[intro]In this Guide, you can learn about Missing Pages alerts in the Analytics tab of your EKM online shop, what causes these alerts, and how to resolve them.[/intro]

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[caution]Before you begin, you must install the URL Redirects feature on your EKM online shop. [/caution]

Missing Pages report what has been entered into the address bar of a browser to locate content on your EKM online shop. It's worth checking these URLs as an EKM online shop owner as you can take a look and double-check that there's not something missing that should normally be displayed - such as a previously popular product being discontinued without a URL Redirect in place, for example.

What causes Missing Pages?

The main causes of Missing Pages include:

  • The user entered the incorrect URL (misspelt, mistyped, etc.) into the browser’s address bar;
  • The URL structure of your site recently changed without a URL Redirect and it’s causing a 404 error;
  • Links to content (PDF, Google Doc, video, etc.) that has been moved or deleted;
  • Broken elements within the page (HTML, CSS, Javascript, or insecure link interference);
  • Bots from search engines and similar accessing the site with a changed number at the end of the URL as they try to find new pages - or mining to find vulnerabilities;
  • A firewall or geolocation restriction does not allow outside access.

Most cases within EKM usually involve hiding or deleting Categories, Products or Webpages without assigning a URL Redirect or changing your shop platform and not redirecting the old URLs.

[remember]Remember, the primary goal is to provide a seamless user experience by redirecting deleted pages to relevant alternatives. This way, you can retain value from search engine rankings and maintain customer satisfaction during their shopping journey.[/remember]

Locating Missing Pages

1. To locate the Missing Pages page from the Dashboard, you need to click Analytics on the left-hand menu:

2. On the Analytics page, you need to click the Missing Pages link within the Shop Health element:

3. On this page, you’ll find a list of Missing Pages:

4. Using the tabs across the top, you can select what kind of Missing Pages you would like to view:

  • All Missing Pages - This displays all of the Missing Pages at once;
  • Category Pages - This displays Missing Pages that are Category Pages;
  • Product Pages - This displays Missing Pages that are Product Pages;
  • Webpages - This displays Missing Pages that are Webpages;
  • Ignored - This displays any Missing Pages that you have previously marked as Ignored. Typically, you would ignore a Missing Page if it was related to a Product/Category/Webpage that was unique, where there are no vaguely similar Products/Categories/Webpages you could redirect it to, and where a redirect to the Homepage of your EKM online shop may not be applicable. 

5. You can also use the search bar to locate a specific missing page if you know the relevant keyword and the drop-down menu on the far right-hand side to filter the missing pages further:

  • A-Z - This will list the Missing Pages from A-Z;
  • Z-A - This will list the Missing Pages from Z-A;
  • Most Reocurring - This will list the Missing Pages in order of how often the Missing Page for that particular URL occurs;
  • Least Reocurring - This is the reverse of the above, with the least reocurring Missing Pages listed first;
  • Most Recent - displays the most recent Missing Pages first;
  • Least Recent - displays the least recent (oldest) Missing Pages first.

6. On the far right of each Missing Page URL, you have Redirect, Ignore and Mark As Resolved buttons:

  • Redirect - You would click this button to redirect this Missing Page to a different URL;
  • Ignore - You would click this to ignore the Missing Page and remove it from the list; 
  • Mark As Resolved - If you have previously redirected this Missing Page, you would click Mark As Resolved. 

How to Resolve Missing Pages

Missing Pages are generated regularly, and it’s best practice to resolve these often. If you’re not sure where to redirect the Missing Pages, the guidelines below should help.  Where the URL is:

  • A popular product you used to stock - redirect this to a similar product if you have one, or the Category page of where this popular product once existed;
  • A product that you have never stocked - redirect this to a Category of similar products if you have them, if not, redirect to the Homepage;
  • A popular Category that has since been deleted - redirect this to a similar Category, or if not, the Homepage of your EKM online shop;
  • A Category that has never existed - redirect this to a similar Category if there is one, otherwise the Homepage;
  • A popular Webpage that has since been deleted - redirect this to a similar Webpage, but if one does not exist, redirect to the Homepage;
  • A Webpage that has never existed - redirect this to the Homepage. 

You can resolve Missing Pages one by one or in bulk by following the steps below.  

Resolving single Missing Pages

1. To resolve a single Missing Page, click the Redirect button on the right-hand side:

2. You’ll then see this window appear:

3. In a separate browser tab, visit the front end of your EKM online shop and locate the page you would like to redirect your Missing Page to. When you have located the relevant page, in the URL address bar of your browser, you need to copy the back part of the URL, by highlighting it, right-clicking your mouse and clicking Copy:

[remember]You only need the back part of the URL here, so this is anything after the slash immediately after your domain name. As an example, you need:

/diy-1072-c.asp

And not:

[yourdomainname]/diy-1072-c.asp

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4. Now you need to return to the browser tab displaying the Missing Pages of your EKM online shop and paste the back part of the URL into the field provided, before clicking the green Add Redirect button:

5. The window will close and the Missing Page will have disappeared from the list. 

Resolving Multiple Missing Pages

1. You can also resolve multiple Missing Pages all at once if you are redirecting them all to the same place. To do this, tick the boxes on the left-hand side of each Missing Page you wish to redirect, before clicking the Redirect All button on the bottom right-hand side of the page:

To Redirect to a specific URL

2. You’ll then see this window appear:

3. In a separate browser tab, visit the front end of your EKM online shop and locate the page you would like to redirect your Missing Pages to. When you have located the relevant page, in the URL address bar of your browser, you need to copy the back part of the URL, by highlighting it, right-clicking your mouse and clicking Copy:

[remember]You only need the back part of the URL here, so this is the slash after your domain name. As an example, you need:

/diy-1072-c.asp

And not:

[yourdomainname]/diy-1072-c.asp

[/remember]

4. Now you need to return to the browser tab displaying the Missing Pages of your EKM online shop and paste the back part of the URL into the field provided, before clicking the green Add Redirect button:

5. The window will close and the Missing Pages will have disappeared from the list. 

Redirecting to the Homepage

1. If you have Missing Pages that can’t be redirected to a similar Product/Category/Webpage, you will need to redirect these to your Homepage. To do this, tick the boxes on the left-hand side of each Missing Page you wish to redirect, before clicking the Redirect All button on the bottom right-hand side of the page:

2. You’ll then see this window appear:

3. Add /index.asp into the New URL field and then click the green Add Redirect button:

4. The window will close and the Missing Pages will have disappeared from the list.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I stop URLs from being generated as Missing Pages?

The URLs will always get listed as you can't control what human visitors or bots enter into their browser’s address bar to visit your EKM online shop. The Missing Pages section simply lists what's been entered previously by human visitors or bots to access a specific page on your EKM online shop.

Where can I see any URLs I have redirected?

Within the URL Redirects feature on the Features page. 

Why do we have so many URLs that customers/bots are clicking on? 

The size of your EKM online shop and the amount of content plays an important factor here, as do any links on external platforms such as social media, search engines, blogs, forums and so on. If you have a large EKM online shop with hundreds or even thousands of Products available and lots of links to external platforms, this can generate a large number of URLs. If your shop has a large number of backlinks (links that appear on other sites that bring people back to your shop) and these aren’t all up-to-date this can also contribute.

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[contact] If you need our help with your EKM online shop, contact your Ecommerce Expert or the Customer Support Team, who will be able to point you in the right direction. We're open from 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-5.30pm weekends. If you'd like to suggest a feature or an upgrade on any of the EKM platforms, please let us know on the EKM Suggestions Board. If you have a non-account-specific question to ask the EKM Team, join us in the EKM Community. [/contact]