Broken link
A broken link is a hyperlink that leads to a non-existent or inaccessible page, often displaying a 404 error. In SEO, it harms user experience and rankings, as search engines penalize broken links; in web design and hosting, it necessitates regular checks and redirects.
Broken links appear on their own: pages are renamed, external offers disappear, files are deleted. Internally, this costs trust and search engines time; externally, you're linking to something that no longer exists. A check every three months is sufficient for most websites.
The distinction is important: Internal broken links should be fixed or redirected; you can manage that yourself. For external links, only replacing or removing them will help. As a rule of thumb from experience: On a mature website with 150 pages, a scan typically finds 5 to 15 broken links, and around half of these point to external sites that have been discontinued.
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