What to do when a published link is wrong

First, work out whether the link is fixable

If the campaign used a dynamic short link, the destination is editable and this is a five-minute problem. If it used a raw URL, or a static QR code with the destination baked in, the link itself cannot change and you are managing the destination instead. Knowing which situation you are in decides everything that follows, so establish it before doing anything else.

Fix the destination, not the link

Change where the short link points. Do not create a new short link and try to circulate it; the old one is the one people have. If the platform serves permanent redirects, switch the link to a temporary redirect status first, because clients that cached a 301 may never ask again — this is the concrete reason to default to 302 for anything published.

If the link is static, fix the page it lands on

When you cannot change the link, change what is at the other end. Put a redirect on the wrong destination pointing to the right one, or replace the page content with the correct offer. If the wrong destination is a 404, add a rule at the web server or CDN for that exact path.

Decide whether to send a correction

A correction email doubles the volume in the inbox and draws attention to the mistake. It is worth it when the wrong link went somewhere harmful or embarrassing, when the offer is time-limited and people cannot find it otherwise, or when the error affects a transaction. It is usually not worth it when you fixed the redirect within an hour and the click volume in that window was small.

If you do send one, make the subject line about the content, not the apology: people open "The correct link to the webinar" more often than "Correction".

Measure the blast radius

Look at clicks between publication and the fix. That is the number of people who saw the wrong thing, and it determines whether this is a footnote or an incident. Save the number; it makes the case for the process changes you are about to propose.

Write down what would have prevented it

The usual answers are dull and effective: a second person clicks every link in the proof, links are created from a template rather than pasted, campaign links are always dynamic, and the final send is tested to a seed list where someone actually clicks through. Pick one and make it a required step rather than a good intention.

Keep a standing fallback destination

Configure what your short domain does for an unknown or expired path. A page that says the link has moved, with a search box and a link to the home page, converts a fraction of otherwise lost visitors and costs nothing to set up in advance. Doing this during an incident is much harder than doing it now.