How do broken links happen?
Almost always by accident: a page is renamed or deleted, a product is discontinued, or an address is mistyped. The page linking to it is rarely updated at the same time.
What are the ways to fix a broken link?
There are three, and the right one depends on why the link broke.
- The address was mistyped: correct the link.
- The page moved: update the link, and add a permanent (301) redirect from the old address to the new one so older links from other sites keep working.
- The page is gone for good: remove the link, or point it at the closest page that still exists.
What should happen when a page does not exist?
The site should answer with a “404 not found” status and a helpful page offering a search or the main sections. If a made-up address returns a normal page instead, search engines can end up indexing endless empty pages, which dilutes the real ones.
Why do http and www redirects matter?
Your site can usually be reached four ways: with and without www, and with http or https. All four should end at one address. If they do not, search engines may treat them as separate copies competing with each other, and some visitors stay on an insecure version.