Search Engine Optimization Tips Blog

Ever been surfing the net and gotten a 404? No, that’s not a jet, its worse - a deadly error message that the page you are trying to access is not available.

This can be caused by a number of things. A server could be down, a url could have changed slightly, the visitor could have typed it in by hand and gotten it wrong - or they could have clicked on a broken link.

For the first - switch servers. Your host does you no good if they are not up over 95% of the time. For the second - you can monitor 404 messages on your site and track down the trouble spots. For the third, well, even a small website can customize a 404 for suggestions.

The fourth, however, is inexcusable. You should be checking your links all the time! If you have a lot, check them on a rotating system and be diligent. A broken link makes the visitor turn tail and run. Frustration mixes with a sudden feeling that perhaps the whole site is wonky, and there goes your potential customer, fleeing the 404.

You can prioritize links on your site by meticulously noting from the beginning just where each link is and double-checking them on a regular basis. If you have some that are solid and as good as gold, you can check them once every six months or a year.

For brand new links, you should be checking monthly or even more often. You can use a tool, but you should pop into the site itself to be sure all is kosher. You don’t want to be linked from someone who decides to move into a bad neighborhood!

Pay attention and notice what pages link to you as well. If you are buried in a page of links, that could be a problem. If you feel you could be better served by a link from a different page in your neighbor’s site, go ahead and ask! You should really be paying attention from the first and request the most favorable placement anyway.

Fixing links and keeping them in working condition is an integral part of site maintenance, and should never be ignored. Every 404 message could be losing you a valuable customer, so take your links seriously and don’t neglect them! It only takes a minute to check a suspect link, and that minute might make you a sale - or three!

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