What is Link Rot?
Link rot refers to the phenomenon whereby a link on the internet becomes broken or non-functional over time. Visitors who click on the rotten link are redirected to an error page.
Link rots occur when the resource being linked to is removed from the internet or moved to a new location. If the link is not updated to reflect the new location, it would lead to a dead end, causing a link rot. The links themselves are referred to as broken links and typically lead to 404 Not Found errors.
Link rots typically result in a poor user experience. They also negatively impact SEO, as sites with many broken links could lose credibility and search traffic.
Causes of Link Rot
Link rots are caused when content is removed from its initial location. However, the exact reason the content was removed varies, and creators may not even know that the content is no longer unavailable. Some common causes of link rot include:
1 Website Removal
The permanent or temporary removal of a site will lead to a link rot. Since the site is unavailable, every link pointing to it will become a dead link, causing a link rot. However, in the case of temporary removals, the links will work properly once the site returns online.
2 Changes in Site Structure or URL
It is quite common for bloggers to redesign or restructure their sites and change their URL paths. In such situations, links may get broken. You can easily avoid that by using 301 redirects to redirect your existing URLs to their new locations.
3 Pages Being Deleted, Merged, or Moved
Anyone who has blogged for a considerable amount of time will, at one point, delete, merge, update, and move their pages. These actions could lead to broken links if the affected URLs are not redirected to their new locations.
4 Server Unavailability
Server and web hosting issues like downtimes, domain name server (DNS) misconfigurations, and connection problems can cause a site to become temporarily unavailable. Links pointing to the affected site become broken during that period but will be restored once the underlying cause is resolved.
5 Changes in Site Permissions
Sites can change their settings to only allow a specific group of people to view certain content. For example, a site could require visitors to subscribe or enter a password to view content. In such situations, the affected link will no longer function correctly for every user, leading to link rot.
Consequences of Link Rot
Link rot affects the site providing the link, the site being linked to, and visitors who click on the affected link. It also affects search engine crawlers, as it prevents them from crawling the page being linked to.
1 Decreased User Experience
Link rot leads to broken links that frustrate users who encounter a 404 Page Not Found error. This disruption can drive visitors away and reduce engagement on your site.
2 Reduced SEO Performance
Search engines consider link rot a signal of a low-quality and poorly maintained site. So, they respond by crawling such sites less often than they normally would. This can lead to lower rankings in search results, reducing organic traffic.
3 Loss of Credibility and Trust
Frequent broken links can make a website appear outdated and poorly managed. This can erode visitors’ trust and credibility in the site, consequently harming its reputation and leading to less traffic.
4 Negative Impact on Conversion Rates
Broken links interrupt the user journey. They can prevent visitors from accessing critical pages like product listings, contact forms, or even checkout pages. This can reduce conversion rates and affect revenue.
5 Missed backlinking Opportunities
Most sites will avoid linking to sites that are unavailable or may become unavailable in the future. This results in the affected site missing potential backlinking opportunities that would have helped to increase its backlink profile and authority.
6 Increased Bounce Rates
Visitors are likely to leave a site once they encounter a broken link. This results in a high bounce rate, which can negatively impact the site’s user satisfaction and performance metrics.
7 Hindered Content Discoverability
Broken links can impede a search engine’s ability to crawl and index a site’s content. This hinders the discoverability of new and existing content on the site, affecting its visibility on search results pages.
8 Loss of Referral Traffic
Links from external sites that lead to broken pages result in a loss of referral traffic. This will reduce the overall volume of visitors, lead, and customers coming from other sites.
9 Poor Internal Linking Structure
Link rot disrupts a site’s internal linking structure. It affects navigation and the flow of link equity, which can hinder the effectiveness of on-site SEO efforts and content hierarchy.