Imagine that you are looking for crucial information related to your coursework. You open your laptop and go straight to the browser, immediately typing the relevant keywords. Luckily, some very specific information pops in the first few searches. You frantically click on the links that offer adequate data, but alas! The moment you click on it, it shows error 404.
An occurrence like this dashes our hopes and pushes us back to square one, forcing us to start all over again. The fact is frequent internet users face such predicament regularly. It could bring us some major challenges and cause us dearly in our exams, presentation, or workplace tasks. It might also cost different businesses to lose their potential sales since most customers now prefer online shopping.
When such an occurrence occurs, it is pertinent to identify the reasons such as back end or coding issues, lack of expertise, or simply a glitch? Perhaps, to answer it more precisely, it is best to shed light on the outbound and inbound links.
Outbound links refer to the act of linking your website to someone else’s website. The visitor on the website has an instant window to access other websites that provide additional information regarding the concerned topic. Now, you might be thinking, how does it benefit you or your website? Well, in simple terminology, it helps build your website’s credibility and opens it to new avenues of business. The links also help fetch better traffic. It is best to remain strategic when adding outbound links. In simple words, avoid adding links to your competitors since it might cost you losing your potential traffic.
Now, keeping the difference in mind, know that inbound links are the links on other websites that lead to yours. The greater the number of pages with your links, the higher your site’s traffic will be. But the problem emerges when someone clicks on the link, and they land on a 404 page. However, there’s one way to utilize these broken pages effectively, i.e., by creating backlinks. Here are some essentials that you need to follow.
- Develop Useful Database
You can begin by searching for your competitors if they’re facing the same issue or try looking for companies relevant to your industry. You can even search for personal blogs of the influencers or guest blogs addressing specific issues related to your industry’s products or services. Locate them and the services or products they offer. The idea is to capitalize on the opportunity and offer them something that is of mutual benefit. It can be a detailed process, but the end product is, of course, benefitting.
- Look for broken links
Now, start locating their broken backlinks, i.e., web pages. Use as many effective platforms as you can to find out which pages of your competitors need replacement with something better. Be mindful of another aspect. There is no use running after the companies that are less likely to accept your offer. Also, do not just target the influencers in the hope that they would be more advantageous.
- Create Some Stellar Content
The next step is to create some stellar content that fits well with the broken link’s niche. You will find this step easier because you were already looking for websites within your industry and niche. You can only impress a web developer if your content is convincing enough.
It would be an intelligent approach to modify content based on the need for the link in question. If the content is up to date and matches the other website’s interests, it would definitely achieve its objective.
- Reach out to web developers
Next is the step that you have been waiting for. Write compelling, catchy, and product-specific emails to some web developers and page owners, appreciating what they offer and how they offer it. Once you have introduced yourself and built something to rely on mutually, put forth your offer. What is it?
You will inform the developers that their website truly inspires you, but one of the pages lands you into a 404. Then, you can let them know that you have a perfect page on the same niche and subject. There are good chances of them agreeing and adding the link to their website. Although some of your competitors might not agree to do this, it is best to put forward the offer to bloggers that work on your niche for maximum response.
In case the above-suggested process seems tiring to you, try avoiding the broken links on your website through the following measures:
- One of the most common causes of broken links is that most website owners forget to change their internal links. It is imperative to be careful when you rename or move a webpage.
- Videos and slideshows or PDFs are amazing, but they can leave a wrong impression too. It happens when you move such content but forget to remove the link connecting to it.
- Does your webpage link to a third-party webpage? Great! But it is more vital to ensure that you know it when they decide to move their page or change the URL.
Final Thoughts
Broken links could be a significant hassle and impediment for one website, but they could be a treasure for another. The key is in knowing the true worth of the broken webpages so you can use them to your advantage. Many people often ignore the consequences of the broken pages, resulting in losing a significant percentage of the website traffic. However, in the most extreme cases, like an ecommerce website, one may even lose loyal customers.
Hence, if your website ever shows the same error, try fixing it as soon as possible. Undoubtedly, creating backlinks is an evergreen strategy to attract your target audience. It is important to be mindful of the strategy you are using to fulfill the required purpose. Hence, from now onwards, try using the above-suggested strategy to reap the benefits.
