Tags for this article: 404 page, link rot, links, web design, website
Removal of a page from a website, by the web developer or a designer without putting up the replacement page which would describe the details of the previous pages, leads to the generation of the Link Rot. The reader is treated to a page not found or a 404 error message.
Why do page not found or 404 pages exist? The simple answer to this question is, that it is quite imperative to get some error message, when the user tries to go to the URL that does not exist. But unfortunately, this error message is still seen even when the URL exists. The only problem here is that the link does not exist in the location where the customer went.
There can be a number of reasons why the addresses of the pages are changed by their websites. Some of them are as follows:
• Our site was organised by us for its betterment
• We were not able to keep a proper track of our existing docs.
• Our site is getting rebranded
• Our hosting services have really gone down
At first these reasons might seem to be good enough for moving the page and leaving behind page not found or 404 error pages. But the truth is that, this change clearly indicates to the lack of planning and forethought at the time of creation of URLs.
Why care about the Link Rot?
You might not be aware about who will be having links to your site. You would want your targeted customers should bookmark your pages, but then suddenly your location is changed by you. You might feel that your navigation is too good and the customers should be able to find page anyway. But unfortunately, this is not always true as would be wished by the web developer. And the fact is that as a website owner, you have exactly eight seconds for forming your very first impression. If someone finds your URL in a book and after typing he gets a 404 or page not found error, there is every possibility that the user will not stay on your site long enough for navigating through your fabulous site.
Do not complain about Link Rot If you cause Link Rot
You are the prime contributor of the link rot if you have complained of it and ultimately changed your page locations without actually compensating or it. But unfortunately, the developer usually gets blamed for linking to you.
The first and the foremost thing is to consider permanent URIs. If your web pages are not at all well organized, take a deep breath and move on. Once your vision is set to recognize your site, make use of the tools which are available with the server for relocating the URIs. But, in case if you do not have the access to the server level redirects, you always have the option of using the JavaScript or meta refresh tags.
Organize Intellectually
• Always date your articles
• Don’t date static pages
• Leave out information
• Consider your software
Do not be a contributor to this link rot. You should always try and make the pages of your site stick around. If at all there is a possibility of moving them, always remember to leave the redirects up so that the customers are still able to find what they have been looking for.