Banish the 404s! Your Guide to Fixing Broken Links on Blogger

Hi, me again. In the midst of my blog maintenance, tweaking here and there. Removing all these broken links has been an all-day affair. It's a struggle familiar to many bloggers out there—I mean, who knew we had thousands of them lurking around? The constant battle with broken links can be a real time sink! Ever experienced that, fellow writers? Maka, marilah berhuhu bersama.

Being a blogger or writer goes beyond crafting captivating content—it demands creativity, consistency, and meticulous maintenance. It's not just as simple as typing and publishing; you need to conduct research and have knowledge about HTML, coding, SEO, monetization, analytics, digital marketing, graphic design, and various other technical aspects. Among the crucial tasks often overlooked is eliminating broken links.

While we take pride in weaving words that inform, engage, and inspire, imagine creating the perfect article, only to have crucial links lead readers to dead ends. Frustration and lost trust are inevitable. Broken links harshly impact the user experience and damage your website's relationship with Google, negatively affecting SEO.

Why do broken links matter so much? 404 errors and similar issues on websites can cause real damage to your blog and online reputation. Dead hyperlinks can result in:
  1. Frustrated Readers, Lost Traffic: Discovering the perfect recipe on your favorite food blog, only to encounter a 404 error when clicking "print," can be frustrating. Broken links drive potential readers away, hindering blog growth.
  2. SEO Woes: Search engines penalize sites with excessive broken links, deeming them poorly maintained. This leads to lower rankings in search results, making it harder for new readers to find your content.
  3. Wasted Link Juice: Every link contributes to your site's SEO value. Broken links waste this valuable "link juice," pointing to non-existent pages and offering no benefit.
  4. Outdated Information: Broken links often lead to irrelevant or inaccurate pages, negatively impacting your blog's credibility and trustworthiness.
To tackle this serious issue, often referred to as "link rot," you can use the Online Broken Link Checker: https://brokenlinkcheck.com/broken-links.php – a free tool that acts like a superhero for Blogger sites.

Online Broken Link Checker tool scanning website for broken links during maintenance

Simply enter your URL, security codes, choose "Report distinct broken links only" or "Report all occurrences of each dead link," and click "Find Broken Links Now."

How to Remove Broken Links in Blogspot or Blogpost:

Screenshot of a Blogger interface showing options to fix broken links

Step 1: Click on the URL to redirect to the problematic webpage.

Step 2: Identify and delete or remove the problematic link. Check the link by clicking. If it shows "Page/Profile Not Available," it's a broken link. If you have used a "do-follow" link in your blog post, go to the Blog Draft and unlink or remove the link.

This powerful tool crawls your website, identifying both internal and external links that have gone astray. It presents the results clearly, making it easy to fix or remove problematic links.

By incorporating broken link checks into your routine blogger maintenance, you'll ensure a seamless user experience and a site that Google loves. It's not just about the words you write; it's about creating a well-functioning website that thrives in the digital world. Let's banish those broken links and watch your blog flourish!

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