Since you landed on my blog post, you’re probably wondering how to check your website for broken links and what to do once you find them. You’re not alone, broken links can sneak up on any site and cause all sorts of issues.
But don’t worry, they’re easier to deal with than you might think. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the steps to find and fix broken links, so your site stays in top shape.
So grab your favorite beverage and let’s dive in! ☺️
NOTE: All my WordPress tutorials focus on WordPress.org, not WordPress.com. If you’re curious about the differences, here’s everything you need to know ☺️
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What Are Broken Links and Why Do They Matter?
Let’s start with the basics. A broken link is any hyperlink on your website that doesn’t work. You know, the ones that lead to a “404 Not Found” page or just don’t go anywhere at all. These can be internal links that point to other pages on your site or external links that lead to other websites.
Broken links might seem like a small issue, but they can cause big problems. First off, they hurt your SEO.
Search engines like Google frown upon websites with broken links. If you have too many, your site might drop in search rankings. Lower rankings mean less traffic, which is the last thing any of us want.
On top of that, internal links help Googlebot navigate your site, giving it a better understanding of your site’s structure. But broken links can throw a wrench in the crawling and indexing process, making it harder for Google to crawl your site effectively. If your pages aren’t getting indexed, they’re not going to rank, no matter how great your content is.
But it’s not just about SEO. Think about the user experience. Imagine a reader clicks on a link expecting to find more information, only to be greeted by an error page. Frustrating, right? That frustration can lead them to leave your site altogether. We want our readers to stay engaged, not bounce off our pages because of a dead link.
Finally, there’s your reputation to consider. Broken links make your site look outdated or poorly maintained. They can make your audience question your attention to detail. And trust me, you don’t want that.
So, while broken links might seem like a minor annoyance, they actually matter a lot. Taking the time to check and fix them regularly will keep your site in good shape, both for search engines and your readers.
How to Check Your Website for Broken Links
Now that we know why broken links are such a big deal, let’s talk about how to find them. Luckily, you don’t have to go through every page manually. There are plenty of tools that can do the heavy lifting for you. And if your site is small, most of them won’t cost you a dime 🙂
Google Search Console
One of the easiest ways to find broken links is by using Google Search Console. If you’re not using it yet, I highly recommend it. It’s an essential tool every blogger needs. And it’s free 🙂
Google Search Console can give you all sorts of insights about your site. To check for broken links, just head to the “Indexing” report. Google will list any pages with errors, including 404s.
One problem with using this tool to check for broken links is that it will NOT show you external broken links. And those are important.
Ahrefs Website Audit
Here’s what I use to check my broken links – Ahrefs. They offer a website audit that not only finds broken links but also gives you a full report on your site’s health.
The audit is free for up to 10 000 internal pages (at the time I’m writing this post), which is more than enough if you have a small site or you just started with blogging.
I love this tool, it will tell you exactly which page is affected, what is the anchor text of the broken links and what is the destination link that is not working. All you have to do then is edit the post and remove or fix the broken link.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
If you’re not familiar with Screaming Frog SEO Spider, it’s a highly useful tool for bloggers and website owners. You can get all kinds of very useful information even with the free version.
Using Screaming Frog SEO Spider to check for broken links is super easy and effective. First, download and install the tool on your computer (they offer a free version that works for smaller websites, you can crawl up to 500 pages with it).
Once installed, just enter your website URL into the search bar and let Screaming Frog crawl your site. It scans all the pages and identifies any broken internal or external links.
When the crawl is complete, go to the “Response Codes” tab and order the results by Status code from highest to smallest. You want to see pages with 4xx codes.
Now you’ll have a detailed list of URLs that need attention.
If you click on the affected URL, in the tab below you can see where the broken links are located on your site and where it leads.
Online Broken Link Checkers
There are also several online tools like Broken Link Checker or Dead Link Checker that specialize in finding broken links. However, I tried them with very unsatisfying results, so I gave up on them. You can try it for yourself, maybe they got better over time…
The one that actually works (at least for me) is again Ahrefs Broken Link Checker.
WordPress Plugins
If you’re on WordPress, there are plugins designed to keep an eye on your links. The Broken Link Checker plugin is a popular option. It scans your site regularly and alerts you to any broken links. It even lets you fix them directly from your WordPress dashboard.
But you have to keep in mind that using these kinds of plugins can slow down your site (they usually use your server’s resources to scan the content of your site).
How to Fix Broken Links on Your Website
Once you’ve found those broken links, it’s time to fix them.
First, take a look at the list of broken links from your audit tool. Whether you’re using Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or another tool, you’ll have a clear report showing which links are broken and where they are on your site. Use this as your checklist.
Next, figure out whether the broken link is internal (pointing to another page on your site) or external (leading to a different website). Knowing the type helps you decide the best way to fix it.
- Internal Links: These are links within your own site. If one is broken, it might be because the URL has changed, or the page has been deleted.
- External Links: These point to other websites. They can break if the external site has moved the content, changed the URL, or taken down the page entirely.
Now, let’s fix it. Depending on the type of broken link, here’s what you can do:
- Update the URL: If you find that a link is broken because the URL has changed (either on your site or an external one), simply update the link with the correct URL.
- Change the URL: If the URL you linked to no longer exists, you can find another high-quality source to link to.
- Remove the Link: Sometimes, there’s no suitable replacement for the broken link. If the content it pointed to is no longer relevant or available, it’s best to remove the link entirely.
- Redirect the URL: If you have several links pointing to the same removed or deleted URL, you can set up a 301 redirect. This will automatically send users to the new page instead.
After you’ve made your changes, always test the links to make sure they’re working correctly. Just click through each one to confirm that it leads where it should. This step might seem obvious, but it’s easy to skip – and it’s important to make sure everything’s working as intended, otherwise you’ll end up with another broken link 🙂
Pro Tip: Schedule Regular Link Checks
Broken links can pop up at any time, especially if your site or the sites you link to change frequently. I recommend scheduling a regular link check (I do mine once a month) using your preferred tool. This way, you can catch and fix broken links before they cause problems 🙂
And there you have it ☺️ By following these steps, you’ll keep your site free of broken links and ensure a smooth experience for your readers. It might take a little time, but the payoff is worth it – better SEO, happier visitors, and a more polished site overall.
Happy blogging! ❣️
