What is a broken link?

What is a broken link?

A broken link is a hyperlink that no longer works and leads to a nonexistent or inaccessible page. When a user clicks on a broken link, they are usually redirected to a 404 page stating that the requested content cannot be found. Broken links can occur in both internal and external links and have a negative impact on the user experience and search engine optimization.

How do broken links occur?

Broken links can occur for a variety of reasons, including:

• Deleted pages. The linked page has been deleted without setting up a redirect.
• Incorrectly linked URLs. Typos or an incorrect URL structure result in a 404 error.
• Changes to URLs. If a page is assigned a new URL without a 301 redirect, the old link will break (it will then display a 404 error).

Why are broken links a problem?

Broken links not only harm the user experience, but can also have a negative impact on your SEO. The main drawbacks are:

1. A poor user experience. Users who don’t find the content they expect may become frustrated and leave your website.
2. A negative impact on SEO. Search engines view broken links as a sign of poor website maintenance. This can affect your site’s crawlability and ranking.
3. Loss of link equity. Backlinks to 404 pages no longer pass on value, which can reduce your authority.

How do you find broken links?

Identifying broken links is an important part of website maintenance. Use SEO tools such as:

• Google Search Console: This tool provides notifications about crawl issues, including 404 errors.
• Screaming Frog or ContentKing: These tools crawl your website and identify broken links.
• Ahrefs or SE Ranking: These tools analyze both internal and external broken links.

How do you fix broken links?

There are several ways to fix broken links:

• Correct the link if the error is caused by a typo or an incorrect link.
• Use a 301 redirect to redirect visitors and search engines to a relevant, working page.
• If the content no longer exists, update the link to an alternative page that provides the same value.
• Is there no other relevant URL on your website? If not, remove the link from the page.
• In addition, check your website regularly for broken links and make sure that any URL changes are always accompanied by a redirect.

Broken links and external links

Not only internal links, but also broken external links can be harmful. Check regularly to see if the external websites you use as sources still exist or are accessible. If they don’t, replace the link with another source or remove it.

Need help with technical SEO?

Broken links are hyperlinks that no longer work, which can frustrate users and negatively impact your SEO. By regularly checking your website and fixing broken links, you can improve both the user experience and your online visibility. Would you like help identifying and fixing broken links? The specialists at SmartRanking are happy to assist you. Contact us!