The Tragic Tale of Link Rot (And My Struggle With It)

byKStieneke

140 followers

9 months ago

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Link rot refers to the phenomenon where hyperlinks on websites, articles, or digital documents become broken, outdated, or lead to non-existent pages over time.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 It instantly makes the site seem outdated and unprofessional.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.