I often send customers emails that contain one or more website links. When I do this, I always check each and every link and make sure that it actually goes to the expected location.

You don't want to send a customer an email that says "here's a link to my website" and then have them click through only to find that the link doesn't go to the correct place do you?

Website addresses have to be spelled correctly or they won't work. Best case scenario when an address is mispelled is a search engine result that may or may not contain the correct link. Worst case scenario is a "404 file not found" or "oops" page.

This is especially important when dealing with pages within a website i.e. not the home page. These page addresses can often get a bit long and complicated. In these cases, I go to the page I want to link to with my internet browser and copy the address out of the address bar at the top of the screen. Then I paste it into my email. As a final check, I click on the link from the email.

This can be a bit tricky with mobile devices which often don't make the link clickable until you send the email. In this case, copying the link into your internet browser is a good way to check if it's correct.

A little trick I learned when sending an email that contains an attachment: add the attachment first before you even begin typing, so you won't forget to add it when you hit send.

Also, before you send, click on the attachment from the email to make sure it's the correct file and that it opens correctly.

Check the size of your attachment. You don't want to send huge files that will clog up someone's mailbox. Many mail programs have a limit of 5MB so if your attachments is bigger, the email may not even send.

Your signature is especially important in business emails. Make sure your name and/or company name is listed so the recipient will know who you are.

It also helps to list your phone and/or website in case the recipient needs to call you or refer to something on your website.

Most email programs will even let you include a signature link or image in your emails. Just be careful with images, they don't always come through (especially if the recipient has their mail client set to "Text Only") and you don't want to include a huge image file that eats up your recipients bandwith.

Before you hit that send button proofread what you have written. Re-read to make sure it says what you think it does, check your grammar, check your spelling (not just with spellcheck which is often wrong) and most of all make sure what you have written is clear, concise and easy to understand.

You want to convey the impression that you are an articulate, intelligent and professional business person. You also want the recipient of your email to know that you respect them and their time. Taking a little more of your own time to proofread and make sure your emails sound professional goes a long way toward both of these ends.