Posting email addresses on your web site
Many business web sites include, as they should, a contact info page. It is common to find on such a page information pertaining to the business’ mailing address, phone, fax and email address. If you have your email address on your web site (on the contact page or elsewhere on the site), be advised that you are opening yourself up to receiving significant amount of spam emails. Spammers use automated programs that scan web sites and extract email addresses onto their spam databases. They call it harvesting. Furthermore, by allowing spammers to pick up your email address from your web site, you are also giving them additional cross-reference information such as your company’s name, location, and, extracted from key words on your web site, in what field you are. This makes your email address more sellable to spam merchants who trade in such databases.
The result is that you will see is an increase of spam to your inbox.
The best way to avoid this is not to post your email address on your site, not on the contact page nor anywhere. Instead, have your web developer program a contact us form, where your web site visitors can submit some basic information along with their inquiry. The form conceals your email address and send your the inquires, formatted to your requirements.
This in-the-know piece is provided courtesy of Ronen Divon from Progressive Element, online business and web development.
Progressive Element, LLC. is a proud GMCoC member.