what's the easiest way to have it not show the image/empty link?
Try replacing this:
Code:
<a href="<?php echo get_post_meta( $post->ID, 'website', true ); ?>" target="_new"><img src="/images/visitthewebsite.png" alt="visit the website" /></a>
with this:
Code:
<?php
$linkvar = get_post_meta( $post->ID, 'website', true );
if (isset($linkvar)) {
?>
<a href="<?php echo $linkvar; ?>" target="_new"><img src="/images/visitthewebsite.png" alt="visit the website" /></a>
<?php } ?>
Just typed this up in a few seconds at work... so I might have overlooked something. I also might just be retarded. Let me know.