Are Broken Links a big deal?
Are Broken Links really a big deal?
The answer is a big YES! Broken Links on your web site really are a big deal for both your web site visitors and the search engine spiders. But how do you check thousands of links on hundreds of web pages? The answer is simpler than you think. Let’s look at why it’s important to fix broken links and then how you can do it quickly.
Web site Visitors
Imagine your frustration when you finally find a web site with the information you are looking for only to dig deeper and not be able to get the details you need. You quickly exit the site and vow never to return again! Broken links bring with them many negative impressions including:
- “This site is poorly managed which means the company must not be very good either.”
- “This company must be out of business since some of the links don’t work.”
- “If they can’t get their web site right, how will they get my order right?”
Keeping your web site updated and free of broken links reflects positively on your brand image and can impact your lead generation and sales efforts.
Search Engine Spiders
The search engines scan your site and follow links to capture your page content. When they come across a broken link, they stop dead in their tracks. This negatively impacts your rankings in the search engine since they are unable to index all of your content properly. Keeping your web site updated and free of broken links is one piece of the very complicated SEO puzzle. Finding and fixing broken links should be part of your regular web site maintenance.
Fixing Broken Links
Searching out and fixing broken links doesn’t have to be a tedious, time consuming undertaking. There are numerous web master tools available to scan your web site and locate broken links. Also consider implementing a custom 404 Error Page which allows visitors to report broken links directly to the web master.
This article was written by Sarah Schwitters, CMO of lodestar marketing group. If you have questions related to Broken Links or how to improve your natural search rankings, please contact Sarah Schwitters at sarah@lodestarmg.com.