Imagine while you are reading a blog, you click on a link that is supposed to take you to a different topic but you are met with a broken 404 page. Relatable. isn’t it? Well, it can be frustrating and annoying for the readers visiting that website which might make them lose interest.
A broken link is a dead hyperlink that points to a page within the same website but no longer exists. Broken links return a 404 error, indicating the page cannot be found.
There are also broken backlinks, which are essentially links that point from one website to another. If broken, evaluated backlinks can diminish the effectiveness of your link-building efforts and harm your website's reputation with both users and search engines.
Broken links can appear in different forms. Identifying and understanding these types will help you implement the right solution. Here are some types you may have come across:
404 Errors: These occur when the linked page is no longer available, leading to a "Page Not Found" error.
Incorrect URLs: When the URL has a typo or formatting error, it makes it impossible to reach the intended page.
Moved Content: The content of the linked page is moved to a different URL without proper redirects, which results in a broken link.
Blocked Pages: The linked page is restricted, such as requiring login credentials, being behind a paywall, or blocked by a firewall.
Expired Domains: The domain of the linked site expires or is no longer active, all links pointing to it become broken.
400 Bad Request: the host server cannot understand the URL on your page
Even though broken links don’t have a huge impact on your website, they are still an important factor that drives traffic.
Internal links are essential to pass link juice between the different pages of a website, helping to distribute authority and improve SEO across the site.
On the other hand, external links serve to establish credibility and relevance by connecting your content with valuable resources and authoritative sources outside your domain.
Here are some key reasons why broken links are detrimental:
When users click on a broken link, it can lead to frustration and a poor user experience. This can cause visitors to leave the site, reducing engagement and increasing the bounce rate for that page. Google considers the bounce rate when ranking pages: if it's lower, Google values the page more highly and ranks it higher in search results. Conversely, a higher bounce rate can lead to lower rankings.
Search engines view broken links as a sign of poor website maintenance. A site with many broken links can be perceived as outdated or neglected, which can negatively affect its search engine ranking. Search engines prioritize sites that provide a seamless user experience.
Links and especially different backlink types have the potential to drive massive traffic to a website and can pass on link juice, which refers to the authority or ranking power that a link can transfer from one page to another (provided it is a dofollow link). In simpler terms, this helps websites gain higher domain authority, which Google values more and thus ranks higher.
Broken links can impact brand recognition. Users may associate your website or brand with the frustration of encountering a broken link, which can damage their perception of your credibility. Too many broken links can cause you to lose visitors' trust and reliance on your website's reliability and professionalism.
In order to fix Broken links you need to first locate them on your website, if you are willing to spend resources to find them, there are a number of ways to do this:
For starters you can use SEO audit tools from websites like Ubersuggest or Semrush site audit which can identify the link that is broken on the page, what the hypertext for that link is and where is the link leading to.
Screaming Frog is another premium tool that can help you find broken links on your website.
If you have a small website you can actually use the FREE version which allows you to analyze up to 500 URLS.
Using this tool We will help you to locate broken links, just follow these steps to locate them:
First type the URL of your website in the Screaming Frog tool then head to “Response Codes”
Make sure to select “internal and external” so you can identify both links leading to different pages within and outside your website.
You will end up with a list of pages with different status codes, select the arrow to sort them, then click on the status code you want to view.
Go down and select “Inlinks” This will tell you where the broken link is coming from, where it’s leading to and, the anchor text for that link.
After you find the broken links make sure to either update the URL or remove the link if the page is no longer available.
If you can’t afford to pay for a premium tool you can use Google Search Console instead. Here is what you need to do:
After selecting the property you want to audit, navigate to the "Pages" tab under "Indexing." This will provide you with different reasons why certain pages are not being indexed by Google.
Scroll down to the tab “Why pages aren’t indexed” and click on “Not Found (404)”
You will end up with a list of pages with 404 errors, you can then click on any link which will make a window appear on the side. Head over to “Inspect URL”
You can now see more on the data Google has on the link
After you have identified the links within your website, you’ll need to fix them according to the type of link that is broken, internal and external:
Internal Links: These are links within your website that lead to other pages on the same site such as:
External Links: These are links on your website that lead to pages on other websites such as:
One of the most common reasons for a broken URL is caused due to a typo, this can be easily fixed by making sure you inserted the correct link to the specified page.
Another reason is because the URL itself is no longer available. In this case simply remove the link if you can’t find a replacement for it.
In a case where you have a product that you no longer sell on a page but have a similar one on another page, setting up a 301 redirect is the best option. This way, you redirect users to a functional page that serves a purpose instead of leaving them on a useless page.
To set up a 301 redirect you’ll want to install a plugin and then add both the old and new URL as shown here:
In order to find broken backlinks you can use Ahrefs tool in the following order:
Fixing these links ensures that you retain the link equity and SEO benefits that come from having quality backlinks.
Once you've identified the websites with broken links pointing to your site, the next step is crafting a compelling outreach pitch. This pitch should emphasize the mutual benefit of fixing the broken link. Since they already link to you, they recognize the value of your content.
Here is an example of an outreach email:
Hi [Recipient’s Name],
My name is [Your Name], and I’m working with [Your Website], a site focused on [brief description of your website].
While browsing through your site, I noticed a link on one of your pages that is linking back to a broken link on our website. The issue is on this page: [URL of the page with the broken link]. The link that is broken currently points to [Broken URL].
We would really appreciate it if you could update the old link with this link: [New Link]. This will not only benefit us but also improve your site's SEO and provide a better experience for your visitors by ensuring they have access to up-to-date and relevant content.
I appreciate your time and consideration in addressing this. If you need any further information or assistance, please feel free to contact me.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Just be patient when sending the email, and feel free to follow up if you don’t receive a response within a reasonable timeframe. Make sure not to spam them.
Links are valuable resources that significantly contribute to your SEO efforts, especially backlinks which pass on link juice. Therefore, periodically monitoring and maintaining them is well worth the effort to ensure your website's credibility, visibility, and overall user experience remain optimized.
Higglo is a digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, web design services and more. We’ve helped different client industries and brands like Hulu and Blizzard expand their reach and grow their presence worldwide. Ready to transform your digital presence? Contact us today and let’s create something unforgettable together.
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Brian Curley
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