Two Reasons NOT to display email addresses on your website

Once you have a website address, it makes sense to have and use corresponding email addresses. And it also makes sense to add your email address to business cards, letterheads, brochures and other promotional materials.

However...

... there are a couple of good reasons to think twice about displaying email addresses on your website.

Reason 1: Spammers

If you display an email address on a website, it's an open invitation to spammers.

Spammers use automated "robots" to scour the internet looking for email addresses. When they find one, you can expect email spam to arrive every day - if not every hour.

It is possible to put an email address on a website in a way that makes it difficult for spammers to capture it. But the safest way is not to have it on your website at all.

If you have forms on your website - and we would strongly recommend that you do - then make sure that your email address is not held in a hidden field. You may not be able to see it... but the spammers will.

[Unfortunately, you won't be immune to spam. In the absence of a full email address, spammers will often guess a few email addresss variations based on your website address: things like service@, postmaster@, home@, contact@, administrator@, accounts@, accounting@, etc.)

Reason 2: Forms are better

The second reason not to display an email address, is that it encourages a site visitor to send you an email(!) Of course it's great when a website visitor want to get in touch, but this communication would be better handled by a website form. Here are some reasons:

1. A form structures the communication. You can decide what is the minimum information required when someone gets in touch. Is the message enough? Is an email address required? What about a phone number?
2. The data submitted in a form can be stored. When a form is submitted it is usually converted into an email - but the information can also be stored in (for example) a database. This provides an invaluable backup in case of problems with email.

Find out more about BRAINBOX email configuration options.