Site Tip · Owning & protecting your site

Broken links lose customers

A customer taps your "Services" link, expecting a price or a phone number, and gets a page that says "404 Not Found." Most people won't try again. They will go back to the search results and call the next business on the list.

Why links break

Links usually break because something changed and nobody updated what pointed to it. A page gets renamed, deleted, or moved, but the menu, a blog post, or a link on another site still points to the old address.

It also happens when you link to someone else's site and they remove the page. Over time, even a well-built site collects a few dead ends.

What a broken link costs you

The first cost is the visitor. They came with a need, hit a dead end, and may leave without telling you. You never see that lost call.

The second cost is trust. An error page makes a site look unmaintained, and people wonder if the business is still active.

The third is search. Google follows links to find and understand your pages. A site full of dead ends looks like it isn't looked after. We can't promise exactly how much that affects your results, but it never helps.

How to check your links

Set a reminder to do this a few times a year, and any time you rename or delete a page.

Click through your own menu, footer, and buttons on both a computer and a phone.
Click the links inside your most important pages, such as your services and contact pages.
Use a free link checker tool, which scans your site and lists every address that returns an error.
Check Google Search Console. Its page reports can show pages Google tried to open and couldn't.
Test any link to an outside site, such as a supplier, a review page, or a social profile.

How to fix them with redirects

A redirect is an instruction that sends visitors from an old address to a new one automatically. If you renamed a page or moved it, set up a redirect from the old address to the new page so no one lands on an error.

Point each old page to the closest match. If you removed a service, send people to your main services page, not the home page. If a link was simply typed wrong, correct the link itself.

Skip redirecting everything to the home page. It confuses visitors who were looking for something specific. Many website builders have a redirect setting, and if yours doesn't, a developer can add it quickly.

If you want a hand with it, Modestius builds and fixes websites for small businesses.

Questions owners ask

How often should I check for broken links?

A few times a year is a good habit. Also check right after you rename, move, or delete any page.

What is a 404 page?

It is the error page people see when the address they opened doesn't exist. You can make a friendlier one that links back to your main pages and phone number.