Broken Link Checkers
One of the basic things that webmasters need to master is the use of links. It's what makes the Internet go round, so to speak. Links are simple enough to learn and code. But sometimes, we make mistakes and end up with broken links (particularly if we're coding manually) or even dead ones (if we don't update content that often).
To an Internet user, there's nothing more frustrating than clicking on links that give nothing but error messages (alongside those pop-up ads, of course), and as a result, they may leave your site. That's not so bad if it's just a hobby site, but what if you're running e-commerce sites? Or if you're trying to get your website registered with search engines?
I know manually checking for broken/dead links can be time consuming, not to mention migraine-inducing. So what's your recourse? Automated link checkers of course! There are a number of them available online.
Here are some (latest versions), available either for free or under GPL, for your consideration:
* LinkChecker v1.12.2 - a Python script for checking your HTML documents for broken links
* Checkbot v1.75 - written in Perl; a tool to verify links on a set of HTML pages; creates a report summarizing all links that caused some kind of warning or error
* Checklinks 1.0.1 - written in Perl; checks the validity of all HTML links on a Web site; start at one or more "seed" HTML files, and recursively test all URLs found at that site; doesn't follow URLs at other sites, but checks their existence; supports SSI (SHTML files), the latest Web standards, directory aliases, and other server options
* Dead Link Check v0.4.0 - simple HTTP link checker written in Perl; can process a link cache file to hasten multiple requests (links life is time stamp enforced); initially created as an extension to Public Bookmark Generator, but can be used by itself as is
* gURLChecker v0.6.7 - written in C; a graphical web links checker for GNU/Linux and other POSIX OS; under GPL license
* JCheckLinks v0.4b - a JavaT application which validates hyperlinks in web sites; should run on any Java 1.1.7 virtual machine; licensing terms are LGPL with the main app class being GPL
* Linklint v2.3.5 - an Open Source Perl program that checks links on web sites; licensed under the Gnu General Public License
* LinkStatus v0.1.1 - written in C++; an Open Source tool for checking links in a web page; discontinued and forked and to KLinkStatus, a more powerful application for KDE (which makes it hard for Windows and Mac users to build); KLinkStatus v0.1-b1 at KDE-Apps.org
* Xenu's Link SleuthT v1.2e - a free tool that checks Web sites for broken links; displays a continuously updated list of URLs sortable by categories; Platform(s): Win 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP
* Echelon Link Checker - a free CGI & Perl script from Echelon Design; you simply edit a few variables at the top of the script, set a url to the page you want, and it'll go to that page, get all the links, and check each link to see if its "dead" or not; allows you to set what word or words define a dead page, such as 404 or 500; Platforms: All
* Link Checker (CMD or Web v1.4) - CMD version can check approximately 170 links in about 40 seconds; CGI version takes about a minute and 10 seconds; very accurate; scans for dead links (not just 404 errors but any error that prevents the page from loading Platform(s): ALL
* phplinkchecker - a modified freeware version of the old PHP Kung Foo Link Checker; reports the status (200, 404, 401, etc.) of a link and breaks the report down showing useful stats; used for finding broken links, or working links on any page; can be easily modified for any specific use Platform(s): Unix, Windows
You can also have your URL's links checked (for free) at the following sites:
* 2bone's LinkChecker 1.2 - allows site owners to quickly and easily check the links on their pages; allows users to add their link to 2bone's links section; added (as of Jan 2004) an option to see all results returned on a single page or use the quicker 10 links per results page
* Search Engine Optimising - via its Website Broken Links Checker Platform(s): All
* Dead-Links.com - via its Free Online Broken Link Checker from Dead-Links.com; spider-based technology and super fast online analysis
With all these resources available at no cost to you, there's really no reason why you should still have those broken and dead links around.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Ad Management Scripts/Software
Ad Management Scripts/Software
Pop-ups and other kinds of advertisements are a constant irritation for many Internet users. But, like all things media (such as television and radio), the web can't continue to exist without them.
Whether webmasters like it or not, advertising helps pay their bills to keep their sites running. Therefore, it's always a good idea to know how to make them work for you.
One way you can do this is to use ad management scripts or software. The sheer number available, online or otherwise, guarantees that you'll be able to find one that will fit your needs and budget.
Below is a list of some of the more popular ones available as of April 29, 2004 (latest versions), categorized according to the scripting language used:
* ASP
o SmartASPAd v1.18 (for MS Access) and v.1.68 (for MS SQL) - a web based ad management shareware software from SmartASP.net that supports SSL; enables you to create infinite campaigns, groups and categories; allows checking for 24-hour, daily and monthly stats for all campaigns Price: Free Trial / $150 per site Platform(s): Windows 95/98/ME/XP/NT/2000
o DUbanner 3.1 - a banner ad management software from DUware; allows image upload, click counts, multi sizing and web-based addition, edit and deletion of ads Price: Free Platform(s): Windows
* ASP.NET
o AdMentor.NET3.02 - authored by Stefan Holmberg; allows weighting and zoning of banners; supports multiple banner sizes/ad positions; an HTML ad code generator is inserted into your ASP/ASP.NET/HTML pages; has either an Access or SQL Server database in the backend; with administration scripts and statistics pages Price: Free Platform(s): Windows 2000
* C & C++
o BannerPlus Gold 1.0 - a banner exchange software authored by Drummond Miles; multi-lingual interface, easy setup, free support ; statistical reporting, targeted banners, custom interface, variable display ratio and optional uploading of banners with banner size checks; ideal for commercial banner exchanges Price: $250 Platform(s): Unix
* CFML
o vgBanners (Cold Fusion 5) - authored by V;adimir Geshanov; displays list of all banners with their status, number of displays and hits; allows you to add, edit or delete banners Price: 149.95 Platform(s): Cold Fusion 5
* CGI and Perl
o Plasma Banner Advertiser Pro 2.0 - a banner rotation system authored by Serge Rudy; advanced system for placing all banner types (Flash, Image, Script, HTML, Text) on your site; detailed statistics of fees, buying and support of leading paying systems; available payment methods: Cost-Per-Click, Cost-Per-Impression and Cost-Per-Day Price: $56.95 (PBA for All v1.4 is available for free (lighter version of Pro)) Platform(s): Unix, Win NT, 2k, XP
o Stuffed Tracker 1.5 - from Stuffed Guys; used to track Return on Investment (ROI) for online advertising campaigns in real time; ideal for small and medium-sized web sites that use online advertising to attract visitors Price: Free evaluation/ EUR 24.95 Platform(s): Unix, Windows
o Ad Carousel 2.3 - ad banner script written in Perl. v2.3 by Brian E Shold; logs number of times each banner is shown, number of clicks on each banner, weighting of banners; can use with SSI or javascript; allows you to use ready-to-paste HTML code supplied by affiliates, or image locations and link URLs Price: Free trial / $9 Platform(s): Unix
o EasyBanners 2.24 - banner rotation script by Jose Reffoios; easy installation; with admin page to edit all the ads and their properties, keeps track of all clicks and impressions for each; supports banners weighting, multiple banners per campaign, any banner sizes, banner expiration by clicks or impressions; provides a stats page for each of your advertisers; works with or without SSI Price: $29.97 Platform(s): Unix, Win32
* JSP / Servlets
o BannerServlet 1.8 - a servlet from Coldjava that allows you to display rotated banners; can set this using an image tag attribute in your html-file; relies on a configuration text file for its settings. Price: Free
* Javascript
o Adsense Script to Track Clicks (CTR) for ASP / PHP - script from Adsense Monitor that tracks adsense ad activity; rcords their IP address and more; a must if using Google Adsense. Price: GPL Platform(s): All
* PHP
o TrafficStuff Lite 1.08 - a PHP code snip from EPIConsultation that you can add to your page; it fools the search engine into thinking you have millions of pages to increase your site's chances in showing up in the top pages of the search result; just edit the keyword list and let the search engine do its job Price: GPL Platform(s): Unix, Win 98/2000/XP, Macintosh
o phpAdsNew 2.0 - an open-source ad server from the phpAdsNew developers; integrated banner management interface and tracking system for gathering statistics, easily rotating paid banners with in-house advertisements, integrate banners from third party advertising companies; can handle tracking of Flash banners which aren't specially prepared Price: Free (GPL) Platform(s): PHP4, MySQL
And if you don't want to use scripts or software, you may also opt to use a third party ad management service providers like the following:
* ad-rotator.com - offers site-owners the tools to: manage ad inventory online anytime anywhere, rotate & deliver ads on your websites, track real-time ad performance and monitor detailed visitor information; no programming knowledge required, detailed reports on ad performance & visitors, graphical tools to manage/serve ads, unlimited access 24/7, no software to download Price: 10-day free trial; plans range from 9.95/mo to199.95/mo
* WebAds360 - banner rotation service; allows webmasters to track the click-through rates of their advertisements; with advanced advertisement management and reporting features; also offers additional amenities to paying customers via its WebAds Premium Package Price: Free
You can find more choices at HotScripts.com.
Pop-ups and other kinds of advertisements are a constant irritation for many Internet users. But, like all things media (such as television and radio), the web can't continue to exist without them.
Whether webmasters like it or not, advertising helps pay their bills to keep their sites running. Therefore, it's always a good idea to know how to make them work for you.
One way you can do this is to use ad management scripts or software. The sheer number available, online or otherwise, guarantees that you'll be able to find one that will fit your needs and budget.
Below is a list of some of the more popular ones available as of April 29, 2004 (latest versions), categorized according to the scripting language used:
* ASP
o SmartASPAd v1.18 (for MS Access) and v.1.68 (for MS SQL) - a web based ad management shareware software from SmartASP.net that supports SSL; enables you to create infinite campaigns, groups and categories; allows checking for 24-hour, daily and monthly stats for all campaigns Price: Free Trial / $150 per site Platform(s): Windows 95/98/ME/XP/NT/2000
o DUbanner 3.1 - a banner ad management software from DUware; allows image upload, click counts, multi sizing and web-based addition, edit and deletion of ads Price: Free Platform(s): Windows
* ASP.NET
o AdMentor.NET3.02 - authored by Stefan Holmberg; allows weighting and zoning of banners; supports multiple banner sizes/ad positions; an HTML ad code generator is inserted into your ASP/ASP.NET/HTML pages; has either an Access or SQL Server database in the backend; with administration scripts and statistics pages Price: Free Platform(s): Windows 2000
* C & C++
o BannerPlus Gold 1.0 - a banner exchange software authored by Drummond Miles; multi-lingual interface, easy setup, free support ; statistical reporting, targeted banners, custom interface, variable display ratio and optional uploading of banners with banner size checks; ideal for commercial banner exchanges Price: $250 Platform(s): Unix
* CFML
o vgBanners (Cold Fusion 5) - authored by V;adimir Geshanov; displays list of all banners with their status, number of displays and hits; allows you to add, edit or delete banners Price: 149.95 Platform(s): Cold Fusion 5
* CGI and Perl
o Plasma Banner Advertiser Pro 2.0 - a banner rotation system authored by Serge Rudy; advanced system for placing all banner types (Flash, Image, Script, HTML, Text) on your site; detailed statistics of fees, buying and support of leading paying systems; available payment methods: Cost-Per-Click, Cost-Per-Impression and Cost-Per-Day Price: $56.95 (PBA for All v1.4 is available for free (lighter version of Pro)) Platform(s): Unix, Win NT, 2k, XP
o Stuffed Tracker 1.5 - from Stuffed Guys; used to track Return on Investment (ROI) for online advertising campaigns in real time; ideal for small and medium-sized web sites that use online advertising to attract visitors Price: Free evaluation/ EUR 24.95 Platform(s): Unix, Windows
o Ad Carousel 2.3 - ad banner script written in Perl. v2.3 by Brian E Shold; logs number of times each banner is shown, number of clicks on each banner, weighting of banners; can use with SSI or javascript; allows you to use ready-to-paste HTML code supplied by affiliates, or image locations and link URLs Price: Free trial / $9 Platform(s): Unix
o EasyBanners 2.24 - banner rotation script by Jose Reffoios; easy installation; with admin page to edit all the ads and their properties, keeps track of all clicks and impressions for each; supports banners weighting, multiple banners per campaign, any banner sizes, banner expiration by clicks or impressions; provides a stats page for each of your advertisers; works with or without SSI Price: $29.97 Platform(s): Unix, Win32
* JSP / Servlets
o BannerServlet 1.8 - a servlet from Coldjava that allows you to display rotated banners; can set this using an image tag attribute in your html-file; relies on a configuration text file for its settings. Price: Free
* Javascript
o Adsense Script to Track Clicks (CTR) for ASP / PHP - script from Adsense Monitor that tracks adsense ad activity; rcords their IP address and more; a must if using Google Adsense. Price: GPL Platform(s): All
* PHP
o TrafficStuff Lite 1.08 - a PHP code snip from EPIConsultation that you can add to your page; it fools the search engine into thinking you have millions of pages to increase your site's chances in showing up in the top pages of the search result; just edit the keyword list and let the search engine do its job Price: GPL Platform(s): Unix, Win 98/2000/XP, Macintosh
o phpAdsNew 2.0 - an open-source ad server from the phpAdsNew developers; integrated banner management interface and tracking system for gathering statistics, easily rotating paid banners with in-house advertisements, integrate banners from third party advertising companies; can handle tracking of Flash banners which aren't specially prepared Price: Free (GPL) Platform(s): PHP4, MySQL
And if you don't want to use scripts or software, you may also opt to use a third party ad management service providers like the following:
* ad-rotator.com - offers site-owners the tools to: manage ad inventory online anytime anywhere, rotate & deliver ads on your websites, track real-time ad performance and monitor detailed visitor information; no programming knowledge required, detailed reports on ad performance & visitors, graphical tools to manage/serve ads, unlimited access 24/7, no software to download Price: 10-day free trial; plans range from 9.95/mo to199.95/mo
* WebAds360 - banner rotation service; allows webmasters to track the click-through rates of their advertisements; with advanced advertisement management and reporting features; also offers additional amenities to paying customers via its WebAds Premium Package Price: Free
You can find more choices at HotScripts.com.
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