Last updated 4 years ago
When web developers remove a linked page, place an incorrect URL in a text link, or change a URL address without correctly updating the URL, a broken link is created. In other words, when searchers (or web crawlers) browse through your site and click on the link, they may be directed to a page with a 404 error. Every website experiences a few broken links now and then, and a few may not destroy your website’s life, but there are a lot of reasons to beware of excess 404 errors on your website. Here are a few reasons why broken links are bad:
It’s important to understand that one of the ways search engines rank websites is by crawling their links. If there are dead links on your website, it can stop search engine spiders from crawling your site and, thus, indexing it.
404 errors encourage users to move on to the next site rather than stick around and hope they will get the information they need from a broken page. When users get broken link errors, it can affect your website’s conversion rates. It’s just worth it to fix those broken links.
Out of all the search engines to impress, Google should be at the top of your list. Google is all about providing a user friendly experience, which includes protecting users against websites with broken links. If you want to rank well with Google, fix your excess broken links.
Scan broken links with the help of this lightweight software utility that enables you to export your reports for further analysis. Nobody likes a dead link. It is a bad experience for your web site visitors. Google recommends checking your site for broken links on a regular basis. Doing it manually would be a nightmare.
BONUS SOFTWARE: On Page SEO Checker
Broken Link Detector 
