Published quarterly, the Sitemorse INDEX is a benchmark for digital capability and effective digital governance. Hence, organisations that strive for online excellence should see their efforts reflected in their score. However, there are times when you might see your score fall – and it’s not your fault.

In this case, we’re talking about an issue that isn’t strictly on your site, itself: broken-third party links. These occur when a URL that you are pointing to has changed or the page is failing for some other reason.

Of course, having optimised your site for factors like accessibility and compliance, this issue is immensely frustrating. Indeed, you might be using Sitemorse reports on a weekly basis and generally holding a high score. However, if a few third-party links become broken between the time that you run your reports and the time that the INDEX scans your site, then they will be picked up in the assessment. This is one reason why it’s wise to minimise the use of third-party links if they’re not strictly necessary.

It’s also worth noting that the exact timing of the INDEX assessment scan cannot be predicted. The assessments run over a two-week period on hundreds of sites, meaning that it can be prepared for on a general level but there is always the chance that issues, such as broken third-party links, will crop up through no fault of your own.

The Q1 2018 INDEX reports will be released in the near future and will include detailed surveys of local government, higher education, police forces, airlines and consumer finance.