La prassi corretta è tipo questa:

codice:
a.webDesign:link{color:#d4d0c8; font-family:arial; font-size:10px; font-style:italic; text-decoration:none;}      /* Per WebDesign */
a.webDesign:visited{color:#d4d0c8; font-family:arial; font-size:10px; font-style:italic; text-decoration:none;} 
a.webDesign:hover{color:#00ffff; font-family:arial; font-size:10px; font-style:italic; text-decoration:underline;}
poi in body richiami il css:

codice:
<a class="webDesign">WebDesign</a>