base href considered a broken link

[lesliekirk]

This seems to be a never-ending "problem" that gets reported as a "broken link" and I don't know where else to post it. It's not an MM10 or MM9 problem but more of an SEO problem.

I was sent an audit by an SEO team whose report listed https://www.domain.com/Merchant2/ (names have been changed to protect the innocent) as a broken - it's the base href that appears on every page of the Miva generated website. Why doesn't Google (or any other bot out there) not recognize the base href tag?

Maybe we need to have a separate Miva related "SEO Issues" forum to start covering these things? I really have no idea where else to place this question because it could be an "issue" with every Miva store.

[nottheusual1]

Is the "SEO team" a Google thing or someone trying to get you to sign up for some service? This was a complaint of sorts over a decade ago, but Google swears they've fixed it.

[lesliekirk]

Is the "SEO team" a Google thing or someone trying to get you to sign up for some service? This was a complaint of sorts over a decade ago, but Google swears they've fixed it.

It is part of a report from an SEO that the store owner has hired.

[Bruce - PhosphorMedia]

Then they need to fire them :)

While not an SEO expert, I've never, in over 25 +years of web development, heard that a search bot uses href for anything other than what is intended for: "to indicate what 'relative' links should be applied against.

[nottheusual1]

It sounds like something a "SEO expert" does to pad their "we can fix this for you" agenda is why I asked.

[Bruce - PhosphorMedia]

yup.

[lesliekirk]

It sounds like something a "SEO expert" does to pad their "we can fix this for you" agenda is why I asked.

Nope, they don't want to be paid to fix this - it's on me to do it (if need be).

[nottheusual1]

Best of luck......

[Brennan]

I would guess the crawler/software the SEO company is using is getting hung up on this tag. But it is a valid html tag so any report that flags it as a broken link can safely be ignored.

[lesliekirk]

I would guess the crawler/software the SEO company is using is getting hung up on this tag. But it is a valid html tag so any report that flags it as a broken link can safely be ignored.

I was sent a report by a different SEO company finding/reporting the same issue for what it's worth. I do suspect they were using the same reporting app as the other company.

[lesliekirk]

I was sent a report by a different SEO company finding/reporting the same issue for what it's worth. I do suspect they were using the same reporting app as the other company.

Seems I was just politely disagreed with when I present this in a meeting with a third SEO company. On a side note, I did also notice that Screaming Frog picks up this link as a 403 Forbidden. I guess the question is, how do you make it "look" right?

[lesliekirk]

Seems I was just politely disagreed with when I present this in a meeting with a third SEO company. On a side note, I did also notice that Screaming Frog picks up this link as a 403 Forbidden. I guess the question is, how do you make it "look" right?

Well, I might have to eat some crow because I have discovered where these "links" are at. Screaming Frog is claiming they are Anchor Text in the Omega Menu. Sure enough, in the mobile view of the menu, if it's listing in the menu that doesn't have a link, it links to https://www.domain.com/Merchant2/ - guess I need to start a new thread.

[ids]

Unless that crow tastes like a really good steak I don't think you need to eat crow. Seems you found, through persistence, what appears to have been a difficult issue to find. And the reports don't appear to have been able to describe exactly what it was complaining about. A good description and perhaps you're not having to be Sherlock Holmes. (there could have been a pun in there, but I restrained myself) So, now, everyone else might be the wiser for your experience. Thank You.

Scott

[lesliekirk]

Thanks, Scott.

For those watching the show, I've moved over to this "channel": https://www.miva.com/forums/forum/de...f-broken-links