Are you looking to find copies of old websites or content on the web? It is not impossible. Did you know that 571 new websites are created every minute according to the IACP Center for Social Media? The Internet expands at a vertiginous speed but the average lifespan of a webpage is only 44 days. However, there are ways to retrieve content and information that can no longer be accessed through search engines or by typing a URL. Here is how to find old content on the web.

The Internet Wayback Machine

The Internet Wayback Machine was started in 1998 and has been saving screen captures of webpages ever since. The content saved by the Internet Wayback Machine is especially valuable because it often includes images, Javascript content and CSS. All you have to do is look up the URL of a specific webpage and the Internet Wayback Machine will retrieve the different screen captures that were taken for this URL.

The Archive-It Collections

The Archive-It Collections project archives content from government organizations and state agencies. The archive content is organized in collections that should be very useful if you are researching a specific topic. You can also look up keywords or enter the URL of a web page you would like to retrieve.

WebCite

WebCite has been archiving webpages since 2005. The webpages added to this archive have usually been mentioned in articles. This is a great option if you need sources or if you are researching a topic. WebCite does not allow you to look up keywords but you can look up a specific URL.

Google Cache

Have you ever noticed that Google includes a link to a cached version of webpages in search results? You will find a blue link that simply says ‘Cached’ under the description of a search result. If a page will not load because it is no longer available, try clicking on this link to access a cached text version of the page.

Bing, Yahoo, ZoomInfo or Ask Cache

If Google did not index the cached version of a webpage, other search engines might have it. You should try looking up the page you want to access on different search engines to see if a cached version of the page exists.

These five methods will help you retrieve content that is no longer available online. This could be a great way to research old cases, find legal information or do background research on an individual or company. Contact Law Father. We may be able to help you find and secure archived material on the web.