A broken link is a hyperlink that leads to an incomplete or non-existent external webpage. An error message is displayed whenever a broken link is clicked. For different reasons, a user cannot identify or utilise a broken link. Web servers frequently produce an error message when a user attempts to visit a broken link. Broken links are sometimes called “dead links” or “link rots.”

Even the best quality websites are never totally safe from broken links. On the other hand, the finest websites make a habit of detecting and correcting problems. Broken links would be annoying “troublemakers” that must be dealt with before they cause major problems. And this is a critical component of website development.

Causes Of Broken Links

• Broken links can arise for a variety of reasons, including:
• The website owner typed in the wrong URL (misspelt, mistyped, etc.).
• Your site’s URL structure was recently updated (permalinks) without a redirect, resulting in a 404 error.
• The particular destination is no longer accessible, is unavailable, or has been completely relocated.
• Links to previously relocated or removed material (PDF, Google Doc, video, etc.).
• Page components are broken (HTML, CSS, Javascript, or CMS plugin interference).
• Outside access is not permitted due to a firewall or geographical restriction.

Broken Links And SEO

Search engines view links as a vote for the quality of a website. Links to the website and links inside the website can impact how high the website scores in search results. As a result, it’s best to delete or repair broken links.

Cleaning up broken links may help provide context to the website, enhance user experience, and make material simpler for users and search engines to find. On the other hand, websites with an excessive number of broken links may suggest low quality to search engines.

How to Locate Broken Links

While tiny websites may get off with manual audits, larger sites require a more sophisticated approach. Several free and commercial programs are available to assist you in locating broken links.

Ahrefs, Broken Link Checker, Dead Link Checker, Dead Link Checker, Dr Link Check, Google Analytics, Netpeak Spider, Online Broken Link Checker, Screaming Frog SEO Spider, SEMrush, Xenu and many more are among them.

There are unique add-on tools for discovering and resolving broken links if your website is designed using a CMS. You must keep track of your modifications in a report when dealing with links. Many of these programs allow you to export data in useful reports.