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Reasons for Broken Links That Hurt Your SEO

Broken links are also called dead links. They can hurt your website very badly and make people unhappy with your site. These are links that go to pages that are not there anymore, showing a 404 error. For businesses that really need their websites, it is important to know why broken links happen. This blog post will talk about the main reasons for broken links in technical SEO, helping you find and fix these problems to keep your website strong and easy for people to use.

Reasons for Broken Links:

1. Deleted or Moved Content:

Sometimes, pages on a website are deleted or moved to a new address. If this happens without telling the website where the new page is, it leads to a broken link, showing a 404 error. This often happens during website updates or cleanups when old or unneeded pages are removed.

2. Incorrect URL Structure:

Incorrect URL Structure can cause links to break. Mistake in the web address, like a typing error or bad formatting, the link won’t work. Even a tiny error, like a wrong letter or symbol, can break the link.

3. Changes in Website Architecture:

When a website is redesigned or restructured, the paths to pages might change. If these changes aren’t managed well, it can create many broken links. This is common during big website overhauls or moves to new systems.

4. External Links to Removed Content:

Links to other websites can break if those websites delete or move their pages. This is something you can’t control but it still affects your site. It happens when you link to resources on other sites that later decide to remove or move their content.

5. Dynamic URL Issues:

Some websites create URLs on the fly based on user input or database queries. If these dynamic parts are incorrect or if the data changes, the link can break. This is common in e-commerce sites or content-heavy platforms where URLs are generated automatically.

6. Improper Link Syntax:

Mistakes in the HTML code, like missing quotation marks or wrong tags, can break a link. This often happens when coding links by hand without checking them. Even small syntax errors can stop a link from working.

7. Website Server Issues:

Problems with the server, like downtime or misconfigurations, can temporarily break links. In case the server that runs your site is down or not set up correctly, links won’t work. This can cause broken links that annoy users and make your site look unreliable.

8. Expired Domain Names:

When a website’s domain name expires, any links to that site will break. This is less common but still important, especially for older or less-maintained sites. Domains not renewed on time lead to broken links.

9. Content Management System (CMS) Issues:

Some CMS platforms may have bugs or issues that cause broken links, especially during updates or migrations. Problems can happen if the CMS doesn’t handle URL changes well or if plugins and themes cause conflicts that break links.

Conclusion:

Broken links are a big problem for websites. They can make visitors upset and lower your website’s ranking in search engines. By understanding why links break—like deleted content, wrong URLs, website changes, external link issues, dynamic URL problems, bad HTML, server issues, expired domains, and CMS bugs—you can fix them. Regular checks and using tools can help keep your site healthy and working well, ensuring a smooth experience for your users and good SEO performance.

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