When creating a website, it is important that your web pages are free from broken elements or missing content. Most often, broken or missing content occurs because of errors in the links, images, or HTML of the web page. By taking the extra time to avoid such problems, your website will appear more professional, encouraging repeat visitors. Below are three common website errors that all webmasters should avoid.
Broken Links
Clicking on a broken link is a frustrating experience for any website visitor. Be sure to check that each of your newly created links directs to the correct web page or resource, such as an image file or download.
If your web pages contain links to other websites, occasionally check that each offsite link is functioning correctly. This is important because the web page that you originally linked to may have been removed or changed since you first created the link.
There are resources online that can search for broken links within your website. Though these broken links finding resources can be a valuable tool for website maintenance, you should not rely solely on these services. It is still recommended that you hand click each link, as a link will not appear broken to these services so long as the linked page still exists – even if the linked page has been significantly altered since you last linked to it.
Missing Images
Web pages with missing images look unprofessional to website visitors. Whenever adding a new image to your website, use a web browser to ensure that it is displaying correctly.
If for some reason your image is not appearing in the correct manner, make sure that the image has been uploaded to the correct location on your server. If this isn’t the problem, verify that the filename is spelled correctly in your HTML code and that the correct file extension (.jpg, .gif, etc.) is included.
Also, not all image file extensions are compatible with all Internet browsers, so it is best to stick with the most widely supported file types. An image saved in an unsupported file type may appear as a broken or missing image.
Breakthrough HTML
It can be confusing for your visitors if parts of your HTML appears on the web page instead of your content. This often happens when there are errors in the HTML code itself. If you spot this problem on one of your web pages, double-check to see that your tags and end tags are present and spelled correctly.
To help find errors in your HTML code, it can sometimes be faster to use one of the many free online HTML validation services. The validation service will give you a list of errors within your HTML that could be causing the problem. Fixing these errors will rectify most problems, including breakthrough HTML.
By taking the extra time to stop broken links, images, and HTML from appearing on your web pages, your website will look more professional to your visitors. This will leave your visitors with a better impression of your website while making it more likely that they will return to your website in the future.
