Why does it say a URL isn’t working when it is?
Whenever you set up a tracking link or add a URL to a rotator, ClickMagick will check to make sure that the URL is valid and working properly.
This is to prevent you from entering URLs with typos, or URLs that just aren’t working properly due to a technical problem – both of which would waste your clicks.
Keep in mind that sometimes a link may stop working for just a minute or two. So unless you get an error code that starts with a 4 – codes 401, 403 or 404, which indicate a serious problem that’s not going to fix itself – the first thing to do is just wait a sec and try adding it again.
Obviously, you’ll also want to check the URL for typos, missing “`www`”, or any other obvious problems.
Also, please understand that just because a link works for you, it does NOT mean that it works for everyone.
Many problems result in some people being able to access a link, with lots of others who can’t.
What if I want to add the URL anyway?
For tracking links just go into the Advanced Settings and check the box that says Skip URL verification. This will skip the URL check and allow you to add it.
For rotator URLs it’s the same – just check the same box on either the Add URL or Edit URL screen.
Here’s a list of the most common errors you’ll see, and a brief description of what they mean.
401 Authorization Required / Unauthorized
This URL requires authentication i.e. a username and password, so our monitoring system is unable to access it.
403 Forbidden
The server hosting the URL you’re promoting is operational but it refused our request. This could be due to a configuration error, or they could have blocked the IP address of our Link Monitoring System.
404 Not Found
The requested URL does not exist.
500 Timeout / Timed Out
The URL took longer than 20 seconds to load (and might as well be down!)
500 Bad Hostname
Generally means the URL/domain is not configured properly, usually due to a DNS problem.
500 Connection Refused
The server refused the connection. This is usually due to some type of configuration problem.
500 No Route To Host
This is a configuration problem with the server hosting the URL you’re promoting.
500 Internal Error / Server Error
The server hosting the requested URL responded with a generic error message.