Does Fixing Broken Links Really Matter In SEO Now?

Fixing broken links on a website has always been considered an SEO “best practice”, but does it really make that much of a difference anymore? If you’re in the SEO game, you’ve heard plenty about how you MUST fix broken links – but if you’ve done that and it didn’t do anything to improve your SEO ranking – there are a few reasons why.

1. The links didn’t matter in the first place

Links only matter if they are relevant and Google finds value in them. There are tons of links that Google just isn’t going to count. They might be spam links, non-editorial or even manipulative links. Also, fixing broken links that have had low value isn’t going to make a difference either. Links with little to no traffic aren’t even going to be ranked by Google so fixing them isn’t going to prove beneficial to your SEO improvement.

2. Redirected links to an irrelevant URL

You might have fixed the link – but is it a GOOD link going to a GOOD URL? This happens all the time with sites that discontinue sections of the website and redirect it all to their homepage or get rid of a subdomain. Google doesn’t classify this as valuable because they will report it as a soft 404 error- which ultimately means they see the redirect, but they don’t like it and they don’t think it’s relevant.

What You Can Do With Broken Links

So what can we do about it?

1. Fix Them

Definitely fix the broken link – even though you might not be 100% sure which links Google is counting, they can be a benefit. Plus, broken links don’t provide the best user experience so that can hinder your website in another way. Google doesn’t want to see them and neither do users.

2. High-Authority pages are priority – so are fresh pages

If you have thousands of broken links – don’t put it on your to-do list to fix all of them. It’s not worth the time. BUT do prioritize those pages that have high page authority, links that are high-value, or links from pages that have value.

Also, prioritize pages that are updated regularly, have links coming to them and see a lot of traffic. Those older pages that are somewhere in the nether world of your website shouldn’t take priority over the ones that are getting visitors.

Broken links are a natural part of the online world. Not every broken link needs to be fixed – especially if you have a large website with lots of links. Consider value first. Make sure you prioritize those links and pages that need it the most and where it makes the most sense.

Better Yet – Hire An SEO Team That Can Do It For You

Most business owners don’t have time to go check every link on their websites. Don’t worry about it. Spot On Solutions is highly experienced in SEO and can help you determine what does and does not need to be done to improve your website SEO rankings. Contact Us Today to learn more!