What is Broken Links?
Hyperlinks that lead to non-existent pages, returning 404 errors when clicked.
Understanding Broken Links
Broken links occur when a linked page is deleted, moved without a redirect, or the URL is mistyped. They create a poor user experience by leading visitors to dead-end error pages and waste crawl budget as search engines repeatedly attempt to access non-existent URLs. Internal broken links prevent link equity from flowing through your site, while external broken links pointing to your site represent lost ranking value. Regularly auditing and fixing broken links is a fundamental site maintenance task that improves both user experience and SEO performance.
Why It Matters
Broken links degrade user experience, waste crawl budget, and interrupt the flow of link equity through your site. A high number of 404 errors signals poor maintenance to search engines and can indirectly hurt your rankings.
How Keyword Kick Helps
Keyword Kick's site audit automatically discovers broken internal and external links across your entire site, prioritizes them by impact, and suggests fixes such as redirects or updated URLs.
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
How do broken links affect SEO?
Broken internal links waste crawl budget and prevent link equity from reaching important pages. Broken inbound links from other sites mean you lose valuable backlink authority. Both types create poor user experiences that increase bounce rates.
Should I redirect all broken links or just delete them?
If the broken link points to content that has moved, set up a 301 redirect to the new URL. If the content no longer exists, either redirect to the most relevant alternative page or return a proper 404 with a helpful error page. Remove internal links pointing to genuinely deleted content.
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