While surfing the web, you've probably already come across a 404 error page. You've probably clicked on a broken or dead link that did not get you to the desired destination.
Result: a negative user experience. Although broken links are part of the natural dynamic of websites, you should avoid them as much as possible on your web pages and eliminate these "dead ends of hyperlinks" as quickly as possible. In this article, we will tell you how to find broken links and how to fix them.
What are the broken links, and how are they created?
Broken links are essentially internal or external incoming links whose link target cannot be retrieved by a browser or another client. There are multiple reasons.
Syntax errors or incorrect terminations: URLs or misspellings are a very common cause. Thus, a reversal of a number or letter in a URL can easily result in a broken link. The same is true if you define a .php terminator instead of the .html terminator, or if you completely omit a required termination.
Domain transfer or URL structure modification: Domain transfer is another reason for breaking links. If the internal links of the page have not been adopted and there is no 301 redirect from "old" to "new" URL, a lot of dead links are created. They result in a resource that is no longer findable at its original location on the server. The same applies if you have changed the URL structure of your domain without adapting the internal link.
Renamed files: Often broken links also appear with files stored on the server. When the file name is changed, the resource can no longer be retrieved under the original URL. This can occur, for example, when images are moved to the server from one folder to another. This can result in product pages in online stores where you cannot see images.
Deleted files: if files are deleted without the corresponding links being removed or modified, it also creates dead links
Invalid redirects: If you have modified URLs and configured redirects, broken links may occur if the redirects do not work and are incorrect.
There are, therefore, several possible causes of broken links. This phenomenon can occur very easily, especially on large websites with lots of images and HTML files.
Why are broken links detrimental to my site?
When people use a search engine, they need to find a website with a solution and appropriate information. If a user now uses a website that returns an error code as a 404 error, the user experience will be negative.
Broken links on websites that lead the user into a dead end or to 404 error pages will pose a usability issue. In this case, the user will not find what he was looking for or will be prevented from navigating easily on the site.
Both of these examples can lead to higher bounce rates and reduced visit time. For search engines like Google, this data may indicate a poorly maintained page. This results in negative effects on the positioning of websites in the SERPs.
Crawlers such as the Google bot can also come across broken links as they browse and follow links on websites. In this case, crawling can be disrupted. If the Google boot encounters such a link, it will simply stop the crawl. Since the crawling budget of robots is limited, the frequent occurrence of broken links can affect the crawling and indexing of your site.
Another disadvantage: Due to irregular crawling, it can happen that the search engine index still contains a lot of outdated URLs from your website. These can, in turn, lead to crawling and frustration when users click on it. The removal of broken links is, therefore, both a question of usability and "crawlability" of your website.
How to fix broken links?
There are many ways to deal with broken links. Once you've discovered the broken links, you can use tools to analyze all the dead links thoroughly.
You must also determine if you or anyone else has made any changes to the domain structure or URL.
Manual changes: URL typing errors can usually be corrected very quickly and corrected in your CMS on the page in question. This also applies to broken links that refer to websites other than yours.
Bulk changes: If the syntax error applies to an entire directory, this may be caused by automation in your CMS. In this case, you must check the templates or routines that automatically create URLs.
Create redirects: If the content of the relevant URLs still exists, but can only be accessed under a different URL, you can also use 301 redirects.
Delete links: If the resource of an internal link no longer exists and a redirection no longer makes sense, you can also delete the broken links. This makes sense, for example, if you run an online store and no longer offer a product category. If the broken link, then repaired is no longer useful, it is the simplest solution.
Extra tip: Avoid broken links with the current XML site map.
If you regularly create an updated XML Sitemap and upload it to Google Search Console, you can use it to check if the links in it work easily. Google continuously checks the links in your sitemap and displays a separate report indicating whether the links in the XML file are working or are error-free.
Optimize error pages
As we have already mentioned, broken links cannot always be avoided. However, it is important that you act quickly when you discover them.
Conclusion
Links allow users and search engines to easily navigate web pages and move from one website to another. Broken links hinder this continuous flow. Without proper software, it is difficult to find these links on your website. This will allow you to regularly check broken links in your web project, ensure continued ease of use and crawlability. Google and your users will thank you!
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