Broken links to your live site

This topic is covered in the Go-Live instructions but is published here as we recommend the steps are repeated a few times after going live.

If you move it is usual to get the Post Office to redirect post for a limited time to your new abode. After that, Post Office mail is unlike to reach you and may well be returned to the sender. The Internet equivalent of this is website address redirection and broken links where you browser returns can’t reach site or page not found.

The Site Builder three month redirection service is there for basically two reasons 1) so visitors can find your site while Google and other search sites do their re-indexing and return SIteWorks search results and 2) to give other Websites time to update their links to your site.

The first typically happen in days. For other Websites to update their links then they need to be notified. Even if these site owners regularly check for broken links they won’t be picked up while the redirection service is in place.

Don’t forger to check links from your site to other u3a/Network/Regional sites that may have been on Site Builder. The team has been checking u3a Regional sites and found a number of broken or re-directing links to u3a sites.

Identify links to your old Site Builder site

You can use your preferred search engine to locate the links to your Site Builder site.

Go to the home page of the search engine (google.com, bing.com etc.) and type in the body of your old Site Builder URL. For example,
u3asites.org.uk/hammersmith-fulham
Do not do this in the address bar of your browser as this will simply land you on your Site Builder site and, if setup, re-direct you to SiteWorks. Also don’t just type in your u3a name as this will include SiteWorks hits and muddy your results.

The search results will list sites with link(s). You will need to skip results that originate from within your Site Builder site. Check each result and decide how important and practical it is to contact site owners with a request to update links.

Some specific sites to check:

  • Notify your Network u3a and/or Regional u3a site admins
  • If you are registered with the Charity Commission their contact information needs updating
  • Check local community organisations, councils etc. although these should show up in your search results.
  • If you use Beacon, then update the System setting’s u3a Home page and other references to Site Builder (this won’t be picked up by the search)