What is a Broken Link?
A broken link is a hyperlink that points to a page or resource that does not exist. Most often, these linked pages were deleted or moved without a redirection set up. When a user or crawler follows a broken link, the server returns a 404 (Not Found) or 410 (Gone) status code.
Types of Broken Links
In SEO, broken links are divided into two categories:
- Broken Outgoing Links: These are links from your page or website to other pages that no longer exist.
- Broken Backlinks: These are links to your website from other domains that no longer point to active pages.
Do Broken Links Hurt Your Website?
Having broken outgoing links and broken backlinks is common for any website due to the dynamic nature of the internet where pages and entire websites are frequently deleted or moved. However, having too many broken outgoing links can lead to a poor user experience and waste your crawl budget because 404 pages are “dead ends” for search engine crawlers.
Impact on User Experience
Too many broken links can frustrate visitors who expect to find useful content but end up on a dead-end page.
Impact on SEO
- Broken Outgoing Links: These can waste crawl budget and reduce the overall quality perception of your site.
- Broken Backlinks: These are missed opportunities as the link equity from these backlinks is wasted.
How to Find and Fix Broken Links on Your Website?
Finding Broken Links
To identify broken links, you can use various tools:
- Google Search Console: This tool can help you find broken links by generating a report on crawl errors.
- Ranktracker's Site Audit Tool: This tool can crawl your website and identify both internal and external broken links.
Fixing Broken Links
Fixing broken links is straightforward but can be time-consuming. Here are some methods:
- Replace the Broken Link: Find a relevant, live link to replace the broken one.
- Remove the Link: Simply remove the broken link if it no longer serves a purpose.
- Redirect the 404 Page: For broken internal links, redirect the 404 page to a relevant page.
How to Find and Fix Broken Backlinks?
To find broken backlinks, use a backlink checker tool that provides broken link checking opportunities, such as Ranktracker's Backlink Checker.
Fixing Broken Backlinks
Unlike broken links on your own site, you can’t simply edit broken backlinks. Here are some approaches:
- Reach Out for a Fix: Contact the linking website and ask them to update the link.
- Recreate the Deleted Page: Recreate the content that was on the broken page.
- Redirect the URL: Redirect the broken URL to a relevant, existing page on your site.
- Do Nothing: If the broken backlinks are not valuable, it may be acceptable to leave them as 404s.
Conclusion
Broken links can negatively impact both user experience and SEO. Regularly auditing your site for broken links and fixing them promptly is essential to maintaining a healthy website.
For more tips on managing broken links and improving your website's SEO, visit the Ranktracker Blog and explore our comprehensive SEO Guide. Additionally, familiarize yourself with key SEO terms and concepts in our SEO Glossary.
