The Tragic Tale of Link Rot (And My Struggle With It)
Introduction:
A couple of weeks ago, I decided to go through my bookmarks on Google Chrome. I had saved these links over time, expecting them to be reliable sources of information or tools I’d want to revisit. But what I found was disheartening—many of the pages no longer existed, and some had been taken over by entirely different owners or companies. After clicking through about 20 links, I realized that 14 of them led nowhere. Frustrated, I gave up.
About Link Rot
This frustrating phenomenon is called link rot—something I had heard about before but never truly felt the impact of until now. Just to clarify, I asked ChatGPT, “What is link rot?” and got this response:
Link rot refers to the phenomenon where hyperlinks on websites, articles, or digital documents become broken, outdated, or lead to non-existent pages over time. This typically happens when web pages are deleted, URLs change without proper redirection, or websites shut down. As a result, users clicking on these links encounter error messages like "404 Not Found."
Sounds about right. And it’s not just a minor annoyance—it can be a major headache. Imagine doing deep research, finding the perfect source, and then clicking only to land on an error page. Or worse, what if you have a website, and visitors click on a broken link that was once valuable? It instantly makes the site seem outdated and unprofessional.
As someone involved in online marketing and content creation, I know firsthand how important it is to maintain a good user experience. Broken links don’t just disrupt casual browsing; they can ruin credibility and drive people away. If you’ve ever had a customer or reader report a broken link to you, you know how awkward it feels—it’s like leaving a "Closed for Business" sign on a store you swore was open.
Conclusion:
The reality is, link rot is unavoidable to some degree. Websites disappear, businesses shut down, and domains get repurposed. But if you’re a content creator or website owner, the best way to minimize the damage is by regularly checking and updating links. It’s a tedious task, but it helps keep your site functional and your visitors happy.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a long-overdue appointment with my bookmarks.
Recent Comments
4
Hi Keith. This is a universal problem. I'm using a link checker to find my broken links on my sites. I tried Link Checker but I didn't like it so now I use SEO Repair Kit which I like a lot.
I'm also off to spend the day fixing links, although I'm going to my sister's first for lunch so it's not too bad!
Where can I get SEO Repair Kit?
It's just a Wordpress plugin so you can look for it in the plugins list.
Thanks Gail,
-Keith