Not-Found Page
When someone opens one of your links and it can't send them anywhere, their browser shows a not-found page. That happens when:
- the short code doesn't exist, for example because it was mistyped;
- the link has expired, or you switched it off;
- the visitor doesn't match the link's targeting rules (country, device or language);
- the link has no destination for the visitor's device.
Every one of these shows the same page. A visitor can't tell an expired link from one that never existed, so the page never reveals which links you've had.
By default it's a plain "Link not found" page. You can replace it with a branded page or send visitors to your own site from Social Preview → Not-found page in the dashboard.
Options
| Option | What visitors get |
|---|---|
| Default page | A plain "Link not found" page. |
| Branded page | Your brand kit's logo and colors, your own heading and message, and an optional button (for example "Go to our site"). |
| Send visitors to a URL | No page: visitors go straight to the address you enter, usually your homepage. |
The preview next to the form is the real page, rendered by the same code that serves your visitors.
Branded page details
- The heading can be up to 80 characters, the message up to 280, and the button text up to 40. A button needs both text and a link.
- The logo and button color come from your brand kit. Change the brand kit and the not-found page updates with it.
- The page follows each visitor's light or dark setting. Your brand kit's background color is used in light mode only; in dark mode the page keeps its dark background so the text stays readable.
- Because the same page is shown whatever went wrong, keep the wording general. "This offer has ended" would also show to someone who mistyped the link.
Redirect details
- The address must start with
https://orhttp://. It's checked the same way as a link destination, so it can't be another link shortener, a blocked site, or one of your own short-link domains (that would send visitors in a loop).
Only admins and owners can change these settings. Changes can take up to a minute to appear.
Which links use it
| Where the link is served | Uses your not-found page for |
|---|---|
Your workspace domain (something.toapp.me) | Everything listed above |
| A custom domain | Everything listed above |
The shared go.linkforty.com domain | Targeting misses and links with no destination only |
On the shared domain, an unknown or expired code isn't tied to any one workspace, so it shows the default page. Serve your links from your workspace domain or a custom domain to brand those too.
What doesn't change
- API clients and scripts that request a link without asking for a web page (no
Accept: text/htmlheader) still get a JSON404response, even when you've set a redirect. - Links withdrawn for abuse keep their own "This link is no longer available" notice.
- Analytics: a visitor turned away for an unknown, expired or switched-off link, or by a targeting rule, isn't counted as a click. A visit to a working link that simply has no destination for that device is counted, as it always has been.
Self-hosting
If you run LinkForty Core yourself, the same page is configured in the notFound section of linkforty.config.json. See the Core README for the settings.