How many times have you been to a website, found a link that sounded interesting, and clicked on it only to be taken to a page that says ‘page not found’? Broken links can be extremely frustrating for your website’s visitors. They can also be costly to you if visitors can’t access your sales or sign-up pages!
Most site owners are careful about creating and editing links. Many site owners even click on the links after they create them. This doesn’t mean that you are safe from broken links!
Here are a few ways your links may become broken:
- Typos – Mistyping the URL when creating a link is common. This is why it is a good practice to test links after you create them.
- Moved Pages – It is common to provide a link path that is relative to the current page. If you ever move the page, the link can become broken.
- New Site Structure – If you are using a content management system and update your site’s URL structure, all the URL’s for your site will change. Any links that are hard-coded can become broken. This can also happen if you move your entire website.
- External Changes – If you are linking to an external web page, if that page is ever moved, deleted or protected, the link will be broken.
If you haven’t used the free W3 Link checker, check your site now!