Links like /root_url or "javascript void(0)" in your Shopify theme

Now and then we find a link whose address isn't an address at all: yourstore.com/root_url, yourstore.com/javascript void(0), or a bare #. Clicking it opens "Page not found" or does nothing.

Why it happens

• Someone edited the theme code and typed the name of a setting (root_url) as text, instead of using it to produce the real address.
• A button that should run a script was written as "javascript void(0)" without its colon, so the browser treats it as a page on your store.
• A theme section was added with its sample link still in place.

How to fix it

• Find the link on your live store and note the text around it (for example the footer heading it sits under).
• In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store and click Edit theme, open that section and set the link to a real page or collection.
• If the link isn't in the theme editor, it's in the theme code: ask whoever last edited your theme to fix it.

Check every link on your homepage after any theme edit or new app install. That's when placeholder links usually appear.

Catch it automatically

BugRadar's Pro plan checks the links beyond your menus every day: the announcement bar, homepage sections and footer icons. Pro comes with a 14-day free trial.