If you rename the webpages then will it create a broken link for customers that have bookmarked my site?

Question

If you rename the webpages then will it create a broken link for customers that have bookmarked my site already?

Answer 1

If you re-name the files, then yes, old bookmarks won't work. If you're concerned about this, you can always keep the old file names to create re-direct pages.



Example: You re-name your "Products" page, which USED to be named "products.html" - now it's something else. So you would create a NEW file called "products.html" - and all it needs to say is "We've reorganized our website. Please update your bookmarks." Then have a link to the new page.

Answer 2

As someone else noted, there are two "changes" you can make: to the FILE NAME for your web page, or to the TITLE and content that appear in that file. Changes inside the file don't affect inbound links (with some exceptions); changing the file name definitely does "break links" that are out there.



Obviously, your best strategy is to NOT change file names, though you may change the content on existing pages, including using a "redirect" to send traffic to another page at your site (or elsewhere).



If you absolutely MUST change the file names, you should still maintain files with the "old" file names on your server; usually they will just "redirect" to the new versions of those pages. Do NOT just rely on the standard "page not found" error message.



The most common reason for "changing file names" is a decision to switch to a different scripting language; the original files might have been plain .HTM or .HTML files, but if you use ASP you'd usually need to create files with the .ASP or .ASPX suffix, likewise PHP files would have a .PHP or .PHP4 suffix; ColdFusion pages would have a .CFM suffix.



Note that it is possible to re-configure a dedicated server so that files with a .HTM or .HTML suffix are processed using the scripting language. I've done this for my server, which interprets all .HTM pages as .ASP pages, so I can include ASP scripting within my .HTM and .HTML pages. (This can ONLY be done if you have a dedicated server, not for traditional "shared servers," "virtual private servers," or basic "web hosting accounts.")



You should try hard to NEVER have any pages simply "disappear" from your site, but instead use the 301 or 302 redirect functions if a file is moved. However, it's always a good idea to also have a customized 404 error file that includes a short site map or redirect, so that visitors who do try to access an old page (or who mistype a page name) will see something besides a generic error message.

Answer 3

Yes it will but what you can do is keep the old links active and just place a copy of the new forward link on that page.

If you've already wiped the links just rename a page/s with the old links and do as above.

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Answer 4

Yes. Broken Link. But it's not that big of a deal. The way you manage this (it happens every day with me!) is by using a 301 redirect.



A 301 Redirect automatically sends the user AND the search engines to your new page so fast that it is practically unnoticeable.

If you have any concerns about search engine optimization and search traffic this is an absolute must.



You will first need to create a .htaccess file. It sounds complicated, but it really isn't! Just read this...



http://www.freewebmasterhelp.com/tutorials/htaccess/



Once create it, you need to implement the 301 redirect for all the pages you renamed. Here's how...



http://www.isitebuild.com/301-redirect.htm





Don't be discouraged! This is actually very simple and you will be doing a great service to your websites future!

Answer 5

if you rename the files (i.e. saving them as something different), the links will be different, yes... BUT... if you are simply re-titling them, then they will be the same.



however, most people only bookmark the main (index) page, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.