What are the broken links?
Broken links are external or internal links that lead to a non-existent site, page, or file. In such situations, the server usually gives a 404 or 410 server response code. It's challenging to notice broken pages on large sites because administrators can use back-ways and can't see the errors that occur to users, especially when there are several thousands of pages.
Broken links that are on the site drop the ranking. When Google's search robot monitors resources from its database and analyzes the content, it clicks on broken links and sees errors. If the robot receives code 410, it understands that the page doesn't exist and that it's no longer necessary to analyze it. Code 404 tells the search engine that the page may have been here before, but now it doesn't exist. In this case, during the next analysis, the robot will check it again and record the fact of absence.
Error 404 may also be displayed when the server gives a 200 response code (everything is OK, the page is there), but in fact, it's empty or missing. This answer is called a 404 soft error. This happens when a non-existent page doesn't return a 404 code or doesn't redirect to a relevant page.
As a result, non-existent pages will be indexed, which means the site will lose the crawling budget. This is a specific time limit during which search engines scan a web resource. Moreover, if they first crawl incorrect or non-existent pages, the site's visibility will decrease, and the number of visitors will drop.
The reasons for the appearance of broken links can be completely different. The most popular of them are the following:
- the linked resource has been deleted;
- you deleted the page, leaving links to it;
- the landing page changed the address, but the link remains the same;
- when adding a link, some fat-finger was made;
- the auto-update failed due to invalid addresses.
How to check broken links
1. You can find broken links manually. This method is more suitable if the site is small. Then you can flip through and view all the pages, checking their operability.
2. Explore indexed pages in a search engine. To do this, enter the command "site:" and your domain in the search bar, open all the pages that have been issued, and check the site for broken links. This method, like the previous one, will be challenging for large resources.
3. You can use the functionality of the Google Search Console. First, you need to authorize your site. Then, in the toolbar, go to the "Scan" > "Scan Errors" section. All pages which contain errors will be shown in the displayed list.
4. The Bing Webmaster Tool has similar functionality. After authorization, go to the toolbar, then select the appropriate section. The tool will check the broken links, show their amount and addresses.
Google Search Console or any other tool shows only those broken links and error pages that are in their databases. However, the results will be inaccurate and won't be the same. This is because the databases of various search engines are updated at different intervals, the crawling depth doesn't match. Therefore, it makes sense to use both resources at the same time.
A faster and more productive way to identify and eliminate broken links is through special platforms such as Risify. The service will help to analyze the site, identify broken links online, and tell you how to fix them.
How to fix broken links
1. The easiest way is to remove the broken links and the pages to which they lead.
2 .If the page is in a state of processing, indicate the 503-error. Make a fancy window for the user and show that you are working on the site improvement.
3. Double-check the spelling of the link. Perhaps, some spelling mistake or a typo was made.
4. If you permanently deleted the page, but the links to it remained, put the 301-redirect on a new page. Delete all links that led to the remote page.
To reduce losses in traffic and customers, create your page template with the 404-code. The standard page looks minimalistic and blank, it doesn't reflect your attitude to the problem and customer care. By creating your own template that suits the specifics of your activity and target audience, you can supplement it with links to the main page and related content.
Conclusion
On large sites, a broken link is a natural phenomenon, but you need to deal with it. Errors need to be constantly monitored, detected and removed. They disrupt the confidence of users and search engines.You can analyze broken links manually, or you can use search engines or special services, for example, Risify. The found broken links need to be fixed and optimized for the user.
