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Check your own links - very important

By
Real Estate Agent with Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers HRE# 58089 - RS

thanks to ImageChef.com

Just a quick blog to remind everyone to CHECK YOUR OWN LINKS from your website.  I would also recommend doing it from another computer than your own, as sometimes there can be an issue that only comes up from other computers (your computer recognizes when it's you that's online and will be more accommodating).

Today I was adding a BLOG, and being thorough, I clicked on all the links once it was up, just to be sure.  Wouldn't you know it, I found a link that wasn't working, on MY SITE!  What's going on?  I delved into the mystery only to find that there were indeed a series of dead links from one of my sites.  This had happened before, and I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.  We have a feature called WEBSEARCH which allows consumers to search the Maui MLS, see New Listings, etc.  It's a great feature, but sometimes it can be abused.  If another website tries to use the information to put the search option on their own site, it will "shut down" the feature, thereby causing a dead link on MY site.  Was I upset?  YES.  Apparently somebody with a Lake Tahoe website had wanted to link to a Maui condo that his friend was selling, via my links.  Thanks for contacting me and asking my permission!

Since this was not the first time, I knew exactly who to contact to remedy the situation.  All is well now.  But I want to remind you all to be alert and check your own links from time to time, so your website won't experience these difficulties.  Dead links can be a death sentence for a website, so pay attention.  Dead links will mess up your SEO.

Thanks for listening to my rant!  And thanks to Imagechef.com for the graphic.

Aloha - the Hunter - your Maui Realtor

Comments(19)

Brian Schulman
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA - Lancaster, PA
Lancaster County PA RealEstate Expert 717-951-5552
Georgina, thanks for a timely reminder - we can't assume that everything on our website works, without checking it all  out once in a while.
Nov 26, 2007 11:05 AM
Kate Elim
Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA
Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Georgina...thanks for posting this (two reasons).  It is important information and it also reminded me that I wanted to subscribe (now that I know how to do it) as I've already discovered how helpful your posts are.  I don't always understand everything but at least it sometimes makes  me curious enough to ask my websmaster questions.

Thanks and please keep it up.

Kathleen

Nov 26, 2007 11:06 AM
Rob Arnold
Sand Dollar Realty Group, Inc. - Altamonte Springs, FL
Metro Orlando Full Service - Investor Friendly & F
Thanks for the reminder.  I work through my sites about every 6 months to check for dead links.
Nov 26, 2007 11:17 AM
Daniel Sundberg
Crystal Springs Real Estate - Kentwood, MI

Your right.. dead links have been known to bankrupt businesses.  Hopefully yours didn't suffer!

Schedule your links for a check up often... more often than you go to the doctor yourself! 

Nov 26, 2007 11:23 AM
Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089
Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI
Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

Brian - never assume anything

Kathleen - thanks for subscribing!  I hope to meet your expectations.

Rob - Every 6 months!  I hope you'll do it more often than that, if you want to get inquiries from your site.

thanks for the comments!

Nov 26, 2007 11:24 AM
Elaine Stewart
Elaine Stewart is the #1 Individual RE/MAX Agent for 13 years straight in the Coachella Valley. (760) 668-2399 - Palm Desert, CA
RE/MAX All-Pro

This is very important, thanks for the reminder. I just used this website to check my links, works good!

http://www.anybrowser.com/linkchecker.html

 

Nov 26, 2007 11:24 AM
Jo Olson
HOMEFRONT Realty - Kettle Falls, WA
Retired - HOMEFRONT Realty @ LAKE Roosevelt
A great reminder. I think it is very important to also look at your sites from the publics view. Thanks again!
Nov 26, 2007 12:41 PM
Mike Jones
SUNSTREET MORTGAGE, LLC (BK-0907366, NMLS 145171) - Tucson, AZ
Mike Jones NMLS 223495

Georgina,

I just stopped by to say "Thank You" so very much for taking the time to make my friend John Hurbon welcome to the Active Rain community.  Now I have to go check my links!

Mike in Tucson

Nov 26, 2007 08:45 PM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel
Thanks for the post. I will check my links today. Good luck.
Nov 26, 2007 11:22 PM
Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman
Liberty Homes - Mililani, HI
(RA) AHWD CRS ePRO OAHU HAWAII REAL ESTATE
I changed my website and I just know I have to go back to earlier posts and revise...;)
Nov 27, 2007 09:39 AM
Lisa Heindel
Crescent City Living LLC - New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Real Estate Broker
Thanks for the reminder...I try to check everything fairly often, but sometimes those things just get away from me :)
Nov 29, 2007 09:22 AM
Kay Frenzer-Zeeh
Buzz Marketing Pros - Chandler, AZ
Real Estate SEO

Right on, Georgina. Links should be checked on a regular basis.

Nov 29, 2007 03:52 PM
Richard C. Decker,P.A.-Realtor Broward County FL
RE/MAX Partners - Fort Lauderdale, FL
Georgina - You are always so helpful and quick at lending a helping hand to everyone - newbie or not - thanking you again for another great tip!
Dec 03, 2007 05:27 AM
Richard C. Decker,P.A.-Realtor Broward County FL
RE/MAX Partners - Fort Lauderdale, FL
and thanking Elaine for the link to a checker - you're right - quick and easy to use. Sorry that it does not check the whole site with one entry and then spider down the links.. but for one page it was fine.
Dec 03, 2007 05:38 AM
Dora Baycroft
Royal LePage Prince George - Prince George, BC
Georgina - How right you are.  It is very anoying to click onto a link that does not work.  I try to check my links quite often, but thanks for the reminder.  Dora
Dec 03, 2007 10:40 AM
Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089
Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI
Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

Elaine - thanks for the tip!

Jo - you're welcome

Mike J. - always nice to welcome a newbie

Gita - thanks to you to

Sally - you will be busy checking all you past posts!

Lisa - I know how that is... so much to do, so little time

Kay - at least once a month would probably be good

Richard - you are welcome too

Dora - persistance pays off

Dec 03, 2007 03:18 PM
Todd Clark - Retired
eXp Realty LLC - Tigard, OR
Principle Broker Oregon

I actually pay different clients of mine twice a year to go through my website and I pay them an additional $5 for each link they find that isn't working.

Well worth the money to me,

Dec 17, 2007 04:56 PM
Dionne Morgan
Realty World Solano Realty - Vallejo, CA
Broker REALTOR ,GRI, e-PRO

Georgina thank you for bringing this to my attention. I didn't realize links die(lol).

Dec 20, 2007 06:25 PM
Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089
Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI
Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

Todd - I like that idea!  A good bargain at twice the price.

Dionne - nobody likes stale links!

Merry Christmas - Happy Holidays

Dec 23, 2007 06:43 PM