, then click "Add":

Copy the Javascript code they've provided:

and in your Typepad account, click to Blogs > Design > Content. Add an Embed Your Own HTML module, paste the code in and click OK. Drag the module to the lowest point on your sidebar (the bottom of the right column is a good position), and save your changes. You're all set!

After that, you'll be able to track data like outbound links, exit pages, and return pages, all while protecting your readers from undesirable content. Win-win!

Have questions? The folks at Sur.ly can help! Just check out their handy FAQ right here.