How to Fix Your Broken Links for Better SEO

We have all been there and seen that! Broken links are more common than you think.  

Whether you want to purchase something or do quick research, clicking on a hyperlink only to get an error message “this page doesn’t exist” or “404 not found” is a big turndown. And do not forget it hampers your website's credibility more than you think. Whether you are a marketer, or a search engine professional, broken links also make all your efforts go to waste. 

However, there is nothing to worry about. 

Broken links are easy to fix. Even though you are a website owner and are facing the issue, there are professional link-building services that will help you fix the broken links and also guide you to prevent it in the future. 

Before discussing ways to fix broken links, let’s get into the depth of broken links. 

What are Broken Links?

Broken links are external links, backlinks, and hyperlinks that do not take you to the intended page. However, no matter the type of broken link you are dealing with, they all have some common causes.  

What are the Causes of Broken Links? 

There are many reasons for a link to break like, 

• Misspelled URL 

One of the most common reasons behind broken links is misspelling the URL. It can also be  

1. A typo on the link. 

2. You could have forgotten to include https:// or http:// as the part of the URL. 

3. You could have added an extra space in the URL.  

• Updated URL 

As it is already mentioned you might have redirected the original page from the misspelled URL to another address and forgot to redirect. So, now, the incorrect URL will appear broken. If the scenario is the same with an external link, it might so happen that the URL it is linked to has changed the web address or removed the page.

• Lost Pages 

This might happen rarely that, your page will get lost if you have renamed it or have done website migration.  

• Geolocation Restrictions or Firewall 

This is not a classic case of a broken link but, it could be that the link is not accessible from your location due to local laws. On the other hand, it is accessible to the rest of the world. Seeing notifications like “This video is not available in your country” error on YouTube is one such example of why you are unable to access the video and the same is true with websites.  

• Content Moved to Another Location 

Another cause of broken links is either the link to the video or the page is removed from the server or is moved to another location.  

• Malfunctioning Plugins 

The plugins on a website might be the cause of broken links if they start to malfunction. At the same time, the JavaScript or HTML error can also cause the elements of the page to break.  

• Change In the Structure of the URL 

If you forget to implement 301 redirects while changing the URL structure of the website, the internal and inbound links will appear broken. The 301 redirects will help reflect the changes so that users and search engines land on the new page following the link. 

What are the Types of Broken Links? 

It is also important for marketers and website owners to learn about the types of broken links. The most common encounter is the “404 Page Not Found” error. This generic code often refers to the fact that the page is not available for now but will be returned at some point.  

However, 404 is the most common but not the only one. There is also another code that indicates the same as, 

• 400 Bad Request 

This code appears when the host server is unable to understand the URL on your page. This is usually an invalid request or a syntax error.  

• 410 Gone 

This is also like a 404 code error as it indicates that the resource page is no longer valid or available on the server. One slight difference between the two is that, 404 error pages might come back but with 410 the page is gone forever.  

Does Broken Link Have an Effect on SEO? 

User experience is highly valued by Google which considers internal links as a significant ranking factor. So, in short, it does affect your page’s SEO in a negative way. 

If you think about it carefully, you will notice that great user experience is directly related to an optimized site. Google loves nothing more than an optimized so with broken links, the user experience directly takes a hit. Also, the search console struggles to index a site that affects the bounce rate as well.  

How to fix broken links? 

Fixing broken links has a positive effect on your SEO so once you have found the broken links, it is time to fix them. However, there is a slight difference in fixing broken links on your site and to your site.  

Follow these steps to fix them accordingly, 

Internal and External Links 

There are two types of links that you have direct control over – internal and external links. So, if you have identified any broken link issues with internal and external things, there are a few ways to fix them. 

Removing or Updating 

The simplest fix is to update a link especially when there is a typo in the URL. Just swap it with the correct URL and the link will work as expected. However, this method is only for misspelled URLs. 

In the case of removing the URL, simply take it out and this can be the case when either you have updated the content on the page being linked to or the page the link is present.  

Using a 301-Redirect Code 

One of the most complicated fixes yet the best option for your SEO. The 301 redirect basically works if the concerned page is moved. Also, if you have stopped selling a product or service on that particular page but are selling similar items on another page.  

Avoid the Issue of Broken Links 

As it is already established that broken backlinks do no good to your website as well as the SEO, it is important to act accordingly. You can run website audits on autopilot in regular intervals like weekly or daily. Also, if your site is huge, a daily audit is a must to ensure that your site has no broken links for a better SEO index.