A webpage contains hyperlinks that lead to pages that do not exist or cannot be accessed (i.e., broken links). Broken links can negatively impact user experience, as visitors may encounter error messages or dead ends when trying to navigate the website. Additionally, broken links can also harm SEO performance, as search engines may view them as a sign of poor website maintenance and relevance.
How to fix?
To fix the issue, follow these steps:
Identify Broken Links: Use website crawling tools like neetoSEOAudit to scan your website and identify any broken links. These tools will crawl your website and detect links that lead to non-existent pages or return error responses (e.g., 404 Not Found).
Update or Remove Broken Links: Once you've identified broken links, update them to point to the correct URLs if possible. If the intended destination page no longer exists, consider removing the broken links altogether or replacing them with relevant alternative content.
Redirect Broken Links: If the intended destination page has been moved or renamed, set up 301 redirects to automatically redirect visitors from the old URL to the new one. This ensures that users are directed to the appropriate page without encountering errors.
Custom 404 Page: Create a custom 404 error page that provides users with helpful information and navigation options when they encounter a broken link. Include links to the homepage, main navigation menu, or relevant sections of the website to help users find their way back to useful content.
Regularly Monitor and Maintain Links: Implement a regular schedule for monitoring and maintaining links on your website. Perform periodic link checks to identify and address any new broken links that may arise due to changes in page URLs or content updates.
Test and Validate: After updating or removing broken links, thoroughly test your website to ensure that all links function correctly and lead to the intended destinations. Use validation tools to confirm that there are no remaining broken links on your website.