If you are a non-profit with a donation link on your website, that links to a source outside of your site (like Canada Helps) be sure to have the link set up so that when a donor clicks the link it opens in a NEW browser tab – and doesn’t close your website!
This is important because if it DOESN’T open in a new page that means your website has effectively closed to your donor. It is no longer easily available in their browser, unless they re-enter your website address.
Most profits and non-profits want clients to STAY on their website to find out more about them. But often, if your website closes to them once they’ve clicked on a link to make a donation or visit some other external link they’ve clicked from your site, they won’t be returning, at least not today.
Adding target=”_blank” after the URL in the HTML link ensures external links open in a NEW browser tab, so that your website stays open in their browser and thus is easy to return to.
Here’s a sample of what you need to add so that links open in a new page (coloured and bolded for clarity only): <a href=”https://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=d16771″ target=”_blank”>
Without the target=”_blank” information donors or customers would click on the link, the new website would open and your website would close in their browser.
Keep this in mind whenever you’re adding a hyperlink to your website. Obviously internal links don’t need to open in a new window, although that may be a good idea where the link is close to the top of the page. But links to external sites should (in my opinion) always open to a new page, thus leaving the site open in the browser for me to return to or to close at will.