Broken links and 404 errors: how to fix them
In your audit this appears as URLs returning status code 40x
Some URLs on your site answer with a 40x status code: nearly always a 404 ("not found") or a 410 ("gone"). Someone clicks and, instead of the page, meets an error.
Why it matters
For your visitor it is a dead end: they came to do something and leave without doing it. For the search engine, every broken link is crawl budget spent on pages that do not exist, and broken internal links cut the path it follows to discover the rest of your site.
And there is an underrated effect on perception: a site full of dead links looks abandoned, and that impression rubs off on whatever you sell.
Where they usually come from
- You renamed or moved a page and did not update what linked to it.
- You deleted a discontinued product or an old post.
- A typo in a link's address.
- You linked to someone else's site that later closed or reorganised its URLs.
How to fix it
- If the page moved: correct the link, or put a
301redirect from the old address to the new. - If it is gone for good: link to the closest alternative; if there is none, remove the link. Do not leave it pointing at nothing.
- If it is external: check whether the resource lives at another address, and if not, drop it.
- Look after your 404 page: some will always slip through, so offer a search box and useful links rather than a blank notice.
A deleted URL returning 404 is not a fault: it is the correct answer. The problem is that links still point at it. Fix the link, not the status code.
Does your site have this problem?
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