Broken Links. What are they and how to solve them

Broken Links: An In-Depth Guide with 1stPageBoost, Your SEO Agency

Introduction

Have you ever clicked on a link that you believed would take you to valuable content only to be greeted by a “Page Not Found” message? This is due to a broken link, which can negatively impact your website’s user experience and SEO performance. But don’t worry—1stPageBoost is here to assist. We’ll go over all the information you need to know about broken links and how to fix them to keep the SEO health of your website.

What are “broken links”?

Broken links are those that no longer work or direct you to a nonexistent website. They could occur for a variety of reasons, which we’ll discuss below. Let’s start by understanding the causes of broken links.

Causes of Broken Links

There are several factors that can cause broken links:

1. Deleted or moved pages
2. Incorrect URL entry
3. Domain name changes
4. Misspellings
5. Linking to content behind a login or paywall

Types of Broken Links

Broken links can be classified into two main categories:

1. Internal broken links: These are links within your website that point to other pages on the same site.
2. External broken links: These are links that point to other websites.

Impact of Broken Links

Broken links can affect various aspects of your website, including:

On Users

Broken links can make the user experience bad because they make visitors frustrated and disappointed when they can’t get to the content they want.

On SEO

Search engines like Google penalize websites with broken links, as they’re seen as indicators of poor maintenance and low-quality content. This can lead to lower search engine rankings.

On Your Brand

Broken links can hurt the reputation of your brand because they make your website look unprofessional and sketchy.

How to Identify Broken Links

These techniques can be used to find broken links on your website:

Manual Check

It takes a lot of time to manually go through your website and click on each link, but if you have a small website, you can do it.

Online Tools

There are numerous online resources that can assist you in finding broken links on your website, including Broken Link Checker, Screaming Frog, and Ahrefs.

Google Search Console

Another great resource for identifying broken links is the Google Search Console. The list of crawl errors, which includes 404 (Not Found) pages, can be used to find and fix broken links on your website.

How to Fix Broken Links

Once you’ve identified broken links on your website, it’s time to take action and fix them.

Fixing Internal Broken Links

For internal broken links, you can:

1. Update the link to point to the correct page, if it exists.
2. Remove the link if the page no longer exists and there’s no suitable alternative.
3. Create a new page with relevant content if it’s essential to maintain the link.

Fixing External Broken Links

For external broken links, you can:

1. Update the link to point to the correct external page, if it still exists.
2. Replace the broken link with a link to a similar, high-quality resource.
3. Remove the link entirely if no suitable alternative is available.

Preventing Future Broken Links

To prevent future broken links, you can:

1. Regularly audit your website for broken links.
2. Use a content management system (CMS) that automatically checks for broken links.
3. Be cautious when entering URLs and double-check them before publishing.

1stPageBoost as an SEO Agency

As an SEO agency, 1stPageBoost is here to help you with your broken link issues. Our services include:

Link Auditing

To find any broken links that might be affecting your SEO and user experience, our team will conduct a thorough audit of your website.

Link Repair

Whether they are internal or external, we can assist you in fixing broken links to keep your website’s SEO in good standing and to improve user experience.

Ongoing Monitoring

In order to maintain your website’s upkeep and search engine optimization, 1stPageBoost will continue to check it for any future instances of broken links.

Conclusion

On your website’s user experience, SEO performance, and general brand reputation, broken links can have a big impact. You can raise the search engine ranking of your website and ensure a good user experience by finding and fixing broken links. Your SEO company, 1stPageBoost, can assist you in resolving broken link issues and maintaining the functionality of your website.

FAQs

1. How often should I check my website for broken links?

You should at least once a month check your website for broken links. The frequency, however, might change based on the size of your website and how frequently you update its content.

2. Can broken links affect my website’s loading speed?

Broken links by themselves have no direct effect on how quickly your website loads. They might, however, contribute to a bad user experience, which might prompt visitors to your website to leave more quickly.

3. Are broken links the same as dead links?

Yes, the terms “broken links” and “dead links” are interchangeable when referring to hyperlinks that are inoperable or point to erroneous web pages.

4. What is the difference between a 404 error and a broken link?

An HTTP status code of 404 indicates that the server does not have the requested web page. A broken link is a hyperlink that points to a page that doesn’t exist on the internet; this frequently produces a 404 error.

5. Can 301 redirects help me fix broken links?

Yes, 301 redirects can be used to fix broken links by permanently redirecting the old URL to a new, relevant page. This approach is especially useful for addressing broken links caused by deleted or moved pages.