Removing Bad Links From Your Website

If you make frequent changes to your website it is a very good idea to take a look at look at your website's statistics reports to see if there are any errors you've overlooked.  The most common error you'll see are the 404 or Document Not Found errors.  You will see this error if you click on a link and the requested page has either been removed or renamed.

If you have access to a really good stats program like AWStats, then you will also see bad links on other websites that direct traffic to you.  It is frustrating for a surfer to click on a link expecting some good information only to be disappointed with a Page Not Found error.  Not to mention that you could be losing out on a potential customer.

Once you identify the bad links, then it is fairly easy for you to remove or correct the link.  If you have a webmaster who handles this for you, then ask them to run the reports and fix any bad links that are present.

You don't have to wait until someone comes across your bad links first.  There are a number of free tools available that will check all of your links and generate a report for you.  Go to your favorite Search Engine and search for "free website link checking programs" or something similar.

Be aware that these link checking programs, or your own error reports, will not indicate that a problem exists if a link takes your visitor to a page that although exists, is not where you really want to take the visitor.  So it is always a good idea to run through your website checking links or having someone else test your web pages.

In my next post, I'll write about customizing your error pages so that if this situation does happen, you'll have a chance to save the visitor's experience.