When you click on an external link on a webpage- that is, a URL that leads to another website, and encounter an error like “”Page not found,”” this is referred to as a “broken link” or more technically, a “404 error.” As mentioned in a recent blog post, these errors not only negatively affect SEO but also risk losing users’ trust.
So, why do broken links occur?
I’m not sure if there are statistics on this, but based on my experience, the following three reasons are the most common:
1. Links to news articles
This is very frequent. Companies often link to interesting news or articles closely related to their business on their websites. While this practice itself is fine, news pages are by nature temporary. Often, the page gets deleted after a month to a year. In fact, it’s more common for the page to disappear than to remain accessible.
Many news sites have policies regarding how long their content is available, so it’s worth checking in advance. Otherwise, it’s better to either review the links after a few months or avoid including them in the first place.
2. Links to campaign pages
This is similar to the news case above. Due to the temporary nature of campaigns, the likelihood of the linked page being deleted after a certain period is even higher. However, unlike news pages, the end date of a campaign is usually known in advance—so it’s important to remember to remove the link when the campaign ends.
3. Linked pages being shut down or URLs being changed
If a partner company linked on your site changes its homepage URL due to a site renewal or a name change, the link will naturally break. Even if it’s a partner, it’s rare for them to notify you of such changes. There are also cases where the company goes out of business or downsizes, leading to the removal of their website altogether.
In any case, it’s not possible to fully manage other people’s URLs.
To avoid broken links, the best solutions are to constantly monitor them using tools, or to avoid posting the links in the first place.
