No Disappointing Links

I have a theory. It’s not exactly peer-reviewed or anything, but it’s been rattling around in my head long enough that I’m ready to share it publicly.

Here goes:

There should be no disappointing links on a landing page.

Not every link has to lead to exactly what someone wanted—but nothing should feel like a letdown.

Let me explain.

Imagine you’re reading an email from a brand you kinda like. The email is good. You click. You land on a page with a few more links to explore. So far, so good.

But then you click one of those links and—boom—you hit a dead end. The content’s outdated. The page doesn’t match the promise. Or worse: it’s just boring.

And just like that, you’ve gone from curious customer to “I'm not sure about this.”

That’s the disappointing link. It’s not broken. It’s just… meh.

Don’t be the disappointment

Now, when I say “landing page,” I don’t just mean some official campaign hub with flashy artwork and custom fonts. I mean any page you’re pointing people to from an ad, a social post, a newsletter. If you’re intentionally driving traffic to it, it’s a landing page.

And when people land, every link on that page is part of their experience.

So how do you avoid the disappointment?

1. Curate, don’t just collect.

If a link doesn’t support the reason someone came to the page, cut it. Fewer, better links > a buffet of randomness.

2. Keep your promises.

If your newsletter says “Check out our fall event guide,” don’t send people to your general blog feed and hope they dig.

3. Make every click worth it.

Think of links like invitations. Each one should lead to something helpful, interesting, or delightful. Ideally all three.

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s trust.

No page gets it 100% right. But if you consistently deliver value—if people click and think, “Well, that was actually kind of helpful”—they’re more likely to click again next time.

And that’s how trust is built. One un-disappointing link at a time.