Building a public speaking website can be exciting and daunting at the same time. In our zest to make the coolest website possible, we can easily forget to update our website by checking for broken parts. Just like a car, proper tune-ups are a must in this industry.
How can a website have broken parts? Don’t forget that a website has a fluid motion: navigation that takes the visitor to the other pages of the site, links embedded in anchor text and links to resources on other websites. If a search engine such as Google sees that your website has broken links, it can cost you valuable ranking in the search results. It also can quickly confuse or irritate your visitor and make them leave.
A broken link is simply a clickable link on your website that no longer goes anywhere, (page not found) or goes someplace else than it originally intended. You have to keep a constant vigil as to where your links are going to make sure that the original site has not been banned, been taken down or changed to some other site or service. The Internet is constantly changing so it’s important to check for broken links often. Sometimes, when updating to new versions of WordPress, the linking code can be compromised, causing a broken link. Sometimes code just gets messed up for no reason at all. The only way to stay on top of this and not have it affect your search results is to spend time every couple of months going through your site and clicking on the links to make sure they are going to where they are supposed to.
Aside from search results, what would a meeting planner think about your professionalism if the site doesn't function properly or looks outdated? You deserve to have the best website possible when all important decision makers are scouring the web looking for public speakers.
All of these things are an easy fix, even though checking on every link can be time consuming. It’s worth it in the long run to make sure your website is professional looking as possible, and that you are not losing money or sign-ups with broken links to important resources.
