How to Fix Broken Links and Improve Your Website

Fix Broken Link on Website

When a visitor is browsing through your website, they want a smooth and easy experience. With a seamless experience, a visitor is more likely to stay on your website for longer this will also help you to improve your ranking on search engines. This is why when a link on your website is broken and leads to an error page, it can frustrate the visitor and significantly impact your SEO. In this guide, let’s learn what broken links are, and how to find and fix broken links to improve your website

What Are Broken Links?

A Broken Link also known as a dead link is a hyperlink that lands on a page or resource that does not exist. When the user clicks on a broken link, the server returns with an error message, typically “404 Not Found” or “410 Gone”. Often, these linked pages are either deleted or moved without a redirection set up. In SEO, broken links can occur on your website (internal links) or when linking to other websites (external links). 

Why Do Links Become Broken?

Several reasons can cause broken links: 

  1. Deleted Pages: When the content is deleted or moved to a new URL without updating the old link. 
  2. Typos or Incorrectly Formatted URLs: It will lead to a 400 bad request error which occurs when there’s a problem with the URL. 
  3. Website Redesign: When you move your website to a new platform or redesign your site it can often change the URL which leads to broken links. 
  4. Invalid External Links: If an external link on your website has been deleted or changed, it leads to a broken link.
  5. Broken Images or Files: Links to images or PDFs can break when the image or PDF has been moved or deleted.

What Impact Do Broken Links Have?

  1. Poor User Experience: When visitors click on a link that leads to a 404 page, it can be frustrating for them as they expect seamless navigation while browsing the net. This may cause them to leave your site leading to higher bounce rates. 
  2. Crawl Issues:  Google’s site crawlers also called search engine bots crawl the web by following the links between pages. When the bot hits a broken link, it creates a crawl error. This means that your page can’t be fully crawled and indexed in search engines. 
  3. Loss of Link Equity: If you have broken links that point to external or internal pages, you are wasting valuable link equity which can considerably reduce the SEO benefit of your backlinks.
  4. Loss of Potential Customers: If your link to a product or contact page is broken, you could end up losing potential customers which can affect your revenue. 
  5. Increased Bounce rates: A visitor is unlikely to come back after having a bad experience on your website. This will lead to fewer traffic on your site.

How to Find Broken Links on Your Website

Here’s how to find broken links on your website: 

  1. Google Search Console: Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool by Google that allows website owners to monitor their site’s presence in the search results. 
  2. Site Audit Platforms: You can use site Audit platforms like Semrush’s or Ahrefs’ Site Explorer to identify more than 140 technical and on-page issues including broken links. You can also set up regular site checks to stay on top of problems that may arise. 
  3. Browser Extensions: Browser extensions like Check My Links and Broken Link Checker will automatically check for links on pages as you browse and highlight broken ones.
  4. Manual Checks: Another way to find broken links on your website is by manually reviewing site menus and pages to check for broken links or images. This can be quite tedious and time-consuming but it will give you a perspective on the user experience on broken links.

How Do I Fix Broken Links?

Now that you’ve identified the cause behind broken links, it is time to fix it. Here’s how you can fix broken links: 

  1. Redirect Broken Links (301 Redirects) A common way to fix broken links is to set up a 301 redirect which will send your visitors from the broken links to a new and relevant page. This helps you to maintain the link equity and ensures your visitors find what they are looking for. You can use 301 redirects for pages that have been permanently moved or deleted and 302 redirects for temporary relocations.
  2. Update Internal LinksTo fix broken internal links, the best solution is to either update the link to the correct page or remove it if the content no longer exists. Making sure that internal links are fresh helps visitors and search engines to easily navigate your site. 
  3. Fix External LinksIf you have linked to an external site that no longer exists or the page has been removed, you should find an alternative site that is similar to the one you had initially linked or you should remove the link if there are no similar links available. 
  4. Use a Custom 404 PageUse a custom 404 page that is user-friendly and provides suggestions or a search function that can help guide users to other relevant pages on your site, reducing bounce rates.
  5.  Fix Typos or Formatting errors in the URLIf the reason for your broken link is due to a typo or an incorrectly formatted URL, you can easily fix the error in the URL to fix your broken link. It is recommended to check for mistakes or typos in the URLs before linking them to the site.

Conclusion

Broken links can adversely impact your website’s performance and user experience. Regularly check for and fix broken links to avoid bounce rates and boost your SEO rankings. Contact Webtech Digital Marketing for expert website optimization and SEO services. We can help you fix your broken links, boost your online presence, and increase your website traffic. 

Ready to skyrocket your online presence? Let’s team up! We’re here to supercharge your online presence, boost your brand, and help you connect with your potential audience like never before. Let’s make your digital dreams a reality!
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