Broken links can be a significant issue for website owners, negatively impacting both user experience and search engine rankings. A broken link is simply a hyperlink that no longer leads to the intended page. This could happen for a number of reasons, such as the destination page being moved, deleted, or the URL being incorrectly typed. In this post, we will explore how to find broken links on your website and how to fix them properly.
Why Broken Links Matter
Before we jump into finding and fixing broken links, it’s essential to understand why broken links matter. Whether you are running a blog, an eCommerce website, or a professional service page, maintaining functional and accurate links is critical for the following reasons:
- User Experience: Visitors to your site expect to navigate smoothly between pages. When they encounter broken links, it creates frustration and could lead them to leave your site altogether.
- SEO Impact: Search engines like Google prioritize websites with well-maintained internal and external links. Broken links can harm your SEO efforts by affecting crawlability and creating a poor UX, which may lower your rankings.
- Brand Perception: Outdated or broken links reflect poorly on your website’s professionalism. If users consistently encounter errors, it can lead them to think you don’t maintain your content well.
How to Find Broken Links on Your Website
There are several methods to efficiently locate broken links, depending on the size of your website and the tools you prefer to use. Let’s discuss some approaches that will help you get started.
1. Use Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that helps you monitor your site’s presence in search engine results. It’s instrumental in helping you identify broken links (404 errors or other issues) on your website.
Steps to identify broken links using Google Search Console:
- Log in to your Search Console account.
- Look for the "Coverage" report under the "Index" section.
- Review the "Error" and "Excluded" sections to identify broken or inaccessible pages.
- Click on each URL to get detailed information about the error and fix the link accordingly.
2. Use a Broken Link Checker Tool
There are several manual and automated tools to detect broken links. These tools will crawl your website and return a list of all problematic links. Some popular tools include:
These tools scan both internal and external links and then show you exactly where the broken links are located. This process is especially helpful if your website is large, and manually checking each link would be too time-consuming.
3. Use Browser Plugins
Another way to find broken links is to use browser extensions designed specifically for this task. Here are a few that are available for Chrome and Firefox:
These plugins run in the browser and will detect broken links as you navigate through your website. They highlight good and bad links in different colors, allowing for a fast and efficient check-up.
Steps to Fix Broken Links
After you've identified the broken links on your site, the next step is to repair them. Below are practical ways you can fix broken links depending on the cause of the problem.
1. Update Internal Links
Broken internal links are links that point to pages within your website that no longer exist or have been moved. When a page's URL changes, any reference pointing to the old URL will result in a broken link.
To fix this:
- If the page has been moved, locate the new URL and update the internal link to point to the correct page.
- If the page has been deleted, consider creating a 301 Redirect from the old URL to a relevant page still on your site.
This ensures that users (and search engines) following the old link will reach relevant content instead of encountering a 404 error.
2. Correct External Links
When linking to other websites, sometimes the target page is taken down or the URL structure changes without your knowledge. External broken links negatively impact your SEO and user experience.
To fix these broken links:
- Visit the target link manually to see what the issue is— it may provide an alternative destination.
- If the page is permanently removed, you can either replace the link with another source or delete the link altogether.
3. Create 404 Error Pages
When visitors land on a broken link, they often see a 404-error message. While encountering a 404 page is not ideal, you can still improve the experience by customizing the page.
A well-designed 404 page should include:
- A friendly message explaining that the page was not found.
- A link to the homepage and possibly a site search function.
- Suggestions for other pages they might want to visit.
Here is an example of what should be featured on a simple, yet effective 404 page:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Custom Message | "Oops! The page you’re looking for doesn’t exist. Please check the URL or visit our homepage." |
| Homepage Link | Back to homepage |
| Site Search | A search bar allowing users to quickly find related content. |
4. Implement 301 Redirects
When a URL changes, implementing a 301 Redirect from the old URL to the new one is one of the best long-term fixes for broken links. A 301 redirect indicates that the page has permanently moved and passes virtually all of the link equity (or "ranking power") to the new URL.
This is particularly useful for:
- Deleted pages that previously ranked well in search results.
- Content that has moved to a different URL.
- Websites undergoing domain changes or re-structuring.
To implement 301 redirects, you can modify your server’s .htaccess file, use a plugin if you’re on WordPress, or any other CMS where redirect functionality is offered natively.
Preventing Future Broken Links
Once your broken links are fixed, it's important to ensure they don't recur. Preventative measures include:
- Regularly audit your site with tools like Google Search Console and other link checker tools.
- Consistently check any new external links you add to your site.
- Use a dynamic linking structure for internal links (such as relative URLs), which adapt automatically to URL changes.
By maintaining and actively monitoring links, you can avoid future issues with broken links that could degrade your website’s performance and user satisfaction.
Conclusion
Broken links can frustrate your users, harm your search engine rankings, and ultimately damage your website’s credibility. However, by regularly checking your internal and external links using tools like Google Search Console or specific link checkers, you can stay on top of any broken links and fix them promptly.
With a combination of link audits, 404 pages, 301 redirects, and keeping external links updated, you’ll ensure that your site provides a seamless experience for visitors and remains search-engine friendly.
