Broken links can be a major problem for any website. Not only are they frustrating for users, but they can also negatively impact your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Google and other search engines use links as a way to determine the relevance and authority of a website. If your website has a high number of broken links, search engines may perceive it as being outdated or unreliable. This can hurt your website’s ranking and visibility, making it more difficult for potential customers to find you online.
Fortunately, fixing broken links is a relatively straightforward process. With the right tools and a little bit of patience, you can quickly identify and repair broken links on your website. This step-by-step guide will walk you through the process and help you improve your website’s SEO.
Step 1: Identify Broken Links
The first step in fixing broken links is to identify them. You can use a number of free online tools to do this, including:
- Google Search Console: This is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to monitor the health of your website. It will notify you of any broken links on your website and provide information on the status code and source of each broken link.
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider: This is a powerful website crawler that will scan your website and identify broken links, duplicate content, and other SEO issues. It is available as a free or paid version.
- W3C Link Checker: This is a free online tool that will scan your website for broken links and other issues. It is a simple tool that can be used to quickly identify broken links on your website.
Once you have identified the broken links on your website, you can begin the process of fixing them.
How to Identify Broken Links via Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a powerful tool that can help you monitor the health of your website and identify any broken links. By using Google Search Console, you can quickly identify broken links and take steps to repair them, improving the user experience for your visitors and boosting your website’s SEO.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to find broken links via Google Search Console:
Set Up Google Search Console
To use Google Search Console, you will need to set up an account and verify your website. This is a simple process that involves adding a piece of code to your website or uploading a file to your website’s server.
Navigate to the Crawl Errors Section
Once you have set up Google Search Console, you can access the Crawl Errors section by clicking on the “Crawl” tab in the navigation menu. This section will show you any errors or issues that Google has encountered while crawling your website.
View the List of Broken Links
Under the Crawl Errors section, you will see a list of broken links that Google has encountered on your website. You can view a list of broken links for your entire website or for specific sections of your website.
Monitor Your Website for New Broken Links
It is important to monitor your website for new broken links on a regular basis. You can use Google Search Console to check for new broken links and take steps to repair them as needed.
By using Google Search Console to find and repair broken links, you can improve the user experience for your visitors and boost your website’s SEO. So if you haven’t already, set up your Google Search Console account today and start monitoring your website for broken links.
How to Identify Broken Links via Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a powerful website crawling tool that can be used to identify broken links on your website. It is available as a free or paid version, with the paid version offering additional features and capabilities.
Download and Install Screaming Frog SEO Spider
The first step is to download and install Screaming Frog SEO Spider. You can download the tool from the Screaming Frog website. Once you have installed the tool, you can start using it to crawl your website.
Enter Your Website URL
Once you have launched Screaming Frog SEO Spider, you will need to enter the URL of your website in the “Enter URL” field. You can either enter the root domain (e.g. https://www.example.com) or a specific page on your website (e.g. https://www.example.com/about).
Crawl Your Website
Next, you will need to start the crawl of your website. This will involve Screaming Frog SEO Spider scanning your website and identifying any broken links. You can start the crawl by clicking on the “Start” button.
Review the Results
Once the crawl is complete, you can review the results in the “Response Codes” tab. This tab will show you all of the links on your website, along with their response code (e.g. 200 OK, 404 Not Found, etc.). Any links with a response code of 404 Not Found or 410 Gone are considered broken links.
How to Identify Broken Links via W3C Link Checker
W3C Link Checker is a free online tool that can help you identify broken links on your website. This tool scans your website for broken links and other issues and provides a report on the results. By using W3C Link Checker, you can quickly identify and repair broken links, which can improve your website’s ranking and visibility in search engines.
Here’s how to use W3C Link Checker to identify broken links on your website:
Step 1: Go to the W3C Link Checker website. In your web browser, navigate to the W3C Link Checker website (http://validator.w3.org/checklink).
Step 2: Enter your website’s URL. In the URL field, enter the URL of the website you want to check for broken links.
Step 3: Start the scan. Click the “Check” button to start the scan. The W3C Link Checker will scan your website and identify any broken links.
Step 4: Review the results. Once the scan is complete, you will receive a report that lists any broken links on your website. The report will provide information on the status code of each broken link and the source of the broken link.
Step 2: Repair Broken Links
There are several ways to repair broken links, depending on the type of link and the cause of the broken link. Here are the most common solutions:
- Update the link to a new URL: If the page or resource you are linking to has moved to a new URL, you can simply update the link to the new URL. This is the simplest solution for broken links and will often solve the problem quickly.
- Redirect the link: If you have control over the URL that the broken link points to, you can set up a redirect from the old URL to the new URL. This will ensure that anyone who clicks on the broken link is automatically redirected to the new URL.
- Remove the link: If the page or resource that you are linking to no longer exists and cannot be redirected, you should remove the link from your website. This will prevent users from encountering a broken link and improve the overall user experience on your website.
- Create a custom error page: If you have a large number of broken links on your website, you may want to create a custom error page that will be displayed when a user encounters a broken link. This error page can provide information on why the link is broken and suggest alternative resources for the user.
Update the link to a new URL
If a page or resource on your website has moved to a new URL, updating the link to the new URL is an important step in repairing broken links. Here’s how to update broken links in WordPress:
Step 1: Log in to your WordPress dashboard. Go to your website’s URL and log in to your WordPress dashboard using your username and password.
Step 2: Find the broken link. Use the W3C Link Checker tool or a plugin like Broken Link Checker to find the broken link on your website.
Step 3: Edit the page or post that contains the broken link. In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to the page or post that contains the broken link and click the “Edit” button.
Step 4: Update the link. Find the broken link in the page or post and update it to the new URL.
Step 5: Save the changes. Once you’ve updated the link, click the “Update” button to save the changes to the page or post.
Step 6: Test the new link. Open a new tab in your web browser and navigate to the page or post that you just updated. Click the link to make sure it works and takes you to the new URL.
By following these steps, you can quickly and easily update broken links in WordPress. This can improve the user experience for your visitors and help your website’s ranking and visibility in search engines.
Redirect the link
If you have a broken link on your WordPress website, it’s important to repair it as soon as possible to avoid frustrating users and negatively impacting your website’s ranking in search engines. One way to repair a broken link is to redirect it to a relevant page on your website. Here’s how to redirect a broken link in WordPress:
Step 1: Install a plugin. To redirect links in WordPress, you will need to install a plugin. There are many plugins available that can help you redirect links, including Redirection and Simple 301 Redirects.
Step 2: Create a new redirect. Once you have installed the plugin, go to the “Redirects” section of your WordPress dashboard. Here, you will be able to create a new redirect.
Step 3: Enter the broken link URL. In the “Source URL” field, enter the URL of the broken link that you want to redirect.
Step 4: Enter the new URL. In the “Target URL” field, enter the URL of the page you want to redirect the broken link to.
Step 5: Save the redirect. Once you have entered both the source and target URLs, click the “Add Redirect” button to save the redirect.
Step 6: Test the redirect. Go to the broken link on your website and make sure that it has been successfully redirected to the new URL.
By redirecting a broken link in WordPress, you can ensure that users who click on the link are taken to a relevant page on your website. This can improve the user experience for your visitors and prevent potential harm to your website’s ranking in search engines.
Create a custom error page
To create a custom error page in WordPress, follow these steps:
- Create a new page template: Create a new file in your theme’s folder and name it “404.php”. This will be your custom error page template.
- Add the template header: Add the following code to the top of the 404.php file to define it as a template:
/*
Template Name: 404 Error Page
*/
get_header();
- Design the error page: Design your custom error page using HTML, CSS, and any other design elements you want to include. Make sure to add a clear message to the user, such as “404 Error – Page Not Found”.
- Add the template footer: Add the following code to the bottom of the 404.php file to include your theme’s footer:
get_footer();
- Save and upload the file: Save the 404.php file and upload it to your theme’s folder.
- Check the custom error page: To check your custom error page, go to a page on your site that doesn’t exist and make sure your custom error page is displayed.
- Customize the error page: You can further customize your error page by adding images, custom messages, and other design elements. Just make sure to keep the design and message clear and easy to understand for the user.
Step 3: Monitor Your Website for Broken Links
Once you have repaired the broken links on your website, it is important to monitor your website for new broken links. This can be done manually by checking your website regularly, or you can use a tool like Google Search Console or Screaming Frog SEO Spider to automate the process.
Step 4: Improve Your Website’s Link Structure
In addition to fixing broken links, you should also focus on improving the overall structure of your website’s links. This includes:
- Creating meaningful and descriptive link text: The text that is used in your links should be descriptive and meaningful. This will help search engines understand the context and relevancy of your links and improve your website’s ranking.
- Using internal linking: Internal linking is the process of linking from one page on your website to another page on your website. This helps search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your website and can improve your website’s ranking.
- Avoiding broken links in the future: To avoid broken links in the future, it is important to use a consistent URL structure and to regularly monitor your website for broken links. You should also keep your content updated and delete any pages or resources that are no longer needed.
Step 5: Monitor Your Website’s SEO
Finally, it is important to monitor your website’s SEO regularly to ensure that it is performing as well as possible. This can be done using a variety of tools, including:
- Google Analytics: This is a free tool that provides detailed information on the traffic and performance of your website.
- Google Search Console: As mentioned earlier, this is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to monitor the health of your website and track any errors or issues.
- Moz Pro: This is a paid tool that provides a comprehensive suite of SEO tools and resources. It includes tools for keyword research, site audit, and link building.
By following these steps and monitoring your website’s SEO, you can improve your website’s ranking and visibility, increase traffic, and improve the user experience for your visitors.
In conclusion, fixing broken links is an important part of maintaining a successful website. Not only can broken links frustrate users, but they can also negatively impact your website’s ranking and visibility in search engines. By using the right tools and following best practices, you can quickly identify and repair broken links and improve your website’s SEO.
