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Healthcare Marketing Glossary

Broken Links

Broken links occur when a link leads to an incorrect URL or a page that no longer exists....

Broken links are links on your website that no longer work. This means they do not lead to the page they were supposed to, or worse, lead nowhere at all. Broken links can significantly impact your website’s search engine optimization (SEO), so it’s important to understand what broken links are and how to fix them. 

What Are Broken Links? 

Broken links occur when a link leads to an incorrect URL or page no longer exists. This can happen if you have outdated content, incorrectly formatted URLs, or if pages get moved around without updating the link structure. The consequences of leaving broken links on your site can be severe. Not only will visitors who click on those links end up disappointed, but it can also hurt your SEO ranking.  

How Search Engines Handle Broken Links 

Google and other search engines look for broken links every time they crawl your site for indexing purposes. When they find one, they will mark it as an error in their system and move on without indexing the page you are trying to link to. The result is that the page you are trying to link to won’t show up in search engine results pages (SERPs) because Google doesn’t think it exists – even if it does exist!  So it’s important to ensure that all of your internal linking is working properly so that you don’t miss out on any potential traffic from search engines.  

How To Find and Fix Broken Links 

The easiest way to find broken links is with a tool like Screaming Frog SEO Spider Tool or Ahrefs Site Audit Tool, which will scan your entire website for broken links and help you identify them quickly and easily. Once you’ve identified them, fixing them is relatively straightforward: just update the link with the correct URL or delete it if necessary. If no existing URL corresponds with the old one, create a redirect so visitors still get directed somewhere useful when they click the link. This could be an error page explaining the situation or, even better, a relevant blog post or product page! 

The Importance of Keeping Track of Broken Links

Broken links can seriously affect your website’s SEO ranking if left unchecked. Not only do they give visitors a bad experience when clicking through from search engines, but they also prevent other pages from being indexed correctly by Google – meaning those pages won’t show up in SERPs at all! Fortunately, there are tools out there that can help you find and fix broken links quickly and easily so you don’t lose any valuable traffic from search engines. Keep an eye out for any broken links on your site from time to time so you don’t miss out on potential customers!

Broken Links FAQ

What is a broken link?

A broken link is a hyperlink on a website that no longer works or leads to a dead end.

Why are broken links a problem?

Broken links can be a problem because they can negatively impact user experience and make it difficult for visitors to navigate a website. They can also harm a website’s search engine rankings and authority.

How do broken links occur?

Broken links can occur for several reasons, including changes to a website’s URL structure, outdated or incorrect links, and broken external links.

How can broken links be identified?

Broken links can be identified using a variety of tools, including website crawlers, broken link checkers, and Google Search Console.

How can broken links be fixed?

Broken links can be fixed by updating or correcting the link, redirecting the link to a working page, or removing the link altogether. It is important to regularly check for and fix broken links to ensure a positive user experience and maintain website authority.

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