In a recent Google SEO Office Hours podcast, Google’s Gary Illyes shared some unexpected advice on handling broken backlinks. This perspective challenges the conventional SEO approach and offers a fresh way to consider fixing broken backlinks. Let’s dive into his insights and explore why they might be worth considering.
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Google’s Take on Broken Backlinks
During the podcast, Gary Illyes was asked whether fixing all broken backlinks to a site could improve overall SEO. His response was:
“You should fix the broken backlinks that you think would be helpful for your users. You can’t possibly fix all the links, especially once your site grew to the size of a mammoth. Or brontosaurus.”
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Unconventional Advice
Illyes’ suggestion to focus on broken backlinks that benefit users is a departure from the standard practice of fixing all broken backlinks to maximize link equity. This unconventional advice may have practical merit. For instance, if a link leads to a discontinued product, a 404 response might be more appropriate for both search crawlers and users.
Why Fix Broken Backlinks?
To optimize for the Shopping Graph, it’s crucial to understand its data sources:
- User Experience: Visitors following incorrect URLs will land on the intended pages, improving their experience.
- SEO Benefits: While the direct SEO benefits might be hard to measure, they ensure that link equity is preserved.
Key Points to Consider:
- Assess Value: Determine which broken backlinks are valuable to your users and fix those.
- Check After Campaigns: Post-campaign checks can reveal backlinks added incorrectly.
- Prioritize Important Links: Focus on links that generate 404 errors in server logs or Google Search Console.
Identifying Broken Backlinks:
Identifying broken backlinks involves reviewing 404 errors and using tools like server logs, SaaS backlink tools, and plugins such as Redirection and Word fence for WordPress users.
Fixing Broken Backlinks:
There are several methods to fix broken backlinks:
- Recreate the Resource: Bring back the missing content.
- Redirects: Set up redirects from misspelled URLs to the correct ones.
- Contacting Sites: Reach out to site owners to correct the URLs, though this carries some risk.
Summary:
Fixing broken backlinks, or link reclamation, is a straightforward SEO task that can benefit site owners by ensuring valuable backlinks continue to drive traffic and contribute to SEO. It’s particularly useful when identifying opportunities from 404 error responses.
For more details, listen to the full podcast at the 5:32 minute mark:
