How to reduce SPAM on your website

[mbailey]

OK, this is not strictly a marketing tip - think of it more as anti-marketing against spammers!!!

One of the ways that spammers get your address is through harvesting programs. I actually tried one of these to see how they worked (and no, I didn't mailbomb the thousands of addresses it delivered!!!) But there is something you can do to defend your website against this scourge! By using a bit of javascript instead of your email address within the HTML of your page you can effectively mask it from harvesting software but leave a working link for users.

If, for example your email address is info@yourdomain.com, then the following code would display the text 'Click here to email us', with a link that goes to the correct address. Harvesters cannot read this because they are looking for content before and after an @ symbol - this code breaks it up.

<script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">
document.write("<a href='mailto:");
document.write("info");
document.write("\100");
document.write("yourdomain.com");
document.write("'>");
document.write("Click here to email us");
document.write("</a>");
</script>

Of course, if you enjoy receiving emails on V1agra and pen1s enlargements, please disregard this!

[peterjhale]

This is good

I have also seen others do:

<a href="mailto:info@teneric.co.uk"> info at teneric.co.uk </a>

Not sure if that does the same thing or not

[mbailey]

This method does not work as the harvesters are reading the raw HTML code, where the email address still appears. Basically you have to make sure that (using the code above) the email address does not appear complete.

[peterjhale]

Ok thanks Mike - I do get a lot of junk and my email is exposed - I think I'll have to change

[mbailey]

It's MARTIN not MIKE!

[peterjhale]

you know, I don't know what I am thinking when I reply to your mails