Definition
Broken links are links that lead to missing pages or errors, such as a 404 page not found.
Key Takeaways
- Broken links create frustration and reduce trust, especially on urgent decision pages.
- They can waste crawl budget and weaken internal linking.
- Fixing broken links is a simple quality improvement with real conversion impact.
Why It Matters for Treatment and Behavioral Health
Families often move quickly through a site. If they hit a broken link during research, they may question credibility and leave.
Treatment Lens: Where Broken Links Hurt Most
Admissions pages, insurance pages, location pages, and program pages. These are decision pages where trust matters most.
How to Fix Broken Links
Audit routinely, update internal links, redirect old URLs where needed, and avoid publishing raw URLs that may change later.
Common Mistakes
- Letting old blog posts and resources accumulate broken links over time.
- Redirect chains that slow the experience and confuse crawling.
- Linking to third-party resources without occasional rechecks.
Related Terms
Broken Links, Redirects, XML Sitemaps, Crawlers
FAQ
Do broken links hurt SEO?
They can, especially at scale. More importantly, they hurt user experience and trust.
How often should we check for broken links?
Monthly for active sites, and after site migrations or large content updates.
Should we delete pages that get 404s?
Prefer redirects when there is a relevant replacement, especially if the URL has history or backlinks.
If your site has grown over time, we can run a link audit, fix broken links, and clean up redirects so your site feels reliable and converts better.