How do broken links impact SEO?

Broken links can have a negative impact on SEO for several reasons:

1. Decreased crawlability: Search engine bots use links to crawl and index websites. When a search engine bot encounters a broken link, it can negatively impact the bot's ability to crawl and index the website. This can lead to a decrease in search engine ranking and visibility.
2. Poor user experience: Broken links can lead to a poor user experience, as users who click on a broken link are directed to a 404 error page. This can increase the bounce rate and decrease the time spent on the site, which can negatively impact search engine ranking.
3. Loss of link equity: Broken links can result in the loss of link equity, as links pointing to a broken page or resource are no longer providing value to the website. This can lead to a decrease in search engine ranking and visibility.
4. Decreased site authority: Broken links can decrease the site authority, as search engines may view a website with broken links as low-quality or poorly maintained. This can lead to a decrease in search engine ranking and visibility.
5. Wasted crawl budget: Search engine bots have a limited amount of time and resources to crawl a website. When a search engine bot encounters a broken link, it can waste crawl budget and negatively impact the bot's ability to crawl and index other pages on the site.

To avoid these negative impacts, webmasters should regularly audit their website for broken links and fix or remove them as necessary. This can help ensure a positive user experience, maintain link equity, and improve search engine ranking and visibility.

Overall, broken links can have a negative impact on SEO by decreasing crawlability, leading to a poor user experience, resulting in the loss of link equity, decreasing site authority, and wasting crawl budget. By regularly auditing their website for broken links and fixing or removing them, webmasters can avoid these negative impacts and improve their search engine ranking and visibility.