Remember the last time you clicked on a link only to be met with the “404: Page not found” error message?
Yes, I know, it’s very annoying. When you click the link, you anticipate reading a lengthy article. You eagerly anticipate reading it, only to discover that it has been taken down.
This is a typical issue that can arise for many different reasons, often to the site owner’s surprise.
modified to use HTTPS rather than HTTP
Modified the format of your URL
I accidentally erased a page.
Because of these alterations, it’s possible that the links you’ve already constructed won’t work and will instead lead visitors to a 404 page. The news isn’t all negative, though. For search engine optimization purposes, you can benefit from your competitors’ dead links.
Fixing a broken link is what?
As its name implies, broken link building involves the process of replacing broken links on authoritative websites in your sector with links to your own.
Take the case of a link on the Single Grain blog to an article discussing meta titles. However, a 404 page appears when users try to access that piece of content. An off-site link builder would write a blog post on the same topic, then contact our editors through email to:
- Let them know that the connection is down
- Encourage the editor to replace the broken link with yours.
- In broken link building, as opposed to simply publishing material with the hope of gaining links, you’re actually creating content because there’s a demand for it.
And it does what it’s supposed to. Blog owners should avoid having many 404 error pages because they are poor for user experience and can force users to leave the site immediately. Due to Google’s desire for readers to get on high-quality pages, websites with broken links have a lower chance of ranking organically.
Prospecting Links: How to Identify Outdated or Broken Links
The first stage in link building through fixing broken links on other websites is to compile a wish list of relevant publications.
You might accomplish this by:
Find out which websites your target audience visits frequently by conducting a survey.
Use Google to find top marketing blogs or other prominent blogs in your field.
Methods for Developing a Plan to Address Broken Links
After compiling a long list of potential backlinking sites, you’ve written a slew of high-quality blog entries to replace any broken links on those sites. The next step, asking, is the most difficult.
Only 8.5% of the over 12 million outreach emails reviewed by Backlinko were replied to. When you consider that link building outreach has a bad rep for being spammy, you can appreciate the significance of sending the right message.
If you had to describe the characteristics of an ideal outreach email, what would you say they are? Typically:
- A lengthy subject line: According to the same Backlinko research, the average response rate for outreach emails with lengthy subject lines is 24.6% higher.
- Unless you’ve been a dedicated reader of their blog for years, there’s no need to go on and on about how much you adore their writing and how much you look forward to each new post. Website owners can see through your ruse and likely won’t give your outreach email a thorough read due to time constraints.
- For your own good: Instead of cold pitching someone, get to know them by like and commenting on their social media postings. Make sure your email mentions this connection.
When Should I Write My Email?
Timing is as crucial as substance when sending an email. If you make a mistake, your message may get buried at the bottom of the webmaster’s inbox and you may never see a response. If you time your broken link outreach email correctly, it will reach the recipient in a window of opportunity when they can respond to it.
Should I Send Another Email to Follow Up?
That is a regular query that causes consternation among link-makers.
Maintaining a consistent cadence with your broken link building effort, especially when responding to your initial email, is essential. One study by Woodpecker revealed that follow-up emails increased response rates from 16% to 27%.
Keeping Tabs on Your Communication Efforts
By now, you’ll be inundated with messages. The devil is in the details, and it’s easy to lose sight of who you were supposed to follow up with or which broken links you actually fixed.
This can be aided by using the same template I provided earlier. Columns are provided for:
- Contact timetable
- Scheduled Dates for Future Contact
- Whether or not the site owner has responded Any relevant information you should keep in mind (for example, this individual is out of the office until May 15).
Concluding Remarks
Is fixing broken links on your list of things to do this year?
Actually, I can’t say that I’m surprised. In this article, you will learn how to network with other webmasters, generate a wealth of fresh material, and construct backlinks that can catapult your site up the SERPs.