How to Report a Website to Web Relics

Updated

Web Relics provides a “Report a website” action on its homepage, and that is the entry point to use when you want to flag a site for the collection. The site describes itself as a place to “explore forgotten corners of the early internet,” so the report action fits sites from the 90s and early 2000s — fan pages, personal blogs, and classic web gems. The available site information confirms the action exists but does not document the exact form fields, so treat the steps below as the practical path and expect to supply at least the site’s URL and a short note on why it belongs.

Before you start

Have these ready so the report is useful:

  • The URL of the site you are reporting, ideally the original address rather than an archive copy.
  • A one- or two-sentence description of what the site is and why it counts as an early-internet relic.
  • Context on its era, if you know it — for example, a fan page last updated in 1999 or a personal blog from the early 2000s.
  • A note on the site’s condition, such as whether it is still live, partly broken, or only reachable through an archive.

Steps to report a website

  1. Open webrelics.org. The homepage carries the “Report a website” action alongside the main “WEB RELICS” heading.
  2. Select “Report a website.” This starts the reporting flow.
  3. Enter the site’s URL in the field provided. Paste the full address, including http:// or https:// if you have it, so the destination is unambiguous.
  4. Add a short description. Explain what the site is and why it belongs in a collection of forgotten early-internet pages. One or two sentences is enough; specifics about the era or the type of page help more than generic praise.
  5. Submit the report and note any confirmation message the site returns.

How to verify the report went through

After submitting, check for an on-screen confirmation. If the flow returns you to the homepage without a message, that is not proof of failure — but it also is not proof of success. Because the site does not publish a public queue or status page in the available information, the reliable check is to revisit the site later and see whether the reported page appears in the collection. Keep your own note of what you submitted and when, so you can compare.

Common snags

  • Reporting an archive link instead of the original. If you only have a Wayback Machine or similar copy, say so in the description rather than presenting the archive URL as the original site.
  • Vague descriptions. “Cool old site” gives an editor nothing to act on. Name the type of page and the rough period.
  • Dead or partially broken sites. These can still be worth reporting, but flag the condition so the report is not mistaken for a broken-link complaint.
  • Assuming the report is a takedown request. The action is described as “Report a website” for the collection; if your goal is to flag a problem with a listed page, state that clearly in your description so it is not read as a submission.

What the report is for

Use the action in two situations: to suggest a forgotten site for inclusion, or to flag an issue with a site already in the collection. The homepage pairs “Report a website” with “Make me feel old,” which signals the intended spirit — surfacing pages that evoke the early web. Reports that match that spirit, with a clear URL and a concrete reason, are the ones most likely to be acted on.