Yes, broken links are bad for SEO as they negatively impact user experience and can harm your site's search engine rankings. Maintaining both inbound and outbound links is crucial for a healthy SEO strategy.
What happens if a link is broken?
When a link is broken, users and search engine crawlers encounter a 404 error, indicating that the page or resource is not available.
This can lead to:
- Increased bounce rates.
- Loss of link equity.
- Diminished user trust.
- Reduced crawl efficiency by search engines.
How to check for broken website links?
To check for broken links, you can use 3 methods:
- Manual Checking: Clicking through site links to ensure they lead to the intended pages.
- Google Search Console: Use the "Coverage" report to find pages returning errors.
- Broken Link Checker Tools: Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or plugins for WordPress can automate this process.
How to fix broken links?
To fix broken links, you can
- Update or Replace: Replace the broken link with a valid URL pointing to the correct content.
- Redirects: Use 301 redirects to guide users and crawlers from the broken link to a relevant page.
- Remove: If the link is no longer relevant or cannot be fixed, remove it entirely.
How to avoid broken links?
To avoid broken links, make sure to carry out
- Regular Audits: Periodically check your site for broken links.
- Consistent Updates: Ensure links are updated when content is moved or removed.
- Internal Linking Best Practices: Use relative URLs and proper site structure to minimize the risk of broken links.
How to get rid of bad links?
Bad links can harm your SEO. To remove them:
- Manual Removal: Contact the website owner and request the removal of the link.
- Disavow Links: Use Google’s Disavow Tool to tell search engines to ignore certain backlinks.
- Content Update: Regularly review and update your content to phase out bad links.
