How Google Analytics can help businesses identify and fix website broken links

A well-functioning and user-friendly website is crucial for any business or organization. Broken links can be a major nuisance for website visitors, leading to a poor user experience and potentially costing the business valuable leads or sales. Fortunately, Google Analytics provides a powerful toolset for identifying and fixing broken links on websites of all sizes and types.

Why broken links are a problem

Before we delve into how Google Analytics can help identify and fix broken links, it's important to understand why broken links are a problem in the first place. A broken link occurs when a link on a website leads to a page that no longer exists or has been moved. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as a change in website structure, a deleted page, or a mistyped URL.

Broken links can have several negative consequences for a website:

• Bad user experience: When a website visitor clicks on a broken link, they are often met with an error page or a "404 Not Found" message. This can lead to frustration and a negative perception of the website and the business behind it.
• Loss of traffic: Broken links can prevent visitors from accessing the content they are looking for, leading them to leave the website and potentially never return. This can result in a loss of valuable traffic and potential customers.
• Negative impact on SEO: Search engines like Google take into account the number of broken links on a website when determining its relevance and ranking in search results. A high number of broken links can negatively impact a website's SEO performance.

Using Google Analytics to identify broken links

Google Analytics offers several features and reports that can help businesses identify broken links on their websites:

1. Behavior > Site Content > All Pages

The "All Pages" report under the "Site Content" section in Google Analytics provides a comprehensive overview of the pages on a website, including the number of page views, average time on page, and bounce rate. By sorting the report by page views, businesses can easily identify pages with a high number of views and potential broken links.

2. Behavior > Site Content > Content Drilldown

The "Content Drilldown" report allows businesses to analyze the performance of different sections or categories of their website. By drilling down into specific sections, businesses can identify pages with a high bounce rate or a low average time on page, which may indicate the presence of broken links.

3. Behavior > Site Content > Exit Pages

The "Exit Pages" report shows the pages on a website that users most commonly exit from. If a particular page has a high exit rate, it could be an indication of a broken link or an issue with the content on that page. By investigating the exit pages, businesses can identify and fix broken links that are causing visitors to leave the website.

Fixing broken links

Once broken links have been identified using Google Analytics, businesses can take the necessary steps to fix them:

1. Update internal links

If the broken links are internal links within the website, businesses can update them by correcting the URLs or redirecting them to the correct pages. This can be done manually or through a content management system (CMS) if one is in place.

2. Set up 301 redirects

If a page has been permanently moved or deleted, businesses can set up a 301 redirect to automatically redirect visitors from the old URL to the new URL. This ensures that visitors who click on old links still reach the intended content and helps preserve SEO rankings.

3. Fix external links

If the broken links are external links pointing to other websites, businesses can reach out to the website owners and request that they update or fix the links. Alternatively, businesses can remove the broken external links and replace them with relevant and functional ones.

4. Monitor and maintain

Fixing broken links is not a one-time task. It's important for businesses to regularly monitor their websites for broken links and fix them promptly. This can be done by conducting regular website audits and using tools like Google Search Console to identify any broken links that may have been missed.

Conclusion

Broken links can have a significant impact on a website's user experience, traffic, and SEO performance. Fortunately, Google Analytics provides businesses with the tools they need to identify and fix broken links on their websites. By regularly monitoring their websites and taking prompt action to fix broken links, businesses can ensure that their websites are user-friendly, optimized for search engines, and provide a seamless browsing experience for visitors.