Broken link: What is it, what are its causes and how to fix it?

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UPDATED ✅ A broken link is one that takes us to a website or entry that is no longer available, giving us a 404 error ⭐ ENTER HERE ⭐ and Learn more

Many times we do not know why it happens that when we are browsing an Internet site A message appears with a specific number after pressing a link proposed by the website we were visiting.

This is known as a broken link, since it does not take us to any destination correctly. The typing of these errors is standardizedso we only need to know why they happen.

In order to receive, in Google, authority of a page to our website, we must have the Internet portal with the fewest number of broken links. For this, there are tools that allow to determine what are the problems that will affect SEO and will harm the positioning of our website.

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

When we are reading an Internet site, many times we are referred to a highlighted URL that allows us to reaffirm the concept that is being talked about or simply cite a source. To find out what it is, we have to click on that reference so that it redirects us to a file, which can be located on the same web page or on 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 her. The reason for this could be because the URL was mistyped, 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 due to not refreshing the browser, not having authorized access, the server refusing to deliver the requested information even though the request is correct, or the client needs to identify himself by means of 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 ranking will depend on who is causing the error. Let’s see!

Client Errors:

It can happen that when you are working and you have not updated your browser. Therefore, if you want to enter, the website gives you a code 400.
In the event that the link is out of use, 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 can also happen that the link we need is correct, but the server refuses to deliver the requested information. This happens because we do not have the corresponding permissions. For this, we must “log us 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 that we can find. This is reflected on our screens when we misspell the web address or the link is no longer active.
If the request requires the client to identify itself through a Proxy, the text “407 Proxy Authentication Required”.
Another of the broken links that we can find is when the link request could not be completed because there was a problem or conflict with it. In these cases a code will appear error 409.
number 410 It is a failure used especially in Google, which originates because the web page to which we want to enter does not exist.
When the server does not meet the preconditions, an error called “412 Precondition Failed”.
A link will appear with id 421 at the time the server is unable to produce a response.
“423 Locked”, is another of the most common mistakes out there. It arises when the file we request is blocked.
This problem occurs 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 a message will appear on the screens “429 Too Many Requests”.
The server may also refuse to allow access to resources that are hosted on it for legal reasons. And because of this the message will appear “452 Unavailable for Legal reasons”.

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

Types of broken links How are they classified?

We analyze these below:

A very common and general error is the one that informs us that there is an internal server conflict. This happens when the message appears “500 Internal Server Error”.
Sometimes the method that is requested from the server is not implemented by it, so we will see on link error 501.
“502 Bad Gateway”we will see this message when the server is acting as a gateway and does not receive a response from the other server to which it wants to connect.
It often happens to find “503 Service Unavailable”. This is due when maintenance tasks are carried out on the server, either to improve functions or correct errors in it.
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 an answer.
We can also find servers that do not support the HTTP protocol according to the version that is requested. Therefore, the message will appear “505 HTTP Version Not Supported”.
Do not forget that the server also has limited storage space, so many times it cannot complete a given request. We will realize this when we see the conflict 507.
If the client needs to identify himself to enter the server, a message will appear with the number 511.

What is the impact of a broken link on the positioning of a website and how does it create a bad user experience?

The big problem with broken links is that create a bad user experience. Since these waste time searching of the requested information, decrease positive regard of the website and dissipate confidence on the destination server that hosts what you are looking for. So, in the following links that appear on that web page will not be taken into account by the client.

We must bear 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 for the virtual visitor, that is, they will be on the page for a short time. In this way, the SEO will suffersince the page will gradually lose positioning in reference searches.

One of the most common attacks hackers carry out is generating negative links to pages.

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

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

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