Archiving takes a link out of your reports and out of your plan's link limit while keeping its record. Use it for links you no longer want to monitor but don't want to lose: a paid link that expired, a page that is gone for good, a link you keep for reference. Unlike deleting, archiving keeps the link and its history, and you can bring the link back while your plan has room.
What happens when you archive a link
It leaves the Links report (one domain and all domains). It also leaves the Dashboard, the Domains list (links, errors, cost), the Link Profile and Anchors reports, the Tags, Contacts and Landing pages counts, and the Changelog.
It is left out of CSV and PDF exports, email reports and the API.
Linkody stops checking it: no status checks, no metric updates.
It no longer counts toward your plan's link limit.
Its record is kept: date added, last live date, archive date, last status, tags, notes and change history (the last 6 months of changes, as for every link).
What archiving does not do
It does not delete the link. To remove it for good, delete it from the archive.
Automatic discovery does not add it back. Discovery adds one link per referring domain, and an archived link still holds that place: while it is archived, discovery adds no other link from the same referring domain.
In the Competitor Links and Link Intersect reports, an archived link still counts as a link you have.
Competitor links cannot be archived.
How to archive links
From a domain's Links report, or from the all-domains view:
One link: open the link menu (gear icon at the end of the row) and click Archive.
Several links: tick them, click the links selected button that appears, then click Archive. You can archive up to 100 links at a time (one page at the largest page size).
Archiving happens at once, with no confirmation, since nothing is lost. A message says how many links were archived, with a View archive link.
💡 Tip: to find links that have not been seen for a long time, use the Last live filter, then archive the results page by page.
Where to find archived links
At the top of the Links report, the Links (N) | Archived (N) tabs switch between your monitored links and the archive, for one domain or for all domains.
For each link the archive shows Referring page, Anchor and target URL, Site (all-domains view only), Added, Last live, Archived and Last status.
Last live: the last date Linkody found the link on the referring page. A dash means a prospect link, a link manually set to OK, or a link never checked. "never found" (or "never verified", for a site that blocks automated checks) means Linkody never found it there.
Last status: the link's status when it was archived ("never checked" if Linkody had not checked it yet). Archived links are not checked, so it does not change.
A link that was hidden over your limit when you archived it shows "Unarchive to view".
You can search (URL, anchor or target, with an option to exclude matches) and sort by column; the most recently archived come first. Export gives a CSV of the links that match your search.
Unarchiving links
Select links in the archive and click Unarchive, or use the link menu. Unarchiving needs room in your plan's link limit:
Enough room: every selected link returns to the Links report.
Some room: Linkody restores as many as fit, the oldest archived first, and says how many could not be restored (amber message).
No room: nothing is restored (red message). Make room by deleting or archiving other links, or upgrade your plan.
Linkody checks restored links again straight away. Until then a link shows its last status; if the link is no longer found, it keeps that status while Linkody verifies it.
Links hidden over your limit
Your account may have links that Linkody discovered after your plan's link limit was reached; they show as "Upgrade your plan to view". In that case each link you archive reveals one of them instead of freeing room. While hidden links remain there is no room to unarchive, and the message says how many links are hidden.
Deleting archived links
In the archive, select links and click Delete, or use the link menu. Linkody asks you to confirm, because deleting removes the link and its history for good. An archived link can only be deleted from the archive. Once deleted, the link is no longer known to Linkody: if automatic discovery finds it live again, it can come back as a new link.
Who can archive
The account owner, Managers and Link Builders (on their assigned domains) can archive, unarchive and delete. Unarchiving always uses the account owner's link limit.
Clients (on their assigned domains) and Observers can view the archive, without the actions.
During the trial, the archive's CSV export is unavailable, as it is for the Links report. When the trial or subscription has ended, archived links are masked ("Upgrade your plan to view").
More about roles: Managing users and roles.
Effect on other features
Email reports: archived links are left out of the monitored-links report (status changes, expiring links, prospect links).
Changelog and charts: while a link is archived, its changes are hidden from the Changelog, the Dashboard's new/lost links graph and the counters. Past figures can therefore change when you archive a link, as they do when you delete one; they come back when you unarchive it.
Adding links: adding a URL that is in your archive shows "This link is in your archive." with a link to it. Add multiple links and the CSV import skip such a URL as already monitored, and "Update existing links" does not change it.
Editing: an archived link cannot be edited or re-checked. Unarchive it first.
API: archived links are not returned. Requests for an archived link's ID return 404, and adding an archived URL returns a validation error. The API cannot archive or unarchive.
Domains and plans: deleting a domain also deletes its archived links. Plan changes leave archived links in the archive.
FAQ
Does archiving or unarchiving cost credits?
No. Archiving frees a place in your plan's link limit. Unarchiving takes one back, but does not use your link import quota.
Are archived links checked?
No. They are not checked and their metrics are not updated until you unarchive them.
What happens to the link's history?
It is kept while the link is archived and shows again when you unarchive it. As for every link, archived or not, Linkody keeps the last 6 months of changes. Deleting the link from the archive deletes its history at once.
Can links be archived automatically?
No. Archiving is manual, one link at a time or by selection.
Why was only part of my selection restored?
Your plan's link limit was reached. The oldest archived links are restored first.
Summary
Archive links you no longer need to monitor: they stop being checked, leave your reports and your plan's link limit, and keep their record. Unarchive them while your plan has room, or delete them from the archive for good.