Broken links can be frustrating for both you and your visitors. Not only is it an eyesore, but it can also hurt your SEO ranking. But don’t worry, broken link building by fixing broken links is easier than you think! In this article, we’ll show you how to find and fix broken links using two different methods: manual and automated.
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What are broken links, and why are they important?
Broken links, also known as broken backlinks, are URLs on your website that no longer work correctly. They could link to a page that has been moved or deleted, resulting in a “page not found” error. Broken links are bad news because they can result in several negative consequences for your website:
- Lost traffic: If someone clicks on a broken link and gets a “page not found” error, they’ll probably navigate away from your website. This can significantly hurt your overall traffic numbers.
- Lost SEO ranking: Search engines like Google frown upon broken links, as it’s an indication that the content isn’t well maintained or properly updated. Therefore, having too many broken links can result in a lower ranking on search engine results pages.
- Frustrated visitors: Nobody likes getting a “page not found” error when trying to access the content. This can lead to a poor user experience which could result in them leaving your website for good.
Luckily, there are some easy ways to find and fix broken links. But before we go into that, we need to understand how to find broken links on a website.
How to find broken links on your website?
The manual method involves reviewing your website and checking each link manually. This can be time-consuming, but it’s the surest way to check for broken links. Automated methods use software tools or extensions that crawl your website and flag any broken links, making them easier to identify and fix.
Some software tools that you can use to find broken links on your website are:
- Google Search Console: This free tool from Google can help you find broken links on your website, as well as any other SEO issues.
- Screaming Frog: This SEO spider tool crawls websites and looks for broken links and other SEO issues.
- Ahrefs Broken Link Checker: This tool helps you quickly identify broken links on your site so that you can fix them.
- W3C Link Checker: This online link checker tool allows you to quickly identify broken links on your website.
- SEMRush: This tool helps you find broken links on your website and provides detailed reports to help you fix them.
Broken link building: how to fix broken links?
Once you’ve identified broken links on your website, there are two ways to fix broken links: manually and automatically.
Manual method
To manually fix broken links, you need to find the broken link and replace it with a working one. This can be time-consuming, and it’s often used when the number of broken links is relatively less. It is a more precise method and is preferred when the broken link points to an old page that has been deleted or has been moved, and manual intervention is required to understand the correct page the broken link should link back to.
Being a manual process, it is quite tedious, and it helps to be organized when opting to fix broken links manually. You can start by making a list of all the broken links on your website. Then, go through each one and replace them with working links. Feel free to use Excel or Google Sheets to manage this process.
Automated method
Once you have the list of broken links and you have decided to use the automated method, there are various tools available in the market that can help you with broken link building. These automated tools crawl your website and highlight any issues, including broken links, giving you a comprehensive overview of all the broken links present on your website.
These tools typically have features like automatic link replacement, which allows you to map each broken link with a new working link, and all replacement is handled by the tool. Some of the new-gen tools also have a broken link suggestion engine built-in, which suggests the right page based on the broken link keyword and the content on your website pages. You can also set up a notification system on these tools to send you alerts if they find broken links in their routine scheduled checks.
Broken backlinks: external broken link building
Still, having trouble with broken link building? Let’s not forget about the importance of broken backlinks as well! Broken backlinks can lead to decreased traffic from referring sites and poor user experience. You can identify these broken backlinks with the help of tools like Ahrefs, Majestic, and Moz. Once you have identified broken backlinks pointing to your site, you can reach out to the website owners and politely ask them to replace the link.
Broken links can have a negative impact on your website, from decreased SEO ranking to frustrated visitors. But luckily, finding and fixing broken links is easier than you think! In this article, we’ve shown you how to find and fix broken links using two different methods: manual and automated. So don’t wait-fix those broken links today!
Still not sure about how to implement these steps for broken link building of your website? Have more questions about SEO and are looking to implement an SEO strategy that gets results? Contact a top-of-the-line creative digital marketing agency in India! Brandshark is a leading SEO Outsourcing company & has delivered successful SEO campaigns for clients from a wide variety of industries. We’d be happy to help you out!