(A PSA for website owners who prefer chaos, amnesia, and broken links)
The Internet Archive just released a WordPress plugin that automatically preserves your content, fixes broken links, and prevents your website from melting into a 404 graveyard. Naturally, responsible developers and SEO nerds everywhere are excited.
But what about the rest of us — the proud website owners who thrive on danger, love deleting things accidentally, and prefer that our digital history dies with us?
Here are five compelling reasons you should definitely NOT install this plugin.
1. You Need the Freedom to Pretend Your Bad Ideas Never Happened
The plugin automatically archives your posts every time you update them, meaning there will be an immortal record of your old headlines like:
- “10 Crypto Tokens That Will Make You A Millionaire By Thursday”
- “Why My Ex Was Wrong About Everything”
- “Our Company Values: Disruption, Honesty, Casual Arson”
If someone can actually look up your past designs, content, or opinions, how will you reinvent yourself as a visionary thought leader?
Do you really want to live in a world where the Internet remembers?
2. You’re Counting on a Total Website Meltdown to Force the Rebrand You’ve Been Avoiding
Losing your entire website in a catastrophic failure is an opportunity:
- New domain!
- New logo!
- New tagline!
- New personality!
It’s the digital version of faking your own death and moving to another state under a new name.
But this plugin might ruin that fantasy by quietly, boringly backing up your content so you can recover from disasters in minutes. Where’s the drama in that?
3. You’re Proud of Your Broken Links and Don’t Want Anyone Fixing Them
The plugin automatically detects broken links and replaces them with archived versions.
But broken links serve many important functions:
- They tell visitors, “We gave up years ago.”
- They show Google you’ve accepted the inevitability of decay.
- They help users reflect on the passing of time.
Plus, nothing says “professional website” like clicking a promising link and being transported to a blank white page announcing the death of your hopes and dreams.
4. You Don’t Want Evidence That Your Business Has Existed Longer Than Your Lunch Order
Apparently, having archived versions of your site makes you look “established,” “trustworthy,” and “serious.”
But your brand identity is:
- Fast
- Agile
- Could disappear at any moment
You don’t want customers to see 8 years of archived pages. You want them to wonder:
- “Is this a real company?”
- “Will they still exist tomorrow?”
- “Should I send money to them?”
Mystery is a powerful marketing tool.
5. You Enjoy Manually Checking 4,000 Links at 2 A.M.
The plugin automatically scans links, creates snapshots, and handles replacements.
But maybe you like:
- Manually clicking every link on your site
- Copying URLs into your browser like a medieval scribe
- Screaming into a pillow at 2:47 A.M. because the New York Times changed its URL structure again
Automation steals the joy of suffering.
Bonus Reason: Your Competitors Should Never See What You Deleted
The Internet Archive makes it easy to see how a competitor’s site changed over time.
Using the plugin could accidentally help them.
Imagine the horror if a rival brand learned:
- You used to sell vape-scented candles
- You once offered “SEO coaching for pets”
- Your first logo was Comic Sans in neon green
Better to disappear quietly and let everyone move on.
**Conclusion:
Embrace Impermanence, Celebrate Decay, Reject Backups**
Installing this plugin ensures:
- Your work is preserved
- Your links are reliable
- Your SEO doesn’t erode
- Your business looks legitimate
And honestly, who wants any of that?
If you value spontaneity, instability, and the raw thrill of digital collapse, stay strong:
- Don’t back up your site.
- Don’t preserve your content.
- Don’t fix broken links.
Let the Internet rot naturally.
It’s the way the web was meant to be.