Users click on a link that leads nowhere or to a 404-Error page. This describes a “broken link” or also “dead link” and thus a broken reference.
This points to a resource that does not (no longer) exist, such as a deleted subpage within a website. In search engine optimization, broken links in increased form can represent a ranking disadvantage.
Reasons for Broken Links
Broken links can occur for a variety of reasons, including:
- The web page was moved to a new location without updating the link
- The website no longer exists because it has been deleted or renamed
- The Webseite is not active anymore
- There is a typo in the hyperlink
Why are Broken Links bad for your website?
Search engines like Google use crawlers to index websites and determine their ranking. When a crawler encounters a broken link, it stops indexing the rest of the site until the problem is fixed. This means that the website may be missing out on valuable link juice. Also, broken links provide a poor user experience, which may cause visitors to leave the site without making the desired conversion.
It is important to regularly check the website for broken links or links that lead to nowhere – this is called SEO hygiene.
Thematically relevant sub-pages:
