Maintaining functional, clear, and user-friendly links is crucial for accessibility, user experience, and SEO. Follow these steps to identify, fix, and manage links effectively:


Checking for Broken Links

  • Regularly review all links on your pages to ensure they are functional and point to the correct destination.
  • Use tools like DubBot to find broken links and review their associated error statuses.
  • Manually verify links to confirm they still lead to the intended pages. Use the anchor text and context to determine whether the link aligns with the content’s purpose.

Reminder: External links (any URL that is not on the specific website you are working on, even if it’s a different Cornell website) should always open in a new tab for better usability.


How To Fix A Broken Link 

DubBot highlights issues and other metrics for webpages within your site, including pages with broken links.

Using DubBot:

  • Navigate to the Broken Links Panel in DubBot to view a list of reported issues.  
  • Identify the error type (e.g., 404 error for a truly broken link).  
  • Locate the broken link and the page it is on.  
  • Replace the broken link with a valid one by:  
    • Finding the correct destination URL.  
    • Verifying the new link works as intended before publishing.  

Manual Fixes:

  • If DubBot highlights no issues, but you identify a broken link manually:
    • Use site search tools to locate the correct page.  
    • Contact the content owner if the correct URL isn’t clear. Test the updated link and save your changes.

Outlook SafeLinks

What Are SafeLinks?

Outlook SafeLinks rewrite URLs in emails for security purposes, adding tracking and protection parameters. While helpful in emails, these URLs can harm user experience, SEO, and readability on websites.

Why Clean SafeLinks Before Adding Them to Websites?

  • Readability: Users should easily understand where a link leads. User
  • Trust: Clean URLs appear more professional and trustworthy.  
  • SEO: Search engines prioritize simple, direct URLs, which SafeLinks are not.  

How to Clean SafeLinks:

  1. Hover and Copy: Right-click the link in your email to copy the original URL (rather than the SafeLink).  
  2. Use Online Tools: Services like Link Expander can reveal the original URL. 
  3. Browser Extensions: Use extensions like ClearURLs to remove tracking parameters automatically.

Best Practices for Link Text

Accessibility Tips

  • Use descriptive link text that clearly conveys the destination’s purpose. 
  • Avoid vague phrases like “click here” or “read more.” Ensure link text is specific to the action or page it references. For example:  
    • Bad: "Click here for the admissions page."  
    • Good: "Visit the admissions page to learn about applying to the program."

SEO Tips

  • Include relevant keywords in your link text where appropriate.  
  • Avoid excessive linking to improve readability and focus user attention.