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Infrastructure

· 9 checks — DNS, redirects, IPv6, crawlability, URL variants, and domain intelligence rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
89
GRADE
B
FIX
0
REVIEW
4
PASS
5
INFO
0
Probed from New York, United Stated
301 Moved Permanently
Checks
9
5 PASS 4 REVIEW
B
Redirect Chain
2 redirect(s), 115 ms total
REVIEW
2 redirect(s), 115 ms total
Warning::
2 redirects before reaching final URL
Each redirect adds latency. Try to minimize the chain to 1 hop.
Info::
WWW normalization redirect
Info::
Cross-domain redirect detected

https://about.com

39 ms · HTTP/1.1

301

https://www.dotdashmeredith.com/

25 ms · HTTP/1.1

301

https://www.people.inc/

52 ms · HTTP/1.1 FINAL

#URLStatusTimeProtocolServer
1https://about.com30139 msHTTP/1.1cloudflare
2https://www.dotdashmeredith.com/30125 msHTTP/1.1cloudflare
3https://www.people.inc/20052 msHTTP/1.1cloudflare

See the visual redirect chain in the HTTP Probe tab →

Each redirect adds latency. Try to minimize the chain to 1 hop.

Why this matters

Redirect chain — each hop adds latency; combine into one redirect where possible.

Source: Google Search Central / web.dev

C
Crawlability
Action
robots.txt present, sitemap with 0 URLs
REVIEW
robots.txt present, sitemap with 0 URLs
Info::
robots.txt is present
Got: 10240 bytes
Info::
sitemap.xml is present
Warning::
sitemap.xml contains invalid XML
Search engines may not be able to parse the sitemap. Fix XML validation errors.
Warning::
sitemap.xml is empty — no URLs found
An empty sitemap provides no value. Add <url> entries for your pages.
Info::
robots.txt does not reference a sitemap
Add a 'Sitemap:' directive to robots.txt so search engines can discover your sitemap.

Search engines may not be able to parse the sitemap. Fix XML validation errors.

Why this matters

An unparseable sitemap is silently ignored by Google — the URLs it advertises are never queued for crawl.

Learn more ▾

Google's sitemap parser is strict about XML validity. A single unescaped `&` or unclosed tag invalidates the whole file. Run your sitemap through a validator (Search Console's Sitemaps report flags it) and fix the offending entry. Most generators escape correctly; mistakes usually come from manually-written entries.

Source: sitemaps.org / Google Search Central

An empty sitemap provides no value. Add <url> entries for your pages.

Why this matters

An empty sitemap signals 'no content to index' to Google — actively harmful versus having no sitemap at all.

Learn more ▾

Google compares URLs in the sitemap against URLs it has crawled. An empty sitemap on a site with thousands of pages signals abandonment. Either populate it correctly (most CMSes auto-generate) or delete the file and let Google crawl normally.

Source: Google Search Central / sitemaps.org

Add a 'Sitemap:' directive to robots.txt so search engines can discover your sitemap.

Why this matters

robots.txt omits Sitemap: directive — crawlers must fetch /sitemap.xml by convention; reliable but missing the explicit hint.

Source: sitemaps.org

robots.txt 200 OK
Size 10240 B Sitemaps referenced 0 User-agents Blocking No — crawling allowed
<!DOCTYPE html><html  lang="en"><head><meta charset="utf-8"><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>People Inc. - America&#x27;s Largest Digital &amp; Print Publisher</title><link rel="preconnect" href="https://images.prismic.io" crossorigin="anonymous"><link rel="preconnect" href="https://www.googletagmanager.com" crossorigin="anonymous"><link rel="preconnect" href="https://cdn.jwplayer.com" crossorigin="anonymous"><script>
            // Enable skeleton functionality when JS is available
            document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
              // Show skeleton placeholders
              const skeletons = document.querySelectorAll('.skeleton-placeholder');
              skeletons.forEach(skeleton => {
                skeleton.style.display = 'block';
              });
              
              // Add a class to indicate JS is enabled
              document.documentElement.classList.add('js-enabled');
            });
          </script><style>
            /* Critical above-the-fold styles */
            body { 
              font-family: 'Instrument Sans', sans-serif; 
              margin: 0; 
              padding: 0; 
              line-height: 1.6;
              background-color: #ffffff;
            }
           
            .mercury-image { 
              width: 100%; 
              height: auto; 
              display: block;
            }
            .text-media-lockup { 
              display: block; 
              width: 100%;
            }
            /* Hide skeleton placeholders only when JS is disabled */
            .skeleton-placeholder { 
              display: none; 
            }
            /* Ensure content is visible without JS */
            [v-cloak] { 
              display: block !important; 
            }

            /* Basic layout */
            .container {
              max-width: 1200px;
              margin: 0 auto;
              padding: 0 1rem;
            }
          </style><style type="text/css" data-source="cms-style-block">.timeline-title {
  background-color: #131920;
  color: #f6f6f6;
} .timeline-title .richtext > h2 {
  margin: 0;
font-size: 24px;
  font-weight: 700;
  padding-top: 16px;
  padding-bottom: 16px;
} .player-container .jw-wrapper {
  background-color: #131920;
} .essential-brands .text-block-one-col__header-wrapper {
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  align-items: center;
  margin-bottom: 0 !important;
}
.essential-brands .mercury-text.richtext h2 {
    width: 100%;
  }
@media (min-width: 1200px) {
  .essential-brands .mercury-text.richtext h2 {
    width: max-content;
  }
}
.essential-brands .text-block-one-col__header-wrapper .mercury-text.richtext {
  margin-bottom: 16px;
}

@media (min-width: 1040px) {
  .essential-brands .text-block-one-col__header-wrapper .mercury-text.richtext {
    margin: 0;
  }
}
.essential-brands * {
  font-size: 70px !important;
}

@media (min-width: 640px) {
  .essential-brands * {
    font-size: 100px !important;
  }
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
  .essential-brands * {
    font-size: 120px !important;
  }
}

@media (min-width: 1040px) {
  .essential-brands * {
    font-size: 110px !important;
  }
}

@media (min-width: 1280px) {
  .essential-brands * {
    font-size: 130px !important;
  }
} .main-content {
  padding-bottom: 0 !important;
} .timeline-title.c-margin {
  margin-top: 0 !important;
} .theme-landing .logo-collage.c-margin {
  margin-top: -10px;
  margin-bottom: 20px !important;
} .theme-landing .essential-brands.c-margin {
  margin-top: 40px !important;
  margin-bottom: 20px !important;
}
@media (min-width: 1280px) {
  .theme-landing .essential-brands.c-margin {
    margin-top: 80px !important;
  }
}
.essential-brands {
 margin: 20px 0 !important;
}
.theme-landing .top-banner h2 {
  font-size: 20px !important;
}</style><style>.theme-advertising .tbl-intent-driven img,.theme-advertising .tml-ddm-studios img,.theme-advertising .tml-intent-inspiration img,.theme-advertising .tml-intent-lives img,.theme-dcipher img,.theme-landing img{display:block;height:100%;-o-object-fit:cover;object-fit:cover;width:100%}.richtext h1{font:normal var(--hg-font-weight-lion) var(--hg-font-size-lion)/var(--hg-font-lineheight-0) var(--hg-font-family-lion);font-feature-settings:var(--hg-font-feature-settings-lion,var(--hg-font-feature-settings));font-variant-ligatures:var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures-lion,var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures));margin-top:0}.richtext h2{font:normal var(--hg-font-weight-zebra) var(--hg-font-size-zebra)/var(--hg-font-lineheight-0) var(--hg-font-family-zebra);font-feature-settings:var(--hg-font-feature-settings-zebra,var(--hg-font-feature-settings));font-variant-ligatures:var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures-zebra,var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures));margin-bottom:1rem}.richtext h3{font:normal var(--hg-font-weight-camel) var(--hg-font-size-camel)/var(--hg-font-lineheight-1) var(--hg-font-family-camel);font-feature-settings:var(--hg-font-feature-settings-camel,var(--hg-font-feature-settings));font-variant-ligatures:var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures-camel,var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures));margin-top:0}.richtext h4{font:normal var(--hg-font-weight-dog) var(--hg-font-size-dog)/var(--hg-font-lineheight-2) var(--hg-font-family-dog);font-feature-settings:var(--hg-font-feature-settings-dog,var(--hg-font-feature-settings));font-variant-ligatures:var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures-dog,var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures));margin-bottom:0}.richtext h5{font:normal var(--hg-font-weight-rabbit) var(--hg-font-size-rabbit)/var(--hg-font-lineheight-1) var(--hg-font-family-rabbit);font-feature-settings:var(--hg-font-feature-settings-rabbit,var(--hg-font-feature-settings));font-variant-ligatures:var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures-rabbit,var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures));margin-bottom:0}.richtext h6{font:normal var(--hg-font-weight-squirrel) var(--hg-font-size-squirrel)/var(--hg-font-lineheight-1) var(--hg-font-family-squirrel);font-feature-settings:var(--hg-font-feature-settings-squirrel,var(--hg-font-feature-settings));font-variant-ligatures:var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures-squirrel,var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures));margin-bottom:0}.richtext p{font:normal var(--hg-font-weight-cat) var(--hg-font-size-cat)/var(--hg-font-lineheight-3) var(--hg-font-family-cat);font-feature-settings:var(--hg-font-feature-settings-cat,var(--hg-font-feature-settings));font-variant-ligatures:var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures-cat,var(--hg-font-variant-ligatures));margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0}@font-face{font-display:swap;font-family:Instrument Sans Condensed;font-style:normal;font-weight:700;src:url(/fonts/InstrumentSans_Condensed-Bold.woff2) format("woff2")}@font-face{font-display:swap;font-family:Instrument Sans Condensed;font-style:italic;font-weight:700;src:url(/fonts/InstrumentSans_Condensed-BoldItalic.woff2) format("woff2")}@font-face{font-display:swap;font-family:Instrument Sans Condensed;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;src:url(/fonts/InstrumentSans_Condensed-Italic.woff2) format("woff2")}@font-face{font-display:swap;font-family:Instrument Sans Condensed;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;src:url(/fonts/InstrumentSans_Condensed-Regular.woff2) format("woff2")}@font-face{font-display:swap;font-family:Manuka Black;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;src:url(/fonts/manuka-black.woff2) format("woff2")}@font-face{font-display:swap;font-family:Manuka Bold;font-style:normal;font-weight:600;src:url(/fonts/manuka-bold.woff2) format("woff2")}@font-face{font-display:swap;font-family:Manuka Medium;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;src:url(/fonts/manuka-medium.woff2) format("woff2")}@font-face{font-display:swap;font-family:Manuka Light;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;src:url(/fonts/manuka-light.woff2) format("woff2")}@font-face{font-display:swap;font-family:Manuka Regular;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;src:url(/fonts/manuka-regular.woff2) format("woff2")}@font-face{font-display:swap;font-family:Manuka Thin;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;src:url(/fonts/manuka-thin.woff2) format("woff2")}@font-face{font-display:swap;font-family:Manuka Ultra;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;src:url(/fonts/manuka-ultra.woff2) format("woff2")}:root{--hg-font-primary:"Instrument Sans",sans-serif;--hg-font-secondary:"Instrument Sans Condensed",var(--hg-font-primary);--hg-font-family-lion:var(--hg-font-primary);--hg-font-family-zebra:var(--hg-font-primary);--hg-font-family-camel:var(--hg-font-primary);--hg-font-family-goat:var(--hg-font-primary);--hg-font-family-gorilla:var(--hg-font-primary);--hg-font-family-monkey:var(--hg-font-primary);--hg-font-family-dog:var(--hg-font-primary);--hg-font-family-cat:var(--hg-font-primary);--hg-font-family-rabbit:var(--hg-font-primary);--hg-font-family-mouse:var(--hg-font-primary);--hg-font-family-squirrel:var(--hg-font-primary);--hg-font-size-lion:2.1875rem;--hg-font-size-zebra:2rem;--hg-font-size-camel:1.75rem;--hg-font-size-goat:1.75rem;--hg-font-size-gorilla:1.75rem;--hg-font-size-monkey:1.75rem;--hg-font-size-dog:1.625rem;--hg-font-size-cat:1.1875rem;--hg-font-size-rabbit:1rem;--hg-font-size-squirrel:.875rem;--hg-font-size-mouse:.75rem;--hg-font-weight-lion:700;--hg-font-weight-zebra:700;--hg-font-weight-camel:700;--hg-font-weight-goat:700;--hg-font-weight-gorilla:700;--hg-font-weight-monkey:700;--hg-font-weight-dog:700;--hg-font-weight-cat:400;--hg-font-weight-rabbit:400;--hg-font-weight-squirrel:400;--hg-font-weight-mouse:400;--hg-font-variant-ligatures:normal;--hg-font-feature-settings:normal;--hg-color-primary:#000;--hg-color-secondary:#ffd400;--hg-color-secondary-bold:#f83f25;--hg-color-tertiary:#d03f2b;--hg-color-darkest:#000;--hg-color-lightest:#fff;--hg-color-muted:#f7f7f7;--hg-color-primary-rgb:0,0,0;--hg-color-secondary-rgb:255,212,0;--hg-color-tertiary-rgb:208,63,43;--hg-color-background:#e5e5e5;--hg-color-background-darkest:var(--hg-color-primary);--hg-color-info-emphasis:#d03f2b;--hg-color-info-muted:#e6eefa;--hg-color-text:#000;--hg-color-text-darkest:#000;--hg-color-text-lightest:#fff;--hg-color-text-muted:#616161;--hg-color-text-highlight:#d03f2b;--hg-color-text-heading:var(--hg-color-text);--hg-color-text-title:var(--hg-color-text-darkest);--hg-color-text-cta-title:var(--hg-color-secondary);--hg-color-tex
sitemap.xml 200 OK
Type URL Set URLs 0 entries Valid XML No
B
TLS Certificate Expiry & Recommendations
86 days until leaf cert expires — 5 issues to address
REVIEW

Certificate validity

86
days left
0d 30d 60d 90d+

Recommended actions

  • Extend HSTS max-age to at least 31536000 (1 year) to meet the preload list criteria
  • Add includeSubDomains to the HSTS directive
  • Add the preload directive and submit to hstspreload.org once max-age + includeSubDomains are in place
  • Enable DNSSEC on your domain for DNS spoofing protection
  • Enable OCSP stapling on your TLS server to remove a CA roundtrip and protect user privacy
B
CDN & Delivery
Cloudflare
REVIEW
Cloudflare
Info::
Site is served via Cloudflare CDN (edge: EWR)
Got: cf-ray: 9efe9c0a289fc481-EWR
CDN Detected: Cloudflare
Provider Cloudflare Evidence cf-ray: 9efe9c0a289fc481-EWR
A+
DNS Records
2 A records, 7 ms lookup
PASS
2 A records, 7 ms lookup
Info::
Resolves to 2 IPv4 address(es)
Got: 172.66.1.220, 162.159.141.224
Info::
Has 2 IPv6 (AAAA) record(s)
Got: 2a06:98c1:58::1d8, 2606:4700:7::1d8
Info::
3 nameserver(s) configured
Got: blue.foundationdns.com, blue.foundationdns.net, blue.foundationdns.org
Info::
5 mail exchanger(s) configured
Info::
CAA records not checked
CAA record lookup requires a specialized DNS resolver. This check will be available in a future update.
Info::
SPF record present in TXT
Info::
DNS resolution time: 7 ms
Got: 7 ms
A172.66.1.220, 162.159.141.224
AAAA2a06:98c1:58::1d8, 2606:4700:7::1d8
CNAME—
NSblue.foundationdns.com, blue.foundationdns.net, blue.foundationdns.org
MX
10 aspmx.l.google.com
20 alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
30 alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
40 aspmx2.googlemail.com
50 aspmx3.googlemail.com
TXT
_globalsign-domain-verification=ojigih5w0ef57wjvnpzdo5a4culsziquhumcdqksj2
adobe-idp-site-verification=4d443bb146b2a60fc0c0216c899a6ef9baa971cc3c36ac4b3020...
airtable-verification=7f23bd05102c5a2c073b0d0689ecaf71
atlassian-domain-verification=uutqhyge655rxaicqp-iayc/q7ggtojzidouyp0rb7n8oudp4q...
facebook-domain-verification=rf8ocdhxrznl039sodxk5mul9of8l7
globalsign-domain-verification=w4_cm6jggwq8dxcwhkis6ltg0lzij1oizfjnoapv_d
google-site-verification=nabvdaatpqecskkkchqujsdsjagdkyi4dg5-vj-bcrw
openai-domain-verification=dv-7ma37immfvwqj1fwgsn676a6
slack-domain-verification=op2dusosy3seuyxvj1tjafq1nwifizeevpkitpnr
SPF v=spf1 ip4 64.125.213.247 ip4 216.223.13.247 ip4 34.194.76.185 ip4 35.164.185.21...
CAALookup not available with standard resolver
Resolved in 7 ms

CAA record lookup requires a specialized DNS resolver. This check will be available in a future update.

Why this matters

Informational: CAA (Certification Authority Authorization) records weren't checked in this scan.

A+
IPv6 Readiness
IPv6 reachable (1 ms)
PASS
IPv6 reachable (1 ms)
Info::
IPv6 is configured and reachable at 2a06:98c1:58::1d8, 2606:4700:7::1d8
Got: 1 ms connect
IPv6 Ready
AAAA Records 2a06:98c1:58::1d8, 2606:4700:7::1d8 Connection Reachable (1 ms)
A+
URL Variants
www/non-www, trailing slash, HTTP→HTTPS
PASS
www/non-www, trailing slash, HTTP→HTTPS
Info::
HTTP correctly 301-redirects to HTTPS

www / non-www

https://www.about.com/
200https://about.com/

HTTP → HTTPS

301http://about.com/ → https://www.dotdashmeredith.com/

Consistent

A+
Domain Intelligence
about.com — via MarkMonitor Inc., 27 years, 6 months old
PASS
about.com — via MarkMonitor Inc., 27 years, 6 months old
Info::
Domain registered until Mar 12, 2027 (10 months remaining)
Info::
DNSSEC is not enabled
DNSSEC protects against DNS spoofing attacks. While not required, enabling DNSSEC adds an additional layer of security. Contact your DNS provider to enable it.
Info::
Registrar: MarkMonitor Inc.
Warning::
Registrar lock is NOT enabled
The domain can be transferred without an unlock step. Enable registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited) in your registrar's control panel to protect against unauthorized or accidental transfers.
Domain expiry

271 days

March 12, 2027

SSL certificate

86 days

Issued by Let's Encrypt

Domain age

27 years, 6 months

Registered March 12, 1999

DNSSEC

Not enabled

Protects against DNS spoofing

Hosting

Unknown

2a06:98c1:58::1d8

Registrar

MarkMonitor Inc.

Unlocked 3 NS records
Expiry timeline
Today
+1 year
Domain expiry SSL expiry Danger zone (≤30 days)
Recommended actions
  • Enable DNSSEC to protect visitors from DNS spoofing
  • Enable registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited) to block unauthorized domain transfers
Registrar MarkMonitor Inc.
Created March 12, 1999 (27 years, 6 months ago)
Expires March 12, 2027 (10 months)
Last Updated February 8, 2026
Name Servers blue.foundationdns.com, blue.foundationdns.net, blue.foundationdns.org
DNSSEC Not enabled
Hosting
IP Address 2a06:98c1:58::1d8
Data source: rdap (0.0s)

DNSSEC protects against DNS spoofing attacks. While not required, enabling DNSSEC adds an additional layer of security. Contact your DNS provider to enable it.

Why this matters

Without DNSSEC, an attacker who can poison your DNS can hijack your domain — and SSL certs alone don't stop them.

Learn more ▾

DNSSEC adds cryptographic signatures to DNS records, preventing forged responses from poisoning resolver caches. Without it, an attacker who controls the network path can redirect your domain to a malicious server before any HTTPS handshake happens. Most modern registrars (Cloudflare, Google Domains, Route 53) enable it with one toggle.

Source: ICANN / RFC 4033

The domain can be transferred without an unlock step. Enable registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited) in your registrar's control panel to protect against unauthorized or accidental transfers.

Why this matters

Without registrar lock, an attacker who phishes your registrar credentials can transfer the domain in minutes — total brand hijack.

Learn more ▾

Registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited, clientUpdateProhibited, clientDeleteProhibited) requires extra verification before any transfer/update/delete. Every major registrar offers it free. Combined with 2FA on your registrar account, it's the strongest defense against domain hijacking.

Source: ICANN / domain-security best practice

A+
HTTP Probe Timing
Total 60 ms — DNS, TCP, TLS, TTFB, content transfer breakdown
PASS
DNS Lookup DNS Lookup — time to resolve the domain name to an IP address.
6 ms
TCP Connect TCP Connect — time to establish a TCP connection to the server.
1 ms
TLS Handshake TLS Handshake — time to complete the HTTPS encryption handshake.
10 ms
Time to First Byte Time to First Byte — how long the server takes to respond with the first byte of data.
60 ms
Total Time Total request time from DNS lookup through full response.
60 ms

Connection waterfall

DNS Lookup 6 ms TCP Connect 1 ms TLS Handshake 10 ms Server Processing 43 ms Content Transfer 0 ms
All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.

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