What is a broken link?

A broken link is a hyperlink that leads to a website or resource that no longer exists. When a visitor clicks on such a link, it ends up on the error page 404 Not Found or 410 Gone, meaning that the requested content is not available at that address.

Error 410 Gone is rarer and indicates that the page has been deliberately removed or archived and will no longer appear in that location. Error 404 Not Found usually means that the page has been removed, moved or temporarily unavailable and may reappear.

Broken links with code 404 may occur due to typos in the URL, server errors or changes in the structure of the website. It often happens that the content has been moved, but without proper redirect, so visitors are left without the correct destination.

Types of broken links

Broken links are divided into three main groups:

1. Broken internal links

These are links that lead from one page to another within the same website, but the target page no longer exists. As search engines use internal links to detect and index content, such links make searching more difficult and can have a negative impact on SEO.

2. Broken external links

These are links from your site to other websites, but the content is no longer available there. Although you do not have full control over external sites, such links have a bad impact on the user experience and may impair the credibility of your site.

3. Failed backlinks

These are links from other websites that lead to your site, but the target address no longer exists. They are especially harmful if they come from authoritative sites because you lose SEO value and potential traffic.

Causes of broken links

1. Page deleted or moved

When a page is removed, archived or moved, all links that have led to it become invalid. This often happens during the redesign or reorganization of the website. The solution is to set appropriate redirects, most often 301 for permanent and 302 for temporary.

2. Wrongly typed URL

Visitors, but also site owners, can enter the address incorrectly. For example, example.com/yogaposes instead of example.com/yoga-poses, resulting in an error of 404.

3. Change the structure of URLs

If you change page names, permalinks, or directory structure, and do not set redirects, old links will stop working.

4. The website has been shut down

If a domain expires or the website is turned off, all links that lead to it become invalid.

5. The temporary link is no longer valid

Some links, such as landing pages for campaigns or shortened URLs, have a limited lifespan and become invalid over time.

Impact of broken links on SEO and user experience

Broken links of damage to both SEO and user experience. Lose the value of link equity and PageRank, which can negatively affect search engine positions.

For visitors, clicking on a broken link creates frustration and a bad impression. If users cannot reach the expected content, trust in your site decreases, the abandonment rate increases and engagement drops.

On business sites, this can have a direct impact on conversions and revenue — for example, if a link to a product or contact form does not work, you lose potential customers.

How to Find and Fix Broken Links

The easiest way to find broken links is by tracking 404 mistakes, because most of such links lead precisely to pages that do not exist. 404 error tracking tools show which URLs visitors are trying to open, so you can determine which links need to be corrected or redirected.