Have you ever clicked on a link only to be greeted by a “404 – Page Not Found” error? Frustrating, right? Broken links are bad news for both visitors and your website’s SEO. They can make your site feel unprofessional, annoy users, and even hurt your Google rankings.
But don’t worry—it’s not the end of the world! In this quick guide, I’ll walk you through broken links, why they matter, how to find them, and, most importantly, how to report them to Google to keep your website running smoothly.
What Are Broken Links?
First, broken links are simply hyperlinks on your website that don’t work anymore. When clicked, they lead to a dead page (aka a 404 error page). This happens when:
- The page you’re linking to has been deleted or moved.
- There’s a typo in the link.
- The site you’re linking to has changed its structure.
No matter the cause, broken links are a hassle for users and can mess with your SEO game.
Why Should You Care About Broken Links?
Broken links are more than just annoying—they can damage your website’s performance in a few ways:
- Poor User Experience: Imagine being a visitor on your site, clicking a link, and ending up on a dead page. Chances are, you’d leave pretty quickly. High bounce rates like this can hurt your site’s rankings.
- Bad for Google Crawlers: Google’s search engine bots, like Googlebot, crawl your site to understand its structure and content. Too many broken links can slow them down, meaning Google might not properly index your pages.
- Hurts Your Credibility: A site full of broken links looks outdated and poorly maintained. Not a good look if you want to build trust with users.
How to Find Broken Links
Before you can report or fix broken links, you need to find them. Luckily, there are plenty of tools to help:
1. Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free tool that gives you insights into your website’s performance, including any broken links.
Here’s how to use it:
- Log in to Google Search Console.
- In the left-hand menu, click on Coverage.
- Check for any errors or pages marked as “Not Found” (404 errors).
Google will show you any broken links it finds on your site, along with where they are located.
2. SEO Repair Kit (SRK)
If your website runs on WordPress, the SEO Repair Kit plugin can help you track down broken links. It scans your site and gives you a report on any links that are no longer working.
Here’s how to use it:
- Install the SEO Repair Kit plugin on your WordPress site.
- Run a scan to detect broken links.
- The plugin will give you a list of broken links along with where they are on your site.
3. Other Helpful Tools
- Screaming Frog: This desktop tool crawls your site to find broken links.
- Ahrefs: A paid SEO tool that offers a broken link checker feature.
- Dead Link Checker: An online tool that can quickly scan your site for dead or broken links.
Fixing Broken Links Before Reporting Them to Google
Now that you’ve found the broken links, what next? Time to fix them! Here’s how:
1. Update or Remove the Broken Link
If the broken link points to a page on your site, simply update the URL to the correct one. If the link points to an external site and that page no longer exists, consider finding a new source or just removing the link altogether.
2. Set Up a 301 Redirect
If a page has been removed or moved permanently, you can set up a 301 redirect. This tells Google (and users) that the page has moved, and it will automatically send them to the new URL.
How to Report Broken Links to Google
Once you’ve fixed your broken links, it’s time to tell Google about the changes. Reporting the fix ensures that Google knows your website is up-to-date and running smoothly.
1. Log into Google Search Console
Go to Google Search Console and log in. Make sure you have access to your website’s account.
2. Use the “URL Inspection” Tool
- On the left side, click on URL Inspection.
- Enter the URL of the page with the broken link.
- Press Enter to see the page’s status.
3. Request Google to Re-Crawl the Page
If the link has been fixed, click the Request Indexing button. This tells Google to revisit the page and update its records.
4. Check Google Search Console for Updates
After a few days, go back to the Coverage section in Google Search Console to make sure the error has been resolved. Google will update its records and reflect any changes you’ve made.
5. Using Google’s Disavow Tool
In some rare cases, broken links might be coming from spammy or low-quality websites. In that case, you can use Google’s Disavow Links Tool to tell Google to ignore those harmful links. Be careful, though—use this tool only if those bad links are truly hurting your site.
Pro Tips for Preventing Broken Links
Here are some tips to help keep your website free from broken links in the future:
- Conduct Regular Audits: Use tools like Google Search Console or SEO Repair Kit to routinely check for broken links.
- Monitor External Links: If you link to external sites often, be sure to check that those links are still active from time to time.
- Use Redirects Wisely: For pages that are permanently removed, set up 301 redirects so users and Google are directed to the correct place.
- Create a Helpful 404 Page: Even with the best maintenance, some users may still stumble upon broken links. Make your 404 page user-friendly by offering suggestions to guide them back to your site’s main content.
Wrapping Up
Broken links are an unavoidable part of running a website, but they don’t have to be a major headache. With tools like Google Search Console and SEO Repair Kit, you can easily find and fix broken links, keeping both users and search engines happy.
So stay proactive, fix those broken links, and give your website the boost it needs to shine online!