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SEO is one of the most complex and important aspects of online marketing. It can be difficult to keep up with all of the changes and updates, especially when they seem to happen daily. One thing that remains constant, however, is the importance of links. In order for your website to rank high in search engine results pages (SERPs), you need links from other websites pointing back to yours. But what happens when those links are lost? In this post, we’ll explain what a lost link is in SEO terms, why it’s important to find and fix them, and how you can do so. Read on to learn more!
What is a lost link in SEO?
A lost link is a link from another website to yours that has been removed or broken. This can happen for a number of reasons, but the most common is that the linking website has changed its URL structure, resulting in a 404 error (page not found) when users try to click the link. Lost links are important for SEO because they represent lost opportunities for your website to gain traffic and improve its ranking.
Why are lost links important for SEO?
When a website links to yours, it’s effectively giving your site a vote of confidence. This tells search engines that your site is relevant and trustworthy, which can lead to higher rankings in SERPs. Losing even one link can have a significant impact on your SEO, so it’s important to regularly check for broken or missing links.
How can you find and fix lost links?
There are a few different ways to find lost links. The first is to use a tool like Google Search Console, which will show you any 404 errors on your site. You can also check your website’s backlink profile using a tool like Moz Open Site Explorer or Ahrefs. Finally, you can manually check each linking website to see if the link is still live.
If you do find broken or missing links, there are a few things you can do to fix them. The first is to reach out to the linking website and ask them to update the link. You can also try to find another website that links to the same page on your site, and ask them to add a link to your site as well. Finally, you can redirect the broken link to another page on your site using a 301 redirect.
Conclusion
Links are an important part of SEO, so it’s important to regularly check for lost or broken links. Use the tips in this post to help you find and fix lost links, and improve your website’s ranking in SERPs. Thanks for reading!
Jamie Fallon is an SEO expert who lives life to the maximum, redlining every day on a rollercoaster straight to the grave.
In an SEO career of almost ten years, he’s seen it all, he’s done it all, and he’s not impressed: from white text on a white background to today, when you can have robots paint or write for you like some kind of sick science fiction come true.
No matter what life throws at him, Jamie always manages to come out on top. He’s an expert at seeing the silver lining in every cloud and making the best of every situation. His positive attitude and unshakable faith in himself have seen him through tough times. For some people, success goes to their heads; but Jamie never forgets what got him to wherever he thinks he is.
When he’s not busy gaming the system, you can find him writing angry thinkpieces on how Google is ruining everything good about the internet, or hanging out with his wife (pictured).
