In response to a Reddit thread discussing the identification and correction of broken inbound links, Google’s John Mueller provided nuanced advice, emphasizing that while some broken links are worth addressing, others may not be as crucial.
Query on Reddit Regarding Broken Inbound Links: A user inquired on Reddit about free methods to locate broken links.
The question was as follows:
“Is it possible to locate broken links in a similar manner to identifying expired domain names?”
The individual seeking clarification inquired whether the question pertained to a broken inbound link originating from an external website.
John Mueller Expounds on Locating and Resolving 404 Errors
In response, John Mueller provided an explanation:
“If you want to see which links to your website are broken & “relevant”, you can look at the analytics of your 404 page and check the referrers there, filtering out your domain.
This brings up those which actually get traffic, which is probably a good proxy.
If you have access to your server logs, you could get it in a bit more detail + see which ones search engine bots crawl.
It’s a bit of technical work, but no external tools needed, and likely a better estimation of what’s useful to fix/redirect.”
In his reply, John Mueller addresses the query regarding identifying 404 responses resulting from broken inbound links and determining what is “worth fixing” or should be “redirected.”
Mueller Provides Guidance on When Not to Address “Fixing” 404 Pages
Following that, John Mueller provided counsel on situations where it may be impractical to rectify a 404 page.
Mueller elaborated:
“Keep in mind that you don’t have to fix 404 pages, having things go away is normal & fine.
The SEO ‘value’ of bringing a 404 back is probably less than the work you put into it.”
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Certain 404 errors warrant correction, while others may not require immediate attention
John Mueller noted that in cases where a 404 error stems from an inbound link, it can be straightforward to address, and he provided suggestions on identifying and rectifying such errors.
Mueller also indicated that there are instances where addressing certain 404 errors might be considered a futile effort.
Notably, the distinction between these cases was not explicitly mentioned, potentially causing some confusion.
In the scenario of inbound broken links to existing webpages, there are occasions when an external site links to your site using an incorrect URL, leading to a 404 response on your site. Identifying and rectifying such links is straightforward and beneficial.
Similarly, there are situations where an external site correctly links to your webpage, but the webpage’s URL has changed, and the 301 redirect is absent. These types of inbound broken links are also easy to detect and beneficial to fix.
In both cases, the 404 responses resulting from inbound broken links to existing webpages can be observed in server logs, Google Search Console, and plugins like the Redirection WordPress plugin. For WordPress sites using the Redirection plugin, problem identification is simplified as the plugin provides a comprehensive report of all 404 responses, including essential information for diagnosis and resolution.
If the Redirection plugin is not used, an alternative option involves manually coding a .htaccess rule to manage the redirect.
Additionally, reaching out to the website responsible for the broken link and requesting a fix is another recourse. While there’s a slim possibility that the other site may opt to remove the link entirely, rectifying the issue on your end could be a quicker and more straightforward solution.
Regardless of the chosen method to address the external inbound broken link, the process of identifying and resolving these issues is generally uncomplicated.
Inbound Broken Links To Removed Pages
There are instances where an old webpage has been intentionally removed due to legitimate reasons, such as the conclusion of an event or the discontinuation of a service.
In such cases, it is appropriate to display a 404 response code, as this aligns with the intended purpose of indicating that the requested page is no longer available. Showing a 404 response is not inherently negative.
While some individuals may attempt to derive value from the inbound link by creating a new webpage to replace the missing one, this might not be practical if the link pertains to something irrelevant or obsolete, given that the original reason for the page’s existence no longer applies.
Even if a new purpose is assigned to the page, any link equity obtained may be inconsequential since the content is unrelated to anything except the expired reason.
Redirecting the absent page to the home page is a strategy some use to capitalize on the link to a non-existent page. However, it’s important to note that Google treats such links as Soft 404s, resulting in no discernible benefit.
These are the cases that John Mueller was probably referring to when he said:
“…you don’t have to fix 404 pages, having things go away is normal & fine.
The SEO ‘value’ of bringing a 404 back is probably less than the work you put into it.”
Mueller is correct; certain pages should be permanently eliminated from a website, and the appropriate server response for such pages is a 404 error.
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