Check for any broken links or missing pages.
Checking for broken links or missing pages on a website is an essential task for website owners, developers, and content creators. Broken links or missing pages can lead to a negative user experience, reduced website traffic, and can even harm your website’s search engine ranking. In this article, we will discuss the importance of checking for broken links or missing pages and how to perform this task effectively.
The first step in checking for broken links or missing pages is to use a website crawler tool. These tools scan through the website and check all the links on every page. There are many website crawler tools available, both free and paid. Some of the popular ones include Screaming Frog, Google Search Console, and Ahrefs. Once the crawl is complete, the tool generates a report that lists all the broken links or missing pages.
The next step is to review the report and identify the broken links or missing pages. Broken links are links that do not work, leading to a 404 error page or a blank page. Missing pages are pages that return a 404 error page, indicating that the page no longer exists or has been removed. It’s essential to fix broken links and missing pages as quickly as possible to avoid negative consequences.
The easiest way to fix a broken link is to replace it with a working link. If the link is broken because the page no longer exists, you can either create a new page or redirect the broken link to another page on your website. If you redirect the broken link, make sure the new page is relevant to the original content of the broken link. This is important for maintaining the user experience and for SEO purposes.
If you find a missing page, the best course of action is to recreate the page with the same URL or redirect it to another relevant page. If the page was removed intentionally, consider adding a custom 404 error page that provides helpful information and links to other relevant pages on your website. This will provide a better user experience and reduce the chances of visitors leaving your website.
Once you have fixed the broken links or missing pages, it’s important to verify that the changes have been made correctly. You can do this by performing another crawl using the same website crawler tool. This will ensure that all the broken links or missing pages have been fixed and that there are no new issues.
In addition to using website crawler tools, you can also use browser extensions to check for broken links. These extensions scan through the website and highlight any broken links in red. Some of the popular browser extensions include Check My Links and Link Checker.
It’s important to check for broken links or missing pages regularly, preferably on a monthly or quarterly basis. This will help you catch any issues early and prevent them from causing further damage to your website’s user experience and search engine ranking.
In conclusion, checking for broken links or missing pages is an important task that website owners, developers, and content creators should perform regularly. Using website crawler tools and browser extensions can make this task easier and more efficient. Fixing broken links and missing pages promptly is crucial for maintaining a positive user experience and preventing any negative impacts on your website’s search engine ranking.