Broken Links
How to solve 404 error messages.
Broken links, also known as dead links or link rot, are hyperlinks on your website that no longer point to a valid destination or web page. When a user clicks on a broken link, instead of being directed to the intended content, they encounter an error page or a “404 Not Found” error message.
Broken links can occur due to these five reasons:
- Page Deletion or Removal If a web page is deleted or removed from your website without setting up proper redirects, the link pointing to that page become broken.
- URL Changes – When the URL structure of your website is modified, existing links may not be updated, resulting in broken link errors.
- Typographical Errors Mistakes in manually entering or embedding links can lead to broken links. For example, misspelling a URL or forgetting to include necessary components like “http://” or “www” can produce a broken link error.
- Website Migration During the process of migrating your website from one platform to another or changing hosting providers, links can get broken if the URLs are not properly redirected.
- External Page Changes If your website links to an external page that have been deleted or modified, a broken link error message will be produced.
- Negative User Experience When users encounter broken links, they are unable to access the desired content, creating friction and a poor user experience. This can negatively impact your brand credibility.
- SEO Impact Search engines consider broken links as a sign of poor website maintenance and user experience. Broken links can indicate outdated or low-quality content, often adversely affecting search engine rankings.
- Reduced Traffic and Conversions Broken links can hinder the flow of visitors through your website. When users encounter a broken link, they may abandon your site, resulting in lost traffic and potential conversions.