【Broken Link】 What is it? + Causes and Solutions ▷ 2024

Many times we do not know why it happens that when we are browsing a website we get a message with a specific number after pressing a link that proposed the web we were visiting.

This is known by the name of a broken link, since it does not take us to any destination correctly. The typing of these errors is standardized , so we just have to know why they happen.

In order to receive, on Google, authority from one page to our website, we must have the Internet portal with the least amount of broken links. For this, there are tools that allow you to determine what are the problems that will affect SEO and will impair the positioning of our website.

Index:

What is a broken link or link and what are its causes?

When we are reading a website, it often refers to a highlighted URL that allows us to reaffirm the concept that is being spoken or simply to cite a source. To find out what it is, we have to click on that reference to redirect us to a file, which can be located on the same website or another site. This link is known as a link.

In some situations, it happens that when we click on that link, it sends us a notification with an error . When this situation occurs we call it. The reason for this may be because the URL was misspelled, the destination server was moved to another (so it could not find the requested reference), the link on the review website was closed or that mention page is currently working .

We can also find another class of links that are not necessarily errors. These occur for not refreshing the browser, not having an authorized access, the server refuses to deliver the requested information even if the request is correct or the client needs to be identified by a proxy .

Types of broken links How are they classified?

By working with a client-server network structure, we can distinguish the origin of broken link problems according to each of them. Therefore, the classification will depend on who causes the error. Let’s see !

Customer errors:

It may happen that when you are working and have not updated your browser. Therefore, if you want to enter, the website gives you a 400 code .
If the link is deprecated, it will appear on your screen with error 402 .
When you do not have permission or authorization to receive the content you are requesting, you will get a status 401 .
It may also occur that the link we need is correct, but the server refuses to deliver the requested information. This happens because we don’t have the corresponding permissions. To do this, we must “log in” and be able to access that information according to the privileges granted. This will happen to you when you see the conflict 403 .
404 , is the most common error code we can find. This is reflected in our screens when we write the web address incorrectly or the link is no longer active.
If the request requires that the client be identified by a Proxy, the text “407 Proxy Authentication Required ”.
Another broken link we can find is when the link request could not be completed because there was a problem or conflict with it. In these cases we will see a code of error 409 .
The number 410 is a bug used especially in Google, which originates because it does not exist the web page we want to access.
When the server does not meet the preconditions, an error called “412 Precondition Failed” is caused.
A link with ID 421 will appear at the moment the server is not able to produce a response.
“423 Locked” , is another of the most common mistakes there are. It arises when the file we request is blocked.
This problem happens especially when the resources of our devices are not enough and it is generated because too many requests have been sent in a very short time, so we a message “429 Too Many Requests” will appear on the screens.
The server may also refuse to allow access to resources that are hosted on it for legal reasons. And because of this the message “452 Unavailable for Legal reasons” .

So far we have talked about status codes related to problems from the client, but we can also find errors of the FTP server.

We analyze these below:

A very common and general error is the one that informs us that there is an internal conflict of the server. This happens when the message “500 Internal Server Error” appears.
Sometimes the method requested from the server is not implemented by it, so it will arise in link error 501 .
“502 Bad Gateway” , we will see this message when the server is acting as a gateway and receives no response from the other server you want to connect to.
It happens often to find “503 Service Unavailable” . This is due to maintenance tasks on the server, either to improve functions or correct errors in the server.
Another conflict that occurs is when the server is working as a gateway. For this situation we will see the number 504 and it happens when we do not receive a response.
We can also find servers that do not support the HTTP protocol according to the requested version. Therefore, the message “505 HTTP Version Not Supported” will appear.
Do not forget that the server also has limited storage space, so many times you cannot Complete a specific request. We will realize this when we see the 507 conflict .
If the client needs to identify themselves to enter the server, a message will appear with the number 511 .

What is the impact of a web link on a broken link and how do you create a bad user experience?

The big problem that arises with broken links is that generate a bad user experience . Since these waste time in searching for the requested information, decrease positive consideration of the website and dissipate trust on the destination server that hosts the search. Therefore, in the following links that appear on that website will not be taken into account by the client.

We must keep in mind that Google analyzes the user experience on the Internet portal . So if there is a website that contains several broken links, it generates a high bounce of the virtual visitor, that is, it will be short on the page. In this way, the SEO will be damaged , since the page will gradually lose positioning in the reference searches.

One of the most common attacks by hackers is to generate negative links to pages.

Is it possible to repair a broken link within my own website?

Fortunately it is possible to repair a broken link from our own website. To do this, we must carry out an exhaustive analysis of all the links of our website. In this way we will realize those that are not functioning correctly. We can use different tools that will allow us to quickly find defects.

For example, in WordPress we can install the “Broken Link Checker” plugin, with which we must verify in the link in question , with the option “Check “. When we obtain the audit result we will see if it is necessary or not to correct it manually.

Other tools we can find that will help us see our interlinking are: