One of the first things we do when we start SEO on a website is to run a site audit. The site audit will show us various things, but a big one is broken links. We can find broken links on your site and other pages you linked to on other sites that are broken. We also look in the Google Search Console for any other broken links that are detected. Between these two resources, we can clear up any 404 pages on a site.
Key Takeaways:
- Deleting pages or changing URLs can create broken links.
- If you have to delete pages or update URLs, set up redirects.
- Don’t leave broken links on your site because it can hurt your SEO.
What is a Broken Link?
Broken links can happen in different ways. Here is a look at how a link can become broken on your website and show up in Google Search Console or on a site audit.
A Page or Blog is Deleted Or Put In Drafts
If you have a page that used to be live on your site but then you delete it or put it in drafts, this can create a broken link on your site. There are cases that Google doesn’t index a page, so it may not show up on a report. However, this only happens if you publish a page and immediately take it down.
The URL Changes
Any change of a URL is going to create a broken link on your site. Here are some of the most common ways that a URL can change:
- WWW is added or removed from the front of a URL
- HTTPS is added or removed from the beginning URL
- A / is added or removed from the end of the URL
- Your URL’s are restructured to add a parent page
- The words behind the / is changed
Making small changes to your URL can seem harmless, but if you do it will create broken links on your site. It’s very important that you don’t change your URL’s unless you absolutely have to or you have a plan in place to mitigate the impact.
How to Fix Broken Links On Your Site
This depends on whether the broken link is on your website or on another site you linked to. If you linked to a page on another site that is broken, you should delete the link from your website. We like to use Siteliner to show us broken links on other sites.
If the broken link is on your site, you have a few options depending on the reason it is broken:
- Change the URL back to what it was or restore the page you deleted.
- Set up a redirect from the old URL to the new URL that is taking its place. If you don’t have a page that is replacing it, then redirect it to the home page.
How Broken Links Hurt Your Site
We have clients who make changes to their sites and have no idea what impact they can have. When you delete pages, change URLs, or create broken links, you can hurt your site’s SEO. If a link on your site is indexed in Google Search and people click on it, they will go to a 404 page. Once they realize it is a broken page, they’ll immediately click away and increase your bounce rate. A bounce rate is how fast someone leaves your site. Websites with a high bounce rate don’t rank as high because Google considers that a sign that the site doesn’t have high value.
It’s important that you address broken links as soon as you can. This is why we scan websites we manage periodically to see if broken links show up.
Contact Us For More Information on SEO
Not sure how to set up redirects on your site? Contact us today, and we will give you a quote to help you find the broken pages and URLs and set up redirects. We look forward to hearing from you!