A guide to find and Remove broken links
Broken links are links that go to sites that do not exist. You’ll be sent to a 404 error page if you clicked on a broken link. What can the 404 error code indicate? A 404 error site is a typical HTTP response that informs that the URL you requested does not exist. What can you do if you’re exploring the web happily then you come upon a 404 error? Since broken links are regarded unethical by both people and search engines, most of us would completely abandon the present site in favor of another.
Since 404 errors and broken links have such a serious affect on your search engine rankings, it’s prudent to take steps to avoid them in order to increase exposure and traffic to your site. Some methods are more suited to WordPress writers who maintain their blogs more frequently than website owners.
There are two types of plugins that can assist with broken links in WordPress:
1. Check for Broken Links
2. Rerouting
I avoid installing plugins as a user who prefers to do things manually. However, in this scenario, installing a plugin is the most effective approach to remedy the problem. Whether or whether you utilize plugins, you should check your website for 404 problems and broken links on a regular basis to ensure that it runs smoothly.
Google WebMaster Tools to find and remove broken links
Google can index inaccessible or nonexistent website pages for two reasons:
1. You may have submitted an internal link by accident. To solve this problem, you’ll need to install the Link to Post plugin.
2. This problem can also occur after Google has finished indexing a link and you decide to modify the permanent URL.
The most efficient way to fix these issues is to use Google webmaster tools. If you have a working website and haven’t registered it yet, do so now to take advantage of this feature. The most suitable tool provided by GWT aids in the removal of incorrect pages from search results. Broken URLs can be removed from Google’s index in three ways.
Detecting Invalidly Google indexed pages
Invalid pages are only a few steps away from being discovered when you evaluate your site after signing up for the Google Webmaster tool.
1. Select Crawl Errors from the Diagnostics menu.
2. Select the “not found” category.
3. Check for broken links on pages.
Discarding URLs from Google’s search results
1. Select Site configuration from the left menu, then Crawl access.
2. Select the Remove URL option from the drop-down menu.
3. Select New Removal Request from the drop-down menu.
4. You have four alternatives with crawler access. 1 will take a page out of Google’s search results.
5. At the finish, click the Next button.
6. Look up the URL you wish to delete.
7. After selecting the first option, click Add.
8. The URL will display the list, and you can remove more pages by adding them to the list.
9. At the bottom of the page, there is a button that says “submit removal request.”
10. Select Configuration once again.
11. Select the “Remove URL” option.
12. Ensure your URL isn’t on the list before removing it.
13. Click ‘removed URL’ to see a list of URLs that have been removed.
To be sure, run a Google search on your URL to see if any results come up.
Detecting broken links using Xenu Link Sleuth
Xenu Link Sleuth will search your website for any broken links. It is available for download here. Unlike them, WordPress plugins work within a system. Xenu is a lone ranger who outputs site links, either valid or invalid, and sorts them into a legible format.
The best part about Xenu is how simple it is to use.
1. Select “Open File” and then “Check URL.”
2. Enter the URL of your website.
3. Wait for it to finish checking all of the links.
4. Select yes for the option “if you want a report.”
When you get the report, go to Broken Links and click on it. Sort broken links in the table of contents to see them on all pages. You can either remove or fix required broken links once you know where they are. Visit our blog page to read more about our blog!
