How to get rid of the broken links

1. 76

   fastfretaposted 13 years ago

   I have two questions, one a problem, the other just curiosity.  Problem first, can someone please tell me how to get rid of those broken links.  I took care of the ones that I could see, but the others don't tell me where the links are broken.
   
   Curiosity, what are those A's that just showed up next to most of my hubs?
   
   I suppose those questions have been answered here on the Forum before, but I don't get here too often.  Thanks in advance for the answers.

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   1. 77

      Aficionadaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I have heard that the A is a notification that the Hub is missing a summary.  But I just edited a couple of my Hubs for other reasons and saw that they were missing summaries (which I have now supplied) - but the A had been missing from them in the Stats list.
      
      For Broken Links, go to My Account> Hubs> Broken Links (the title in the box on the upper left).  It should take you to a page that lists potentially broken links by URL, paired with the title of the Hub in which they appear.  Copy (in a Notepad, for example) those URLs so that you won't forget them, then click on the title of your Hub to open it and edit the capsule where the broken link is found.  Just unlink it or delete it (depending on how it is formatted).

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   2. 85

      kschangposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      1) Use the "broken links" on the left side "toolbar" which will list all the broken links HP found in your hubs.
      
      First, hit "retest", as sometimes HP test the links when the links are down. If it still says 404 Link Bad or something like that, try it yourself, and see the detailed message. Did the URL change? Did the link go kaput?
      
      Second, it's time to go into your hub and fix the link! Sometimes, it is best remove the link altogether, and just leave it as text, not link.
      
      2) A means your are missing a "summary", which is the short text that shows up when a search engine hits your hub. Your first paragraph doesn't always do a good job of describing your hub, and you should ALWAYS put in a summary to get people to click on the hub, like
      
      "This hub is about ______, and _______ is why you read it. Read and find out more!"

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2. 76

   fastfretaposted 13 years ago

   Thanks Aficionada, I just read the reason for the A's at the bottom of the page.  Oh I know how to fix a broken link, but I've checked for the broken links on some of my hubs and I can't find the reason for the it, where I could fix them I did. Thanks anyway for the help, I do appreciate your response.

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   1. 77

      Aficionadaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The part that was new to me was that it is not necessary to open the Hub to find which link is supposedly broken.  The Broken Links link (as kschang also mentions) will show the potentionally broken links, even if they are not highlighted in yellow in the Hub itself.  Also, kschang makes a good point that it's best to retest the link first, because it may not truly be broken.

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3. 76

   fastfretaposted 13 years ago

   Thanks kschang, I did what you said, and it works, all of the bad link indications are gone.  Thank you, thank you, thank youl

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4. 68

   Debby Bruckposted 13 years ago

   Hi Freta ~ Great discussion. Seems we are all having to go through this process together. I wrote Hubpages Admin about the "A"s on all my hubpages. Silly me thought, "WOW! I'm getting a great grade on all my hubs!" Then when I read the summaries were missing, it made no sense to me, since I'm very particular and always write a personalized summary. I'm back at ground zero and slowly writing them in again.
   
   By the way, I love the new airy new clean look of our hubpages now.

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