Broken Links, Redirects and 404 Errors
Broken website links and poor redirects can confuse visitors and search engines. Learn which issues matter and how to fix them.
Not every 404 is a disaster
A 404 simply means a URL was not found. If you intentionally removed a page that has no replacement, a genuine 404 can be appropriate. But if customers click a menu link or an old Google result and land on an error, the journey needs attention.
Fix internal links at their source
Check links in the navigation, footer, important pages and contact buttons. If an internal link points at an outdated address, update it to the correct destination. Redirects can help preserve old external links, but a long chain of them adds unnecessary steps.
Use the right redirect when a page moves
A permanent move usually needs a 301 redirect from the old URL to the closest relevant new URL. Do not redirect every missing page to the homepage: visitors looking for a specific service should not be sent somewhere unrelated. Avoid redirect loops and mixed HTTP/HTTPS routes.
Check your sitemap and canonical links
An XML sitemap should list the pages you actually want found, preferably with their final canonical addresses. After a redesign, verify that navigation links, canonicals and sitemap URLs agree. A crawler such as Screaming Frog can help locate errors.
When to ask for help
If you’ve changed domain, redesigned your site or found a collection of broken pages, we can map the old URLs, prioritise the important ones and plan sensible redirects and repairs.
Tell Powell SEO what is happening with your website. We can look at the evidence, explain the options and agree the work before making changes.