{"slug":"link-not-working","title":"Link Not Working? How to Fix It on Any Device or Website","seoTitle":"Link Not Working? Fixes for Users and Site Owners","description":"Link not working? Find out in 60 seconds if it is your device or the site, decode the error, then fix broken links, redirects and 404s step by step.","banner":"/images/blog-content/link-not-working/hero.jpg","ogImage":"/images/og/link-not-working-og.jpg","url":"https://www.masstortmarketingagency.com/blogs/link-not-working","published":"2026-10-22","modified":"2026-10-22","author":{"name":"Tarun","role":"Founder, Mass Tort Marketing Agency"},"keywords":["link not working","why is my link not working","how to fix broken links","broken link checker","link not opening","link not working on phone","links not opening in Chrome","soft 404","404 vs 410","ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS"],"blocks":[{"type":"quote","text":"**Quick answer.** Start by working out whose link it is. If a link you are trying to open fails, retry it in a private window, in another browser and on mobile data. If it works there, the fault is your browser, device or network, so clear the cache, disable extensions and update. If it fails everywhere, the page has moved or the site is down. If the link sits on your own website, email or ad, find it with a crawler or Search Console, then update it, redirect it with a 301, or remove it."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**Key takeaways**"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":["Every broken link is one of two problems: something on your side (browser, device, app, network) or something on the site's side (a moved page, a dead server, a bad redirect).","Four quick tests (reload, private window, another device, another network) locate the fault in about a minute.","The error message names the cause. A 404 or 410 means the page is gone, a 5xx code means the server failed, and a Chrome `ERR_` code means the browser or network never got a normal answer.","Most device-side fixes come down to the cache, extensions, default-app settings, or the in-app browser inside an email or social app.","For site owners, Google says a 404 on its own does not hurt the rest of the site, but broken conversion links, failing ad destinations and backlinks pointing at dead pages do cost you.","Fix a link by updating it, redirecting it to the closest equivalent page, restoring the page, or removing the link, and then test the final URL yourself."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Two very different people type \"link not working\" into a search bar. One is trying to open a link right now, in Chrome, on a phone, in an email or inside Instagram or WhatsApp, and wants it to work in the next two minutes. The other owns links: a website, a newsletter, a Google Business Profile, ad landing pages, a directory listing. That person needs to find the broken ones and fix them properly."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Search results for this phrase split the same way. Half are forum threads about links that will not open; the other half are link-checker tools for site owners. Neither half serves the other reader, so this guide covers both, using the official help pages and standards documents as they read in October 2026."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The order follows the order of the work. First comes a 60-second triage that tells you whose problem it is, then decoders for what you see on screen and for every common error code. Device and app fixes come next. The later sections move to site owners: what counts as a broken link, what Google actually says about them, how to find them, how to fix them, and how to keep them from coming back."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Whose link is it? The 60-second triage"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Run four quick tests to learn whether the problem is the link itself, the website, or your own device and network, because the fix is completely different for each. The tests take about a minute and need nothing more than a second browser and a phone."},{"type":"image","src":"/images/blog-content/link-not-working/01-link-triage-flow.jpg","alt":"Flowchart of the four-test link triage: reload, private window, another device, another network, leading to the likely fault","caption":"The four-test triage: each result points to the device, the network or the site."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The logic is simple elimination. A link involves at least four moving parts: the address itself, the browser or app that opens it, the device and network it travels over, and the server at the other end. Each test below swaps out one of those parts while holding the others still. When the link starts working after a swap, the part you just removed was the culprit. When nothing you swap makes a difference, the problem lives at the destination, and no amount of clearing your cache will fix it."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Two problems share one search"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The first group is the stuck clicker. Three typical cases: a link in a work email does nothing when you click it in Outlook; a link someone sent you on WhatsApp opens a blank screen inside the app; a bookmarked page in Chrome now shows \"This site can't be reached.\" In each case you do not control the link. You control only the browser, the app, the device and the connection."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The second group is the owner of the link. Three typical cases: a page on your firm's website links to a court resource that moved; the \"book a consultation\" link in last month's newsletter points to a retired calendar page; the website button on your Business Profile or a legal directory listing still points to an old URL from before a redesign. Social bios and PDFs belong here too, because whoever published them can edit them."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The distinction matters because the fixes do not cross over. Clearing your browser cache does nothing for a page the site owner deleted, and adding a redirect on a server does nothing for a reader whose browser extension blocks the click. Most wasted troubleshooting time comes from applying the right fix to the wrong side."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"The four tests that locate the fault"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Do these in order and stop as soon as the link works. Each one is a step from Google's own [guide to fixing connection and loading errors in Chrome](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/6098869?hl=en), arranged so that each result points somewhere useful."},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":["Read the full URL for typos or stray characters, then reload the page.","Open the link in a private or Incognito window.","Try the same link in a different browser or on another device.","Switch networks: Wi-Fi to mobile data, and turn any VPN off."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**Test 1: read the URL and reload.** Checking the address and reloading is the first step in Chrome's own repair list. Look for a missing letter, a doubled slash, a comma or closing bracket stuck to the end, or a line break where a long address wrapped in an email. The standard for web addresses, [RFC 3986](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986.html#appendix-C), says quotes, brackets and whitespace around a URL \"do not form part of the URI\", but not every app strips them, so a pasted link can carry junk that breaks it."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**Test 2: private window.** Incognito mode starts without your extensions (unless you allowed them there) and without your stored cookies. Chrome's help page gives the rule directly: if the page works in Incognito, disable extensions or delete browsing data. That narrows the fault to something stored in your normal profile."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**Test 3: another browser or device.** If the link fails in Chrome but opens in Safari, Edge or Firefox, the problem is that one browser's settings or version. If it fails on your laptop but opens on your phone, look at the laptop's settings: its default browser, its security software, its date and time."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**Test 4: another network.** Switching from office Wi-Fi to mobile data removes your router, your company firewall, your DNS settings and any VPN in one move. A link that opens only on mobile data is being blocked or misrouted somewhere on the original network."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Read the results like this:"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":["**Works in Incognito only:** an extension, a cookie or cached data in your normal profile is the cause.","**Works on another browser or device only:** the first browser or device has a settings, version or default-app problem.","**Works on mobile data only:** the network is the cause, typically DNS, a firewall, a work proxy, a captive portal or a VPN.","**Fails everywhere:** the problem is the link or the website itself, and only the site owner can fix it."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The device-side results all lead to the repair sections further down, which walk through browser, operating system and app settings one at a time. The last result, \"fails everywhere,\" gets its own explanation below, because it changes what you should do next."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Is the site down for everyone?"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"If a link fails in every browser, on every device and on every network, the fault is at the destination. Either the address no longer points to a page, or the server is not answering properly. Your next move depends on which, so read the error on screen before doing anything else. The error-message section below explains each code, but the short version is this: a \"not found\" or \"gone\" page means the page was removed or moved, while a server error means the site is having trouble."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Server errors are often temporary. A 503 response means the server is overloaded or down for maintenance, and the HTTP standard allows it to send a `Retry-After` header saying when to come back. Waiting ten minutes and retrying is a reasonable first step for any 5xx error."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For a page that has moved, look for it on the same site. Use the site's own search box, check the main navigation, or go to the home page and browse the relevant section. Pages often survive a redesign under a new address."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For a page that has vanished, the [Wayback Machine](https://web.archive.org/) is the best fallback. The Internet Archive says it lets you search the history of \"more than 1 trillion web pages\", so paste the dead URL into it and pick a capture date. You get an archived copy to read, not a live page, so forms and booking widgets will not work there."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Finally, tell the owner. A short email or contact-form message with the page you were on, the link text and the error you saw is the fastest way to get it fixed for the next person."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Link symptoms decoded: what each failure means"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"What you see after the click narrows the cause before you read any error code. A link that does nothing, one that loads a blank page and one that lands on the wrong page are three different failures with three different owners."},{"type":"table","header":["What you see","Most likely cause","Whose problem","First thing to try"],"rows":[["Nothing happens on click","No default browser set, links disabled in email, blocked script link","Usually yours","Check default apps and email security settings"],["Blank white page","Page sent no data, or a script failed","Usually the site's","Reload, then try another browser"],["404 or \"page not found\"","Page removed or address changed","Site owner's","Check the URL, search the site"],["\"This site can't be reached\"","DNS, connection or server not responding","Either side","Run the four tests"],["Wrong page or the home page","Old URL redirected to an unrelated page","Site owner's","Search the site for the real page"],["Redirect loop message","Bad cookies or a misconfigured redirect","Either side","Delete the site's cookies"],["Security or certificate warning","Wrong device clock, antivirus scanning, work proxy, expired certificate","Either side","Check date and time; do not click through"],["File downloads instead of opening","Link points straight to a file","Neither (by design)","Open the file from your downloads folder"]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The \"whose problem\" column is a starting guess, not a verdict. A blank page is usually the site's fault, but an aggressive content blocker can produce one too. That is why the four-test triage above comes first: it confirms the guess before you spend time on a fix."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"When nothing happens on click"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A dead click, with no new tab, no error and no loading spinner, almost always means something stopped the link before it reached the network. The most common causes are worth checking in this order."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The first is a missing handler for web links. Your operating system decides which app opens `http` and `https` links. If that setting was cleared, often after uninstalling a browser, links in email and desktop apps silently fail. Windows keeps this under [Settings > Apps > Default apps](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/change-default-apps-in-windows), where you can set the default for a link type."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The second is an email program that disables links on purpose. Microsoft's [Outlook help on disabled links](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/links-are-disabled-in-outlook-for-windows-email-messages) explains that links can be blocked for senders outside your safe senders list, and that classic Outlook shows an InfoBar when it has disabled them."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The third is an extension or popup blocker that intercepts links opening in a new window. The private-window test exposes this one quickly."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The fourth sits on the site's side: a \"link\" that is not really a link. Google's [link best practices](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable) say it can generally crawl only an anchor (`a`) element with an `href` attribute, and list as not recommended a link element that relies on an `onclick` handler instead of an `href`, or an `href` that starts with `javascript:`. Buttons built this way depend on a script running; if it fails or is blocked, the click does nothing."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Last, an in-page jump link. If a link points to `#pricing` and the page has no such anchor, the page simply stays put. The fragment after `#` is handled by the browser alone; per [RFC 3986](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986.html#section-3.5), it is \"dereferenced solely by the user agent\", so the server never sees it and returns the page normally."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Error pages, blank screens and the wrong page"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"An error page is the most useful failure, because it tells you something. A page that says \"404,\" \"not found,\" \"403\" or \"500\" is reporting an HTTP status code, and the status code section below decodes each one. Chrome shows its own error pages with codes beginning `ERR_` when it could not get a normal answer at all."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A blank white page is less informative. Sometimes the server answered but sent nothing; Chrome reports that as `ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE`, which its help page describes as \"The page didn't send any data and might be down.\" Other times the page did load, but it is built almost entirely in JavaScript and a script failed. Reloading, then trying another browser, separates the two: a site-wide script failure will be blank everywhere, while a blocker in your browser will be blank only there."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The wrong page is the sneakiest failure, because nothing looks broken. You click a link to a specific article or service and land on the home page or an unrelated page. This almost always means the owner removed the old page and redirected its address somewhere generic. Google's own [site-move documentation](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes) warns against exactly this: \"Don't redirect many old URLs to one irrelevant single URL destination, such as the home page of the new site,\" because it \"can confuse users and might be treated as a soft 404 error.\" For the visitor, the fix is to search the site for the real content. For the owner, it is a sign the redirect map needs work."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Downloads, security warnings and sign-in walls"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Some links work exactly as built and still feel broken. Three patterns cause most of the confusion."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**Downloads.** A link that points straight to a file, such as a PDF, a spreadsheet or a document, may save the file instead of opening a page. On a phone it can look as if nothing happened until you check the downloads folder. This is a design choice, but it matters to advertisers: Google Ads' [destination requirements](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6368661?hl=en) list \"Links that initiate a direct download from the ad or that lead to an email address or a file\" under \"Destination experience\" as a reason for disapproval."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**Security and certificate warnings.** A full-page warning that the connection is not private is a certificate error. According to Chrome's [error-message help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95669?hl=en), common causes on your side include a device clock set to the wrong date, antivirus \"HTTPS scanning\" features, and work networks that inspect encrypted traffic. If the site's own certificate has expired, every visitor sees the warning. Either way, do not click through warnings on a site that handles logins or personal information."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**Sign-in and permission walls.** A link to a shared document, a client portal or a members-only page may load a login screen or a \"you don't have access\" message. Behind that is usually a 401 code, meaning the request lacks valid credentials, or a 403, meaning the server refuses the request. Public Wi-Fi in hotels, airports and courthouses adds another wall: a sign-in portal that blocks pages until you accept its terms, which Chrome's help notes can stop pages from loading."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Link error messages and HTTP status codes"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A 4xx code means the page or the request is the problem, a 5xx code means the server failed, and a Chrome `ERR_` code means the browser never got a normal answer at all. Each family points to a different fix and a different person who can apply it."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The codes come from [RFC 9110, \"HTTP Semantics\"](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110.html), the IETF standard published in June 2022 that defines what every HTTP status code means. Browsers, servers and search engine crawlers all read the same three-digit numbers the same way, which is why a 404 means the same thing on a phone, a laptop and to Googlebot. The table below gives the RFC's meaning in short form, then translates it into what it usually means when a link fails."},{"type":"image","src":"/images/blog-content/link-not-working/02-error-code-cheat-sheet.jpg","alt":"Cheat sheet grouping link errors into 4xx page errors, 5xx server errors and browser connection errors","caption":"Link errors fall into three families, and each family has a different fix."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**HTTP status codes behind a broken link**"},{"type":"table","header":["Code","Meaning (RFC 9110)","What it usually means for a link","Who fixes it"],"rows":[["400","Bad Request: malformed request","A mangled or badly pasted URL","You (fix the URL) or the link owner"],["401","Unauthorized: no valid credentials","You need to sign in","You (sign in)"],["403","Forbidden: server refuses","No permission, or blocked","Site owner grants access"],["404","Not Found: no current representation","Page deleted or address changed","Site or link owner"],["410","Gone: likely permanent","Page removed on purpose","Link owner removes the link"],["429","Rate limited","Too many requests too fast","Wait, then retry"],["500","Internal Server Error","Site's software failed","Site owner"],["502","Bad Gateway: invalid upstream response","A proxy or CDN got a bad answer","Site owner or host"],["503","Service Unavailable: overload or maintenance","Temporarily down","Wait; site owner"],["504","Gateway Timeout: no timely upstream response","Upstream server too slow","Site owner or host"],["301, 308","Permanent redirect","Not an error: page moved","No fix needed if it lands right"],["302, 307","Temporary redirect","Not an error: page temporarily elsewhere","No fix needed if it lands right"]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The redirect rows are there because people often see them in link-checker reports and assume they are failures. They are not. A redirect becomes a problem only when it lands on the wrong page, loops, or forms a long chain; the redirect section further down covers choosing between them and writing them correctly."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"4xx codes: the request or the page"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The 4xx family means the server is working but could not or would not give you the page you asked for. The two codes that matter most for broken links are 404 and 410, and the difference between them is about intent."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A 404 means, in the RFC's words, that the server \"did not find a current representation for the target resource or is not willing to disclose that one exists.\" It says nothing about whether the absence is temporary or permanent. A 410 is the deliberate version: the resource \"is no longer available at the origin server and … this condition is likely to be permanent.\" The standard says 410 exists so owners can signal that \"remote links to that resource be removed,\" and notes it is \"common for limited-time, promotional services\". A law firm retiring a limited-time case-evaluation landing page is the kind of situation 410 was written for. Whether 404 or 410 makes any difference in Google is a separate question, covered in the section on what Google actually says."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**What to do as the clicker.** On a 404, check the URL for typos, trim it back to the parent folder (for example, from `example.com/blog/old-post` to `example.com/blog/`), and search the site. On a 410, the owner is telling you the page is gone on purpose; try the Wayback Machine for an archived copy."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**403 and 401.** A 403 means the server \"understood the request but refuses to fulfill it.\" The RFC also lets a server answer 404 instead of 403 to hide that a forbidden page exists, so a \"not found\" on a private document can really mean \"not for you.\" A 401 means the request \"lacks valid authentication credentials\": sign in and try again. Shared-drive and e-signature links often fail this way when they were sent to a different email address than the one you are signed in with."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**400.** A 400 is a \"perceived client error,\" such as \"malformed request syntax.\" For links, the usual cause is a URL that was damaged when copied: a line break in the middle, a missing character, or tracking parameters that were cut off."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**What to check as the owner.** For a 404, decide whether the content moved (redirect it), was replaced (redirect to the replacement), or is gone for good (remove or update the links pointing to it). For a 403 or 401 on a page that should be public, check folder permissions, password protection left on after a staging launch, and security rules blocking ordinary visitors."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"5xx codes: the server"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A 5xx code means the request was fine and the server failed to answer it. These errors are usually temporary, so the clicker's best move is to wait and retry, while the owner needs to look at hosting."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"RFC 9110 defines the four you will meet most often. A **500** is \"an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request\", a generic failure in the site's own software, often a plugin, a code deploy or a database problem. A **502** means a gateway or proxy \"received an invalid response from an inbound server\": the CDN or load balancer in front of the site reached the real server and got garbage back. A **503** means the server is \"currently unable to handle the request due to a temporary overload or scheduled maintenance\", and it may include a `Retry-After` header. A **504** means a gateway \"did not receive a timely response from an upstream server\", which is a timeout between two machines rather than between you and the site."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For the clicker, all four mean the same thing in practice: the link is probably right, and the site is having trouble. Retry in a few minutes. If the page matters, such as a court filing portal or a payment page, check whether the organization posts status updates elsewhere."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For the owner, the code points at the layer to check. A 500 points at the application: recent plugin updates, theme changes or code releases. A 502 or 504 points at the chain between your CDN or proxy and the origin server, including timeouts and an origin that is down. A 503 is what a server should send during planned maintenance, so make sure maintenance mode was switched off afterward."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Server errors also affect search. Google's [HTTP status code documentation](https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/troubleshooting/http-status-codes) says \"5xx and 429 server errors prompt Google's crawlers to temporarily slow down with crawling,\" and that already-indexed URLs \"are preserved in the index, but eventually dropped\" if errors persist. If you want the background on crawling and indexing, see this explainer on [how Google indexes pages](/blogs/google-index)."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Chrome error codes in plain English"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"When Chrome shows an error that starts with `ERR_`, it means the browser never received a normal HTTP response. No status code came back, because the connection failed before the server could send one. Chrome's [common error messages help page](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95669?hl=en) defines the ones you are most likely to see."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"**Chrome error codes**"},{"type":"table","header":["Error","Chrome's meaning","Try this"],"rows":[["`ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED`","The web address doesn't exist or now has a different IP address","Check spelling; try mobile data"],["`ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED`","Device isn't connected","Reconnect Wi-Fi or data"],["`ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT`","The page took too long to connect","Retry; test another network"],["`ERR_CONNECTION_RESET`","Connection was interrupted","Turn off VPN; update Chrome"],["`ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED`","The page didn't let Chrome connect or is blocked","Check firewall, proxy, VPN"],["`ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE`","The page sent no data and might be down","Wait, then retry"],["`ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS`","The page redirected you too many times","Delete the site's cookies"],["`NET::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID`","Device date and time are wrong","Fix the clock, reload"],["`NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID`","Certificate not trusted, often a work proxy","Ask your IT administrator"]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Read the table with the triage results in mind. `ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED` is a DNS failure: either the domain was typed wrong, the domain expired, or your network's DNS is not answering. If the same link works on mobile data, it is your network. If it fails everywhere and the spelling is right, the domain itself may have lapsed, which is a common way for links to old firm websites and retired campaign domains to die."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"`ERR_CONNECTION_RESET` and `ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED` point at something in the middle. Chrome's help lists an unstable connection, an outdated browser, a VPN and security software as causes for resets. Refusals often come from firewalls, proxies or a server that is not listening on the expected port. Corporate networks, hotel Wi-Fi and some home security suites block sites this way."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"`ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT` means nothing came back in time. It can be your network or an overloaded server, so test another network before blaming either. `ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE`, by contrast, means the connection worked but the server sent nothing, which points at the site."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"These nine are only the common ones. Typing `chrome://network-errors/` into Chrome's address bar lists every network error code the browser can show, which is useful when you meet an unfamiliar one. Other browsers use their own wording for the same failures, but the categories are the same: name lookup, connection, response and certificate."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Redirect loops and certificate errors"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A redirect loop and a certificate error both stop a page before it loads, and both can be caused on either side. Each has a quick test that tells you which."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"`ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS`, shown as \"This webpage has a redirect loop,\" means \"the page has tried to redirect you too many times.\" Chrome's help adds that \"Sometimes, pages won't open because cookies aren't working correctly\", and its fix is to delete cookies. That is the clicker's first step: delete the cookies for that one site, then reload. If the loop survives in a private window and on another device, the loop is on the server, typically two rules sending traffic back and forth, such as HTTP to HTTPS and back again, or `www` to the bare domain and back."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The limits are precise, and worth getting right. Chromium's network code sets [`kMaxRedirects = 20`](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/chromium/chromium/main/net/url_request/url_request.h), quoting the web Fetch Standard's rule to return a network error when the redirect count reaches twenty. Google's crawlers are less patient: the status code documentation says \"By default, Google's crawlers follow up to 10 redirect hops.\" So a chain can work for a visitor in Chrome and still fail for Google. Owners should aim far below both numbers; the redirect section covers chain length in detail."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Certificate errors split the same way. On your side, Chrome's help names three causes: a device clock that is behind or ahead (`NET::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID`), antivirus software with \"HTTPS protection\" or \"HTTPS scanning\" turned on, and work computers behind HTTPS-inspecting proxies, which show `NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID`. For that last case, Chrome's advice is to contact the administrator and \"don't install a certificate yourself.\" On the site's side, an expired or misconfigured certificate produces a warning for every visitor on every device. If the triage shows the warning everywhere, the owner needs to renew or reinstall the certificate, and until then the link is effectively broken for anyone who sensibly refuses to click through."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"If the triage pointed at your side, meaning the browser, the device or an app, the next section is the step-by-step repair sequence."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"How to fix a link that won't open in your browser"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Work from the cheapest fix to the most disruptive one: reload the page and check the URL, try a private window, turn off extensions, delete cookies and cache, update the browser, and reset it only as a last step. Each step rules out one cause, so stop as soon as the link opens."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The order matters because the later steps have side effects. Deleting cookies signs you out of sites. Resetting the browser turns off every extension and clears site settings. If you start with the reset, you lose those things and still do not know which one was the real problem. Starting small also tells you something useful when a step fails: a link that breaks in a private window as well as a normal one is less likely to be an extension or a stale cookie."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Chrome's nine-step repair sequence"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Google publishes a repair order for pages and links that will not load in its help article [Fix connection and loading errors in Chrome](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/6098869?hl=en). The same article sorts causes into five groups: device settings such as airplane mode, device software such as a firewall or antivirus, network problems with a modem or router, browser problems (\"Cookies, extensions, or memory usage\") and website problems (\"Server downtime or maintenance\"). Its nine steps, in Google's order:"},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":["Check the URL for typos and reload the page.","Check that the device is connected to the internet.","Update Chrome and restart it.","Open the link in Incognito mode.","Disable extensions.","Delete browsing data.","Check the firewall or antivirus software.","Free up device memory by closing tabs and apps.","Reset Chrome settings."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Read the result of step 4 carefully, because it splits the list in two. Incognito starts without your cookies and, by default, without most extensions. Google's tip is direct: if the page works in Incognito, the fix is to disable extensions or delete browsing data. If the link also fails in Incognito, skip ahead to the network checks and the firewall step, or go back to the triage tests and try the link on another device. A failure that follows you across browsers and devices points at the website, not at Chrome."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Step 8 is easy to dismiss but worth one try on older laptops and phones. A browser starved of memory can stall on a heavy page and look as if the link did nothing. Close other tabs, quit apps you are not using, and click again."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Firefox, Safari and Edge have the same building blocks: a private window, an extensions or add-ons list, a way to clear site data, an update check and a reset or refresh option. The labels and menu locations differ by browser and version, so use each browser's own help pages for the exact path. The logic of the sequence stays the same whichever browser you use."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Extensions, cache and cookies"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Extensions are the most common reason a link works for a colleague and not for you. In Chrome, open the three-dot More menu, then go to **Extensions > Manage extensions**, where each extension has an on/off switch, according to [Chrome Web Store Help](https://support.google.com/chrome_webstore/answer/2664769?hl=en). The Details page for each extension also has an \"Allow in incognito\" setting, which explains why some extensions still run in a private window."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Do not turn everything off at once and leave it there. Switch extensions off one at a time, reloading the link after each, until it opens. That finds the culprit and lets you keep the rest. Ad blockers, privacy tools and script blockers are the likeliest suspects. Many marketing and email links pass through a click-tracking redirect before they reach the real page, and these tools are built to block that kind of redirect. If one is the cause, allow the specific site in that extension rather than removing the extension."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Cookies and cached files cause a different class of failure: a sign-in loop, a page that keeps showing an old version, or a redirect that never ends. Google's [Clear cache & cookies](https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/32050?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop) help gives the current path:"},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":["Open More, then **Delete browsing data**.","Pick a time range: \"Last hour\" for a problem that just started, \"All time\" for a stubborn one.","Select \"Cookies and other site data\" and cached images and files.","Select **Delete data**."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The article is titled \"Clear cache & cookies\", but the menu item reads \"Delete browsing data\", so do not go hunting for a \"Clear\" button. Expect two side effects. You will be signed out of sites, and some sites will load slower the first time while the cache rebuilds. If only one site misbehaves, a narrower option is to delete that site's data from the padlock or site-information icon in the address bar, which leaves every other sign-in intact."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Update or reset the browser"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"An outdated browser can fail on pages built for current standards and certificates. To update Chrome, open More, then **Help > About Google Chrome**, and select **Relaunch** when it appears. Google's [Chrome update help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95414?hl=en) adds a useful note: if you can't find the \"Relaunch\" option, you're on the latest version. The same page lists current system requirements. Chrome now needs Windows 10 or later on Intel machines (Windows 11 or later on ARM) or macOS 13 Ventura or later. An older computer that cannot meet those requirements will slowly lose access to sites, and no setting change will fix that."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Reset is the last browser-side step. Per [Chrome's reset help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/3296214?hl=en), the path is More > Settings > **Reset settings** > Restore settings to their original defaults > Reset settings. Google states that \"Your saved bookmarks and passwords won't be deleted or changed.\" What does change: the default search engine, the homepage and tabs, the new tab page, pinned tabs, content settings, cookies and site data, and extensions and themes, which are turned off. Plan to re-enable the extensions you need and sign back in to sites afterwards."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"On a work computer, check with IT before resetting. A managed browser may have policies, certificates or extensions the firm installed on purpose, and some of those settings are locked anyway."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Network, VPN, DNS and firewall checks"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"If the link fails in every browser on the same device, the network is the next suspect. Switch networks first: move from Wi-Fi to mobile data, or from the office network to a phone hotspot. If the link opens on the other network, the original one is blocking or misrouting it."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Then work through the rest of the connection path:"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":["**VPN.** Turn it off and retry. VPN exit servers are sometimes blocked by sites, and a VPN can send traffic through a region where the site behaves differently.","**Firewall and antivirus.** Google's step 7 is to check them. Its [Chrome error messages help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95669?hl=en) notes that antivirus features labeled \"HTTPS protection\" or \"HTTPS scanning\" can cause certificate errors.","**Work proxies.** On computers behind HTTPS-inspecting proxies \"like ZScaler, Palo Alto Networks, or Fortinet\", Google says you may see `NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID`. Contact the administrator and do not install a certificate yourself.","**Public Wi-Fi.** Hotel, airport and coffee-shop networks often block every page until you accept the network's sign-in portal. Open any plain website to bring the portal up, then retry the link.","**DNS.** Your device keeps a short-term record of which server each domain points to. After a site moves hosts, a stale record can send you to the old server. Restarting the device or router clears most of these caches. Switching to mobile data also gets around them, because the phone uses the carrier's DNS."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"If the link still fails on a clean network, in a private window, on a second device, the problem almost certainly sits with the site or the link itself."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Fix links on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"When clicking a link does nothing, or the link opens in the wrong app, the operating system's default browser setting is usually the cause. The fix is a settings change that takes under a minute on every major platform."},{"type":"image","src":"/images/blog-content/link-not-working/03-device-fix-matrix.jpg","alt":"Matrix of where the default browser setting lives on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android","caption":"When a click does nothing or opens the wrong app, check the device's default browser setting first."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Links clicked outside a browser, in email, chat, PDFs, notes or calendar invites, are handed to the operating system, which passes them to whichever app is registered for web links. If that app was uninstalled, broken by an update, or replaced by something you did not choose, the click goes nowhere or lands in the wrong place. The browser's own repair steps do not touch this setting, which is why a link can work when pasted into the address bar and fail when clicked from another app."},{"type":"table","header":["Device","Setting to check","Where to find it","Source"],"rows":[["Windows 11 / 10","Default for `http` and `https`","Settings > Apps > Default apps","[Microsoft](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/change-default-apps-in-windows)"],["Mac","Default web browser","The browser's own \"make default\" setting","Each browser's help"],["iPhone / iPad","Browser App","Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Browser App","[Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/121430)"],["Android","Browser app","Settings > Apps > Default apps (labels vary)","Device maker's help"]]},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Windows: default apps for web links"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"On Windows 11 and Windows 10, open **Settings > Apps > Default apps**. Microsoft's [default apps help](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/change-default-apps-in-windows) describes two ways to set defaults on that screen. You can set a default \"for a file type or link type\" by typing an extension or protocol in the search bar, or you can pick an application and set the defaults it handles."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For links, the first method is the precise one. Type `http` in the search bar, check which app is listed, and change it to the browser you want. Repeat for `https`. Most links today use `https`, and a mismatch between the two is a common reason why some links open in one browser and some in another."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The same screen handles other link types. `mailto:` controls which app opens when you click an email address, and `tel:` controls which app handles a click-to-call link on a PC. If clicking an email address on a website opens an old mail program you never use, search for `mailto` and change it."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Some apps ignore the system default and open links their own way. Classic Outlook is the best-known example; its setting is covered in the email section below. If links from one app go astray while links from everything else work, look inside that app's settings before changing Windows."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Mac: default browser"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"On a Mac, the default web browser is a system-wide setting, and Apple has moved it between macOS versions. Rather than chase a menu path that may differ on your version, use the browser itself. Chrome, Firefox, Edge and other major browsers offer a \"make default\" or \"set as default browser\" option in their own settings, and macOS then asks you to confirm the change. Safari users can search System Settings for \"default web browser\"."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"After changing it, click a link in Mail or Notes to confirm the right browser opens. If a link does nothing at all, quit and reopen the browser you just set, then try again."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"iPhone and iPad"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Apple's [Default Apps help](https://support.apple.com/en-us/121430), published December 18, 2025, gives the current path: **Settings > Apps > Default Apps**, at the top of the list, then **Browser App**. That choice sets the app \"to use when opening links to webpages\". If you installed Chrome or another browser and links still open in Safari, or a deleted browser left links going nowhere, this is the setting to check."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The same screen sets the defaults for Email, Messaging and Calling, plus Navigation in some countries and regions. Those matter for the links people tap most: an email address on a contact page uses the Email default, and a phone number uses the Calling default. In the EU and Japan, a browser choice screen may appear when you set up the device or update iOS."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Apple says to update to the latest iOS or iPadOS to use the Default Apps settings, so update first if you cannot find the screen. Two quick checks help when a link misbehaves on an iPhone. Long-press the link to see its full address and a preview before opening it, which reveals a mistyped or wrapped URL. And try opening it in a new tab from the same menu, which separates a link problem from a problem with the page you were on."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Android phones"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Android menu labels vary by manufacturer and Android version, so treat this as a general route rather than exact wording. On most phones, open **Settings > Apps**, then look for **Default apps** (sometimes inside a menu or an \"Apps\" sub-screen), and choose the **Browser app**. If no browser appears in the list, the one you use may have been disabled: find it in the full app list and select **Enable**."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Next, update. Open the Play Store and update both the browser and Android System WebView, the component many apps use to show web pages inside the app. Updating WebView is a commonly recommended step when links fail inside several apps at once. Then clear the browser's cache from its app settings (Settings > Apps > the browser > Storage). Clearing the cache keeps your sign-ins; clearing storage or data signs you out."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"If links from one app still fail, check that app's own settings for an option to open links in an external browser. Android can also send links for certain websites straight to an installed app instead of the browser. If a link keeps opening an app you did not expect, look on that app's info screen for a setting about opening supported links, and turn it off."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Links not working in email, Outlook and Teams"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Email links fail for three main reasons: the mail client disabled them, a security service rewrote them, or the link was built to expire. The table below maps the symptom you see to the likely cause and the first fix to try."},{"type":"table","header":["Symptom","Likely cause","Fix"],"rows":[["Links not clickable in Outlook","Junk email security setting","Change Security options (new Outlook)"],["Banner says links are disabled","Classic Outlook InfoBar","Select the InfoBar to enable links"],["URL shows as plain text","Plain-text message","Copy the URL or ask for HTML"],["Long `safelinks.protection.outlook.com` URL","Microsoft Safe Links","Hover for the original; ask IT if blocked"],["Link opens in Edge, not your browser","Classic Outlook setting","\"Open hyperlinks from Outlook in\""],["\"This link has expired\"","One-time or tracking link","Request a new link"],["Links dead in a junk-folder message","Junk filtering","Move to Inbox if the sender is trusted"]]},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Outlook disabled the links"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Outlook switches links off when it suspects a message, and the fix depends on which Outlook you use. Microsoft's article [Links are disabled in Outlook for Windows email messages](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/links-are-disabled-in-outlook-for-windows-email-messages) covers Outlook for Microsoft 365, 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"In new Outlook, Microsoft says links \"should be enabled by default\". If they are not:"},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":["Go to **Settings > Mail > Junk email**.","Under **Security options**, uncheck \"Block attachments, pictures, and links from anyone not in my Safe senders and domains list\".","Save, then reopen the message."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A narrower fix is to add a trusted sender to Safe senders instead of turning the block off for everyone. That keeps the protection for unknown senders."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"In classic Outlook, check two things. First, whether the message is plain text: plain-text email shows addresses as text, and some long addresses break across lines and stop working. Second, whether an InfoBar at the top of the message says links have been disabled. Select the InfoBar to enable them for that message. Messages in the Junk Email folder have links disabled as a safety measure, so move a message you trust to the Inbox first."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A separate classic Outlook setting controls which browser opens links. University IT help desks, including [UC Davis Administrative IT](https://adminit.ucdavis.edu/tech-tips/set-hyperlinks-open-outlook), describe the option \"Open hyperlinks from Outlook in\" under File > Options > Advanced, where you can choose \"Default Browser\" instead of Microsoft Edge. UC Davis reports that Microsoft's June 2023 updates set links to open in Edge regardless of the system default. If Outlook links keep opening in Edge, that is the setting to change."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Safe Links and other rewritten URLs"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"If you hover over a link in a work email and see a long address starting with something like `https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com`, your organization uses Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Safe Links. According to [Microsoft's Safe Links documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-office-365/safe-links-about), scanned URLs in incoming email \"are rewritten or wrapped\" with the prefix `https://<DataCenterLocation>.safelinks.protection.outlook.com` and are checked again at the moment you click. Hovering shows the original URL."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Two consequences follow. A link that was safe when the email arrived can be blocked later if the destination is flagged in between. And the wrapped address is long and fragile: copying it out of the email and pasting it into a document, a text message or another email can truncate it, and the pasted version may fail for people outside your organization."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Teams behaves differently. Microsoft says URLs in Teams \"aren't rewritten\" but are still checked at click time. Admins can also turn on \"Wait for URL scanning to complete before delivering the message\", which holds mail until scanning finishes. If messages with links arrive late, that setting may be the reason."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For recipients, the advice is simple. If Safe Links blocks a page you need, ask IT to review it. Do not look for ways around the check. For firm staff who send email to clients or referral partners, send a test of every campaign or template to an Outlook address first, click every link from that inbox, and confirm each lands on the right page. Never tell recipients to bypass their organization's security to reach your link."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Other security gateways rewrite links in similar ways, and some email marketing platforms wrap every link in their own click-tracking address. The same rule applies: hover to see the real destination, and if a wrapped link fails, the original address underneath usually still works."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Expired tracking and one-time links"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Some links are designed to stop working. Password resets, magic sign-in links, e-sign envelopes, download links and many marketing links carry a token that expires after a set time or after one use. When you see \"this link has expired\" or \"this link is no longer valid\", the page itself is often fine; the token in the address is not."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The recipient's fix is to request a new link from the same place the original came from. Do not keep clicking the old one. Some single-use links are consumed by email security scanners that open them before you do, which is one reason a fresh link sometimes works when the first one failed on the first click."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Senders have more control. Marketing links usually pass through a click-tracking redirect, and if the tracking domain's DNS record lapses or its certificate expires, every link in every past email fails at once, even though the destination pages are fine. Keep the tracking domain's certificate and DNS valid, test a live link after any change to your email platform, and keep the [tracking parameters in campaign links](/measure-ppc-success-personal-injury) short and correctly encoded so the redirect can pass them through."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Links in social apps, documents and pasted text"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Links inside social apps, documents and copied text break for reasons that have nothing to do with the destination page: the in-app browser, a hyperlink field that was never updated, or characters that were never part of the URL. Most of these fixes take seconds once you know which one you are dealing with."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Instagram, WhatsApp and other in-app browsers"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and many other apps open links in their own built-in browser instead of Safari or Chrome. Neither the app makers nor Apple and Google publish detailed documentation on how these in-app browsers handle redirects, cookies or downloads, so troubleshooting is practical rather than by the book."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Start with these steps, in order:"},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":["Use the in-app browser's menu (usually three dots or a share icon) to open the link in your system browser. If it works there, the in-app browser was the problem.","Update the app. Old versions of in-app browsers fall behind on web standards.","Long-press or copy the link and check the address for typos, trailing characters or a missing `https://`.","Paste the link into your phone's browser directly to confirm the destination itself works."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"In-app browsers are a common cause of links that fail only on a phone. They keep their own cookies separate from your main browser, so a site you are signed in to in Chrome may ask you to sign in again, or loop. Downloads, payment pages and file uploads are also more likely to stall inside them. WhatsApp and other messaging apps add another variable: they generate a link preview, and if the preview fails to load, the link may still work when tapped."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For anyone who shares links from a business account, such as a firm's bio link or a link pinned in a profile, the safe habit is testing. After every change, tap the link inside each app you use, on both an iPhone and an Android phone, and confirm it reaches the right page with forms and buttons working. A landing page that works in desktop Chrome can still fail inside an app on a phone."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Hyperlinks in Word, PDFs and shared files"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"To fix a hyperlink in a Word document, right-click the link and choose the edit option, commonly labeled **Edit Hyperlink**, then check the address field. The visible text and the actual address are separate, so a link can read \"example.com/contact\" while pointing to an older page. Correct the address, select OK, and test the link with Ctrl+click on Windows or a click on a Mac. Other editors such as Google Docs and Pages follow the same pattern: select the link, edit it, and check the address rather than the display text."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"PDFs are different, because a PDF freezes its links at the moment it is exported. If a page on your site moved after you sent the PDF, the link inside the file still points to the old address. Editing the source document does not fix copies already sent. You have to re-export the PDF and send it again, or redirect the old address on the website so the existing copies keep working."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Relative links cause a quieter failure. A link stored as a path relative to the file, rather than a full web address, breaks when the document is moved to another folder, emailed, or uploaded somewhere new. When a link in a shared file works for the author and fails for everyone else, open the link's address and look for a local path such as a drive letter or a folder name in place of `https://`. Replace it with the full address."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Copy-paste breaks: spaces, line breaks, punctuation"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Many \"broken\" links are fine at the source and break when someone copies them into a message. The standard for web addresses, [RFC 3986](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986.html#appendix-C), addresses this directly in its Appendix C. URLs in plain text are often delimited by quotes, angle brackets or whitespace, and \"These wrappers do not form part of the URI.\" Whitespace added to break a long URL across lines \"should be ignored when the URI is extracted\", and angle brackets are \"especially recommended\" for addresses that contain embedded whitespace."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"In practice, apps do not always follow that advice, which leads to three common breaks:"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":["**Line breaks.** A long URL wrapped across two lines in an email or text gets cut at the break. The link opens a truncated address that returns an error.","**Trailing punctuation.** A period, comma or closing parenthesis right after a URL is often pulled into the link by the app that detects it. `https://example.com/contact.` and `https://example.com/contact` are different addresses to many servers.","**Spaces.** Spaces are not allowed inside a URL and must be percent-encoded. [RFC 6068](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6068.html), the `mailto:` standard, shows the pattern in its example `body=send%20current-issue`, where `%20` stands for a space. A pasted URL with a raw space usually stops at the space."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The rule for firm staff is easy to follow. Put each link on its own line with nothing directly after it, or use link text so the address is hidden behind words. When you receive a link that fails, look at the end of the address for stray punctuation and remove it, and look for a break in the middle where two lines were joined."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Shared drives, e-sign envelopes and meeting links"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Links to shared files and online meetings fail for reasons that look like a dead link and are not. A \"request access\" or \"you need permission\" page means the file exists and the link works; your account does not have access. Ask the owner to share the file with the email address you are signed in with, or sign in with the account they shared it to. A common trap is being signed in to a personal account in the browser while the share went to a work address."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"E-sign envelopes and meeting links expire or get voided. An e-sign request may lapse after a set period, or the sender may void it to correct a document, which kills the original link. Meeting links can be replaced when a meeting is rescheduled or recreated. In every case the recipient cannot repair the old link; the sender has to reissue it."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For law-firm staff, the step that prevents most of these failures is testing on a phone before sending. Prospective clients usually open intake e-sign links on a phone, from a text or an email, so open your own test envelope on a phone first and check that it loads and can be signed. The same applies to links sent for [e-signature during the intake call](/blogs/mass-tort-intake-guide): send it, confirm the person can open it, and stay on the line until the signature goes through."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"If a link fails on every device, in every browser and on every network, the problem lives on the website that published it, not on the reader's side. The rest of this guide is for the people who own those links."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"What a broken link is on a website you own"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A broken link is a hyperlink whose destination no longer returns the content it promised, usually because the target URL returns an error such as 404 Not Found or 410 Gone, the domain no longer resolves, or the page redirects somewhere irrelevant. On a site you own, you are responsible for every one of them, including the ones no crawler reports."},{"type":"image","src":"/images/blog-content/link-not-working/04-broken-link-types.jpg","alt":"Diagram of a law firm website showing internal, outbound, inbound, resource, anchor and tel: links, with broken ones marked","caption":"Broken links are not only 404 pages: anchors, files, phone links and off-site profiles break too."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"That definition is deliberately wider than \"a link that shows a 404 page.\" A visitor does not care which status code the server sent. They care that the \"Read the verdict\" link opened a blank page, that the \"Call now\" button did nothing on their phone, or that the \"Download the checklist\" link led to the home page. Site owners who audit only for 404s fix the easy half and miss the rest. The sections below set out the vocabulary, the link types, the failures that standard audits overlook, and the errors that hide behind a normal-looking page."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Broken link, dead link, link rot and reference rot"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"\"Broken link\" and \"dead link\" mean the same thing. Tool vendors use both names, and \"dead link checker\" is simply another label for a broken link checker. Neither term has a formal standard definition, which is why vendors draw the line in slightly different places."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"\"Link rot\" and \"reference rot\" are more precise, and they come from legal scholarship. In a 2014 paper in the Harvard Law Review Forum, Jonathan Zittrain, Kendra Albert and Lawrence Lessig wrote that [\"Link rot refers to the URL no longer serving up any content at all.\"](https://harvardlawreview.org/forum/vol-127/perma-scoping-and-addressing-the-problem-of-link-and-reference-rot-in-legal-citations/) They described reference rot as \"an even larger phenomenon\" that \"happens when a link still works but the information referenced by the citation is no longer present, or has changed.\" The paper is cited as 127 Harv. L. Rev. F. 176 (2014)."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The distinction matters for a firm website. A link-checking tool can find link rot because the server returns an error. It cannot find reference rot, because the page still loads with a success code; only a person reading the page can see that the statistic, ruling or recall notice the link once supported has been rewritten or removed."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A third term, the soft 404, sits between the two. It is a page that says \"not found\" to the visitor while telling browsers and search engines that everything is fine. It is the most common broken link that audits score as healthy, and it gets its own subsection at the end of this section."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Internal, outbound and inbound links"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Most guides split broken links into three types: internal links, outbound links and inbound links (backlinks). That split leaves out two groups a law firm depends on every day: the files a page loads, and the links the firm controls on other people's websites. The table adds them, along with who can actually make the fix."},{"type":"table","header":["Type","Example","Who controls the fix","Fastest fix"],"rows":[["Internal","Practice page links to a deleted case-results page","You","Update the link or add a 301"],["Outbound","Blog post cites a court PDF that moved","The other site","Update to the new URL or an archive copy"],["Inbound (backlink)","A news site links to your old URL","The other site, but you control the target","301 the old URL to its closest match"],["Resource","Missing image, PDF, CSS or script file","You","Restore the file or update the reference"],["Off-site links you own","Business Profile, directory or social bio URL","You, via each platform's settings","Edit the listing on that platform"]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Internal links are the cheapest to fix because both ends belong to you. Outbound links are the opposite: you cannot repair the other site, so the choices are to update the URL, swap in an archived copy, or remove the reference."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Inbound links are the hybrid. You cannot edit the linking page, but you own the URL it points at, so a redirect on your side repairs the link without anyone else acting. Off-site links you own are the group most often forgotten, because no crawler of your own domain will visit your Business Profile or a bar-association directory listing."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"The broken links audits miss"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A standard crawl requests each URL it finds and records the status code. Anything that does not fail with a status code slips through. These are the gaps worth checking by hand or with a more specialized tool."},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":["**Images and resource files.** Many crawlers report them, but only if resource checking is switched on. A missing hero image or stylesheet can leave a page technically \"working\" and visibly broken.","**PDFs and Office files.** Links inside a downloadable PDF or Word document are invisible to most site crawlers. PowerMapper's [SortSite](https://www.powermapper.com/products/sortsite/) is one tool that says it checks inside these files.","**Fragment links.** A link to `/settlements#2025` depends on an anchor named `2025` existing on the page. Under [RFC 3986](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986.html#section-3.5), the fragment is separated from the URI before the request and handled \"solely by the user agent,\" so the server returns the page with a normal status and a status-code crawler reports success. The [W3C Link Checker](https://validator.w3.org/checklink) checks anchors as well as links.","**Phone links.** [RFC 3966](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3966.html) gives `tel:+1-201-555-0123` as its example. Global numbers begin with `+`, and the hyphens \"merely aid readability and are not used for URI comparison or placing a call.\" A `tel:` link with a missing digit returns no error; it simply dials the wrong place.","**Email links.** A `mailto:` link such as `mailto:intake@example.com?subject=case-review` follows [RFC 6068](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6068.html). A typo in the address bounces silently, and nobody at the firm ever sees the message.","**Form actions and webhooks.** The submit button posts data to an endpoint. If that endpoint moved, the form may show \"thank you\" while the lead goes nowhere. The redirect section below covers the specific trap of redirecting a form's endpoint.","**JavaScript pseudo-links.** Google's [link best practices](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable) say that, generally, Google can crawl a link only when it is an `a` element with an `href` attribute. A `span` element with a click handler, or an `href` set to `javascript:` code, may work for a mouse but is invisible to crawlers and many link checkers.","**Vague link text.** [WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.4](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/link-purpose-in-context.html) requires that the purpose of each link \"can be determined from the link text alone\" or with its context. A row of \"click here\" links is an accessibility failure even when every target loads."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Phone and form links deserve special attention because they are the links that produce cases. If your call tracking swaps numbers on the page, test the swapped number too; the setup is covered in our guide to [call tracking and attribution](/mass-tort-lead-conversion-rates)."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Soft 404s and other failures that are not a 404"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A soft 404 is a page that returns a success code while showing an error or an empty page. Google's [HTTP status code documentation](https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/troubleshooting/http-status-codes) says that \"an HTTP 2xx (success) status code doesn't guarantee indexing,\" and that if 2xx content \"suggests an error … an empty page or an error message, Search Console will show a soft 404 error.\" The [Page indexing report help](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203?hl=en) describes it as a page that \"returns a user-friendly 'not found' message but not a 404 HTTP response code.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The classic example is a redirect rule that sends every unknown URL to the home page. Google's 2011 post [\"Do 404 errors hurt my site?\"](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2011/05/do-404s-hurt-my-site) names this as a soft-404 pattern that \"can have negative effects on our understanding and indexing of your site.\" Google's [site-move guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes) repeats the warning for migrations: redirecting many old URLs to one irrelevant page \"might be treated as a soft 404 error.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Other failures look different but break the visitor's journey just as completely. Lenovo's glossary page on broken links notes that a broken link \"does not always result in a 404 error\" and can show a 403 or 500 instead. Use that as a working definition, not a rule: a 403 on a page that should be public, or a 500 on a contact page, is a broken link for anyone who clicks it."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Some tools catch these. Dr. Link Check lists soft-error checks among the features of its [paid plans](https://www.drlinkcheck.com/pricing). A page that errors cannot be fetched by AI crawlers either, so it cannot be quoted in AI answers; our guide to [answer engine optimization](/blogs/aeo-for-personal-injury-lawyers) covers what those crawlers need."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Why website links break: the common causes"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Most broken links come from a URL that changed without a redirect. The rest come from typos, platform changes, and events outside your control, such as another site deleting a page or letting its domain expire."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The cause decides the fix. A URL you changed can be repaired on your own server in minutes. A link broken by another site's decision can only be updated, archived or removed. Knowing which kind you are looking at saves time when an audit returns a few hundred rows."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Moves, migrations and rebrands"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Site moves break more links at once than any other event. A redesign changes the URL pattern from `/practice-areas/truck-accidents/` to `/truck-accident-lawyer/`. A new CMS drops the trailing slash or adds a `/blog/` prefix. A move from HTTP to HTTPS, or from `www.example.com` to `example.com`, changes every URL on the site. Each old URL that does not redirect becomes a 404 for every backlink, bookmark, email and printed QR code that still points to it."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Rebrands add a domain change on top. The old domain must stay registered and keep redirecting for years, because links to it live in court filings, press coverage, directories and client inboxes. A firm's old domain that still returns a 301 to the new one is the model to follow; one that lapses and gets bought by someone else is the outcome to avoid."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Expect a tail even when you do it right. Google's [redirects documentation](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/301-redirects) says that after a domain move \"it's very likely that Google will continue to occasionally show the old URLs in the results, even though the new URLs are already indexed. This is normal.\" The old URLs need to keep redirecting while that happens. If a rebuild is on your calendar, plan the redirect map before design starts; our guide to a [law firm website rebuild](/blogs/law-firm-website-development) walks through the sequence."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Typos, CMS changes and plugins"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Small errors cause a steady trickle of broken links. A missing letter in an `href`, a doubled slash, a pasted URL with a trailing space, or `http//` without the colon all produce a link that fails on click. They are hard to spot in a visual editor because the link text looks right."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Relative links break when content moves. A link written as `../verdicts/` works from one folder and fails from another, so copying a block of text between pages can quietly break it. Absolute paths that begin with `/` are safer for internal links, and they survive a page being moved into a new folder as long as the target itself stays put."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"CMS and plugin changes alter URLs without anyone editing a link. Switching a theme or SEO plugin can change category bases, date-based permalinks or attachment URLs. Deleting an image or PDF from the media library breaks every page that referenced it, including old newsletters."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Prevention beats repair here. On WordPress, the free [Redirection plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/redirection/) can \"monitor when post or page permalinks are changed and automatically create a redirect,\" and it can \"keep track of 404 errors,\" which turns a silent failure into a log entry someone can act on."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Expired domains, certificates and shorteners"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Some links break because something outside the page lapsed. When another site lets its domain expire, every link to it fails at once, and if someone else buys the domain, your link may now send readers to unrelated or unsafe content. That second case is worse than a 404, because nothing tells you it happened. Large studies of vanished pages count whole-domain loss as a distinct and sizable category."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Expired SSL certificates produce a different failure. The page still exists, but the browser shows a full-page security warning, and most visitors leave. Certificates on subdomains (a client portal, a booking page, a landing-page builder) are the ones that tend to be missed, because they renew on a different schedule from the main site."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"URL shorteners add a dependency you do not control. The goo.gl story shows how plans can change. According to the [Google Developers Blog](https://developers.googleblog.com/en/google-url-shortener-links-will-no-longer-be-available/), Google first announced that goo.gl links \"will no longer return a response after August 25th, 2025.\" An August 1, 2025 update narrowed that: only links that \"showed no activity in late 2024\" were targeted, and \"All other goo.gl links will be preserved and will continue to function as normal.\" Links generated by Google apps, such as Maps sharing, also keep working. The safer habit is to put your own domain's URLs in anything printed or long-lived."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"How common link rot is: the research"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Link rot is very common and well documented. Pew Research Center found that a quarter of pages that existed between 2013 and 2023 were no longer accessible as of October 2023, and a 2014 Harvard study found reference rot in half of the URLs cited in U.S. Supreme Court opinions."},{"type":"image","src":"/images/blog-content/link-not-working/05-link-rot-data.jpg","alt":"Data panel of link-rot findings from Pew Research Center and the Harvard Law Review Forum study","caption":"Link rot is measurable: Pew's 2024 web study and a 2014 study of legal citations."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"No study measures broken links on law-firm websites specifically. The nearest evidence comes from government and news sites, which publish and link the way firm blogs do, and from legal citations, which show how fast the sources lawyers rely on disappear. The table summarizes the findings and the caveat each one carries."},{"type":"table","header":["Study","Year","Sample","Key finding","Caveat"],"rows":[["Pew, all pages","2024","Just under 1M pages, 2013–2023","25% no longer accessible","Conservative definition"],["Pew, government","2024","About 500,000 pages","21% of pages had a broken link","Errors only, not changed content"],["Pew, news","2024","500,000 pages, 2,063 sites","23% of pages had a broken link","External links only"],["Pew, Wikipedia","2024","50,000 pages","54% cite a dead reference","References section only"],["HLR, Supreme Court","2014","555 links","49.9% lacked the cited material","24.5% returned 404"],["HLR, law journals","2014","Three Harvard journals","More than 70% reference rot","Includes changed content"],["Ahrefs, backlinks","2024","2,062,173 websites","66.5% of links rotted since 2013","Vendor index and definition"]]},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Pew Research Center's 2024 study"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Pew's report [\"When Online Content Disappears\"](https://www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/2024/05/17/when-online-content-disappears/), published May 17, 2024 by Athena Chapekis, Samuel Bestvater, Emma Remy and Gonzalo Rivero, sampled just under 1 million pages from Common Crawl, about 90,000 per year. Its headline finding: \"A quarter of all webpages that existed at one point between 2013 and 2023 are no longer accessible, as of October 2023.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Age matters most. \"Some 38% of webpages that existed in 2013 are not available today, compared with 8% of pages that existed in 2023.\" The 25% splits into 16% where the page was gone from a working domain and 9% where the whole root domain was gone. Headlines that turned this into \"38% of the web is gone\" misread it; 38% applies only to pages from 2013."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The government and news samples are closer to what a firm publishes. On government sites, 6% of links pointed to pages no longer accessible, and \"21% of all the government webpages we examined contained at least one broken link.\" On news sites, 23% of pages had at least one broken external link. Pew counted a page as gone only if it returned one of a set of error codes that clearly indicate it no longer exists, so changed-but-loading pages are not included. The real figures are likely higher."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Link rot in court opinions and law reviews"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The legal evidence comes from the same Harvard Law Review Forum paper that defined the terms. Its authors were, at the time, Jonathan Zittrain, Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government and Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Kendra Albert, then a JD candidate at Harvard Law School; and Lawrence Lessig, Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"They found that \"more than 70% of the URLs within\" three Harvard journals, \"and 50% of the URLs within U.S. Supreme Court opinions suffer reference rot.\" The Supreme Court figure rests on 555 links pulled June 26, 2013. Of those, 63.6% still returned HTTP 200 and 24.5% returned 404, yet after manual review, \"49.9% of the links cited in the Supreme Court opinions no longer had the cited material.\" Most of the rot was in pages that still loaded."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Two responses followed. [Perma.cc](https://perma.cc/about), \"developed and maintained by the Harvard Law School Library,\" creates archived links \"that will never break.\" Organizations, including law firms, pay a subscription with no public price, and individuals get \"ten free links on a trial basis.\" The Supreme Court also publishes [Online Sources Cited in Opinions](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/cited_urls/), capturing cited material in PDF form. The lesson carries to firm blogs: when a post cites a recall notice or court order, archive the source when you publish."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"What vendor studies add"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Vendor research measures a different thing. Ahrefs' [link-rot study](https://ahrefs.com/blog/link-rot-study/) by Patrick Stox, bylined as \"Technical SEO at Ahrefs\" and updated February 2, 2024, reports that \"Since January 2013, 66.5% of the links pointing to the 2,062,173 websites we sampled have rotted,\" or 74.5% counting other losses."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Its breakdown of why links were lost is the useful part for site owners: Dropped 47.7%, Link removed 34.2%, Crawl error 6.45%, 301/302 5.99%, Not found 4.11%, Not canonical 0.82% and Noindex 0.73%. Most lost backlinks disappear because the linking page changed or vanished, not because your page returned a 404."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Treat it as a vendor study. It is built on Ahrefs' own crawl index, and its definition of a rotted link (any lost backlink) is much broader than Pew's error-code test, so the two numbers cannot be compared directly."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Do broken links hurt SEO? What Google actually says"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"According to Google, a 404 on its own does not hurt your rankings or the rest of your site. The real costs are lost value from backlinks that point to dead pages, wasted internal links, frustrated visitors and, for ads, disapproved destinations."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Much of the advice on this topic repeats claims Google has addressed directly. The table compares the common ones with Google's current documentation, so you can decide what to fix on evidence rather than fear."},{"type":"table","header":["Common claim","What Google's documentation says","Source"],"rows":[["Broken links are a negative ranking signal","404s alone do not hurt you or affect your other URLs","Google, 2011"],["Search Console lists broken outbound links","The report covers URLs in your property only","Page indexing help"],["You must fix every 404","404s are \"not necessarily a problem\"","Page indexing and Crawl Stats help"],["410 deindexes faster than 404","All 4xx except 429 are treated the same","Status-code doc"],["Each redirect hop loses link equity","Permanent redirects cause no PageRank loss","Site-move doc"],["Redirect every 404 to the home page","That can be treated as a soft 404","Google, 2011; site-move doc"],["A 200 page is always indexed","2xx does not guarantee indexing","Status-code doc"]]},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"A 404 alone does not hurt the rest of your site"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Google's clearest statement is from 2011. In [\"Do 404 errors hurt my site?\"](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2011/05/do-404s-hurt-my-site), Susan Moskwa, bylined as Webmaster Trends Analyst, wrote that \"404 errors are a perfectly normal part of the web\" and that \"If some URLs on your site 404, this fact alone does not hurt you or count against you in Google's search results.\" She added that 404s on some URLs do \"not affect how your site's other URLs (the ones that return 200 (Success) status codes) perform in our search results.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The post is old and refers to renamed tools, but the current documentation agrees. The [Page indexing report help](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203?hl=en) says \"404 responses are not necessarily a problem, if the page has been removed without any replacement.\" The [Crawl Stats report help](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9679690?hl=en) goes further: \"It's not possible, worthwhile, or even desirable to fix all 404 errors on your site, and often 404 is the correct thing to return.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Some guides say otherwise. Rankings.io's post [\"5 Methods for Finding Broken Links\"](https://rankings.io/blog/finding-broken-links/) (dated May 22, 2025) includes the heading \"Search Engines Also View Broken Links in and of Themselves as a Negative Signal.\" Google's documentation does not support that claim. Broken links have real costs, set out next, but a ranking penalty for the existence of 404s is not one of them."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"The costs that are real"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The first real cost is lost backlink value. When another site links to a URL you deleted or misspelled, the value of that link stops at a 404. Google's 2011 post gives the fix: if an inbound link misspells a real URL, \"you could 301 redirect the misspelled URL to the correct URL and capture the intended traffic from that link.\" The same applies to pages you moved. A deleted case-results page that earned links from local news should redirect to its closest live equivalent."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The second cost is wasted internal links. A navigation link or a related-posts block that points to a 404 sends visitors and crawlers into a dead end on every page view. These are entirely your own, and Google's guidance for moved pages is direct: \"If your page has moved, use a 301 redirect to the new location.\" Fix links in your menus, templates and XML sitemaps first, because they repeat across the site. One bad link in a footer template is one fix in the source and hundreds of broken links in a crawl report."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The third cost is trust. A visitor who hits a dead link on a firm's website has no way of knowing it is a small maintenance gap. To someone choosing a lawyer after an injury, it can read as neglect. There is no reliable statistic for this effect, but it fits everything we know about the [signals that make a website credible](/blogs/website-credibility)."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The fourth cost is paid traffic. Google Ads can disapprove an ad whose destination fails, which stops spend and leads at once. For broader context on how technical health fits a ranking plan, see our page on [SEO for personal injury lawyers](/services/personal-injury-seo)."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"404 vs 410 vs soft 404"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The difference between 404 and 410 is about meaning, not rankings. Under [RFC 9110](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110.html#section-15.5.5), a 404 says the server \"did not find a current representation for the target resource\" and \"does not indicate whether this lack of representation is temporary or permanent.\" A 410 Gone says the resource is \"no longer available\" and the condition \"is likely to be permanent.\" The RFC adds that 410 is \"common for limited-time, promotional services,\" and that it is \"not necessary to mark all permanently unavailable resources as 'gone'.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Google does not reward one over the other. Its [status-code documentation](https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/troubleshooting/http-status-codes) says \"All 4xx errors, except 429, are treated the same,\" and that already-indexed URLs that start returning 4xx \"are removed from the index.\" The 2011 post said the same about 410 at the time. Advice that a 410 deindexes faster is not supported by Google's current docs."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Soft 404s are the option to avoid. Google's 2011 post prefers that a removed page \"returns a proper 404 or 410 response code (rather than a soft 404),\" and notes that \"You can return a 404 response code while serving whatever content you want,\" so a helpful custom 404 page is no excuse for a 200 status. The [crawl budget guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/large-site-managing-crawl-budget) adds that \"soft 404 pages will continue to be crawled.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"My recommendation, as a working rule: return 410 when you deliberately retire something, such as an expired campaign page; return 404 for everything else; and never serve a soft 404."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Crawl budget is a large-site concern"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Crawl budget is rarely the reason a law firm should fix broken links. Google's crawl budget guide says it is \"intended primarily\" for sites with 1 million or more unique pages that change about weekly, sites with 10,000 or more unique pages that change daily, and sites with a large share of URLs marked \"Discovered - currently not indexed.\" Google calls those numbers \"a rough estimate.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A typical firm site, even one with a large blog and dozens of tort pages, is far below those thresholds. The guide's housekeeping advice still makes sense at any size: \"Return a 404 or 410 status code for permanently removed pages,\" and \"Avoid long redirect chains, which have a negative effect on crawling.\" Do it because it keeps the site clean, not because a few hundred 404s are starving Googlebot. Our guide to [SEO for lawyers](/blogs/seo-for-lawyers) covers the factors that matter more at firm scale."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Redirects and PageRank"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A permanent redirect does not cost you ranking value. Google's site-move guide says it plainly: \"Don't worry about link credit. 301 and other permanent redirects don't cause a loss in PageRank.\" Claims that each hop loses a fixed percentage of link equity have no basis in Google's documentation, and no Google figure exists for one."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The choice of code still matters. Google's status-code documentation calls a 301 \"a strong signal that the redirect target should be processed\" and a 302 \"a weak signal.\" Use a permanent redirect when the move is permanent and a temporary one when it is not, because the code tells Google which URL to treat as canonical."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Chains are the other concern, and the reasons are speed and reliability rather than PageRank. Google advises redirecting straight to the final destination and, where that is not possible, keeping chains \"ideally no more than 3 and fewer than 5,\" because \"Chaining redirects adds latency for users, and not all user agents and browsers support long redirect chains.\" Google's crawlers follow up to 10 hops by default, and anything longer is never reached. Every hop also adds a point of failure, so a chain that works today can break when one rule is edited next year. The exact syntax for each server is in the redirect section below."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of this changes the main point of this section. For a law firm, the broken links that cost the most are rarely the ones that worry SEO forums. They sit on the conversion path, where a failed form, booking or call link loses a potential client, and that is where the next section starts."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Broken links that cost law firms cases"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For a plaintiff firm, the expensive broken links are rarely old blog citations. They are the links between an injured person and a signed retainer: the case-review form, the booking link, the click-to-call button, the e-sign link and the ad landing page."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Those links share three traits. They sit at the end of paid or hard-won traffic, so every failure wastes money already spent. They are often hosted by third parties (a scheduling tool, an e-sign vendor, an ad platform), so a site crawler never tests them. And the person who notices first is usually a prospective client who gives up quietly, not a staff member who files a ticket."},{"type":"table","header":["Link","How it breaks","Who notices first","Check"],"rows":[["Intake form action","Form endpoint or plugin changes","The visitor","Submit a test lead"],["Booking link","Calendar event renamed or deleted","The visitor","Book a test slot"],["`tel:` button","Number missing, mistyped or ported","The caller","Tap it on a phone"],["E-sign link","Envelope expired or voided","The signer","Open from a phone"],["Google Ads final URL","Page deleted, redirect broken","Google's AdsBot","Policy Manager"],["Meta ad landing page","Page retired mid-campaign","The clicker","Preview on mobile"],["Business Profile link","Old booking URL left in place","The searcher","Click from Maps"],["Directory profile URL","Site rebuilt, old path dead","The visitor","Click from profile"],["Newsletter unsubscribe","Email tool or list changed","The recipient","Unsubscribe a test inbox"],["TV, radio or QR vanity URL","Redirect removed after a rebuild","The viewer","Type and scan it"]]},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Intake forms, booking, tel: and e-sign links"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"No study puts a percentage on how many cases a dead intake link loses, so treat any number you see quoted with suspicion. The cleaner way to frame the stakes is cost: look at [what a signed retainer costs](/blogs/cost-per-signed-retainer-2026) in your practice area, then ask how many of those clicks reached a form that silently failed."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Intake forms break in ways a link checker misses. The page loads with a 200 status, but the form's submit target, a spam filter, a CRM webhook or a required field that no longer exists drops the lead. The only reliable test is a real submission that you trace into the CRM and the intake team's queue."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Booking links fail when someone renames, deletes or reassigns the event type in the scheduling tool. The URL on your site still opens a page, but the page says the event does not exist or shows no available times. Book a test slot after any change to staff calendars."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Click-to-call buttons need a valid `tel:` URI. [RFC 3966](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3966.html) uses `tel:+1-201-555-0123` as its documentation example: global numbers start with `+`, and hyphens only aid readability and are not used to place the call. A missing country code, a stray letter, or a number that was ported away after a provider switch all produce a button that does nothing useful. At Mass Tort Marketing Agency, our [24/7 live intake](/services/intake-services) team answers those calls, so a dead call button wastes the most expensive step in the funnel."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"E-sign links are time-limited by design. An envelope sent during the call can expire, be voided when someone corrects a field, or open poorly in an in-app browser. Sending for [same-call e-signature during intake](/blogs/mass-tort-intake-guide) shortens that window, and a staff member should confirm the signer can open it before ending the call."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Google Ads \"Destination not working\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Google Ads disapproves ads whose landing pages fail for its crawler, and the error list reads like a broken-link taxonomy. The [Destination not working policy](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/16428019?hl=en) covers pages that \"don't function properly\", with examples such as \"Site Under Construction\", and destinations that \"return an HTTP error code for Google AdsBot web crawlers on common devices globally\", such as 403, 404 or 500."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The listed error reasons include HTTP 4xx and 5xx responses, DNS errors (including an expired or unregistered domain), redirect URLs that are too long, empty or bad, \"Server redirects too often\", timeouts and pages that require authentication. Google suggests testing with Chrome DevTools' user agent set to AdsBot, then filing an appeal once the page works."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Know which URL failed. The same page defines the Display URL shown with the ad, the Final URL (the landing page) and the Expanded URL, which \"combines the Final URL with any applicable tracking templates and parameters\". If there is no tracking template, the Final and Expanded URLs should match."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A related policy, [Destination mismatch](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/16428020?hl=en), catches tracking setups that change where the click lands. Its listed causes include \"Expanded URLs from shorteners that don't lead to the final URL\" and casing differences such as `example.com/Page` versus `example.com/page`. The fixes Google gives: add `{ignore}` before third-party tracking parameters in the final URL, replace shorteners with \"the direct, stable destination URL\", or use a Google-certified click tracker."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Call assets have their own rules. The [Destination requirements policy](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6368661?hl=en) lists \"Phone numbers that don't have an active voicemail service\" among unacceptable numbers, which matters for after-hours lines. It also says violations \"won't lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning\", with a warning \"at least 7 days prior\". Disapprovals still stop individual ads, so check Policy Manager after every site change that touches [Google Ads for law firms](/services/law-firm-ppc) or [mass tort PPC campaigns](/services/mass-tort-ppc)."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"When an ad is disapproved for a broken destination, a short routine keeps the fix clean:"},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":["Open the Final URL on a phone and a desktop, logged out, outside your office network.","Run `curl -IL` on the Expanded URL and confirm it ends in a 200 on the same domain.","Re-test with the AdsBot user agent in DevTools, as Google suggests.","Fix the page or redirect, then file the appeal from the disapproved ad.","Note the change in a shared log so the next site edit does not repeat it."]},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Meta ads, Business Profile and directory links"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Meta's current [Ad Standards](https://transparency.meta.com/policies/ad-standards/) index includes a \"Relevance\" rule: \"The products and services promoted in an ad must match those promoted on the landing page.\" A retired tort page that now redirects to a generic home page fails that test in spirit even when it loads. Preview every ad's destination on a phone before launch and after any site rebuild; [Facebook advertising for mass tort firms](/services/facebook-advertising-mass-torts) relies on that page matching the ad, and [our Meta ad compliance checklist](/blogs/mass-tort-facebook-marketing) covers the rest of the review."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Google Business Profile links need a hand check. Google's help page on [local business links](https://support.google.com/business/answer/6218037?hl=en) says a profile can carry booking, reservation and ordering links, \"up to 10 links per category\", and you can \"Set preferred link\" when there are several. It also says these links \"are not available via the Business Profile API or spreadsheet upload\", so bulk tools will not audit them. Click each one from Search and from Maps after any URL change."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Then list every directory and state bar profile that points to your site. Each is a link you control but no site crawl will see. After a rebuild, open each profile and click through."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Offline media deserve the same attention. A vanity URL read on a radio spot or printed on a billboard, and a QR code on a mailer, usually point at a redirect on your domain. Those redirects are easy to delete during a rebuild because nothing on the new site links to them. Keep them in the redirect map with a note naming the campaign, and scan or type each one after every release."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Newsletter unsubscribe links and CAN-SPAM"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A broken unsubscribe link is a compliance problem as well as a user-experience one. The [FTC's CAN-SPAM compliance guide](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business) says every commercial email must tell recipients how to opt out, that the opt-out mechanism \"must be able to process opt-out requests for at least 30 days after you send your message\", and that you \"must honor a recipient's opt-out request within 10 business days.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The same guide says each violating email \"is subject to penalties of up to $53,088\". That was the figure shown in October 2026, and the FTC adjusts it for inflation, so re-check the guide before relying on it."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Unsubscribe links usually break when a firm changes email platforms, deletes a list or edits a template footer. Send a test campaign to a seed inbox after any such change and click the link. State laws can add requirements, and this is not legal advice; route questions to counsel and your [mass tort marketing compliance](/mass-tort-marketing-compliance) review."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"How to find broken links: 9 methods compared"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Use Search Console for the broken URLs Google has found on your own site, a crawler for internal and outbound links, a backlink tool for dead pages other sites link to, and a manual click-through for conversion paths no tool tests. No single tool covers all four."},{"type":"table","header":["Tool","Finds","Free tier or limit","Paid from (Oct 2026)","Best for"],"rows":[["Google Search Console","Your URLs Google found","Free","Free","Pages Google tried"],["Screaming Frog","Internal, outbound, redirects","500 URLs","£199 / $279 / €245 per year","Full-site crawls"],["Ahrefs Free","Internal and external broken links","5,000 crawl credits per project per month","$0","Verified sites"],["Ahrefs paid","Broken backlinks and outgoing","None","Lite $129/mo; reports from Standard $249/mo","Backlink reclamation"],["Semrush","Site Audit issues","10 reports per day","SEO $139/mo","Existing users"],["Dr. Link Check","Links, soft errors, blacklists","1,500 links","Standard $13/mo","Small sites"],["brokenlinkcheck.com","Internal and outbound","3,000 pages","Not published","Quick checks"],["Dead Link Checker","Site or single page","Free scans","Not published","Scheduled emails"],["W3C Link Checker","Links and anchors","Free","Free","Fragment checks"],["SortSite","Links plus accessibility","10-page demo","Editions vary","QA teams"],["Check My Links","One page","Free","Free","Spot checks"],["AIOSEO Broken Link Checker","WordPress internal links","250 links per month","Paid plans","WordPress sites"]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Prices are as of October 2026; confirm with each vendor before buying. Sources follow in each section below."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Google Search Console's Page indexing report"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The report Google now calls the [Page indexing report](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203?hl=en) replaced the old \"Coverage\" report, so ignore guides that still describe \"Error\", \"Valid with warnings\" and \"Excluded\" tabs. It \"shows the Google indexing status of all URLs that Google knows about in your property\". That scope matters: it never lists broken outbound links to other sites."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Google also says that if your site \"has fewer than 500 pages, you probably don't need to use this report\" and suggests `site:` searches instead. For larger sites, the steps are:"},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":["Open Indexing > Pages (the path [Semrush's broken-link guide](https://www.semrush.com/blog/broken-link/) describes).","Under \"Why pages aren't indexed\", open \"Not found (404)\".","Review the example URLs, which are \"limited to 1,000 items\".","Repeat for \"Soft 404\", \"Server error (5xx)\", \"Redirect error\", \"Blocked due to access forbidden (403)\" and \"Blocked due to unauthorized request (401)\".","Fix issues where the Source column says \"Website\", since \"In general, you can fix only issues where the source is listed as 'Website'.\"","Click \"Validate fix\" once, and wait."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Google says validation \"typically takes up to about two weeks, but in some cases can take much longer\", and asks you not to click \"Validate fix\" again until it has succeeded or failed."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The report tells you which URLs fail, not which of your pages link to them. Inspect a URL or run a crawler to find the linking page."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"URL Inspection and Crawl stats"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The [URL Inspection tool](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289?hl=en) offers \"Test live URL\", \"View crawled page\", \"View tested page\" and \"Request indexing\". Google notes \"a per-property daily limit of live inspections\" without giving a number, so save it for important URLs."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Google's documents disagree on whether inspection follows redirects. The Page indexing help says the live test \"follows redirects and then tests the final URL\", while the status-code doc says inspection tools don't follow redirects. The safe habit is to inspect the final destination URL directly."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The [Crawl Stats report](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9679690?hl=en) sits under Settings and \"is available only for root-level properties\". It groups responses by type, such as \"Moved permanently\" and \"Moved temporarily\", and counts failed fetches from DNS problems, server connectivity issues and \"Fetches abandoned due to redirect loops\". Watch it for spikes after a migration."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Desktop crawlers: Screaming Frog SEO Spider"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The [Screaming Frog SEO Spider](https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/) is a desktop crawler for Windows, macOS and Linux. Its product page says it can \"find broken links (404s) and server errors\" and \"Bulk export the errors and source URLs\", which answers the question Search Console leaves open: which page holds the bad link."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"It also lets you \"identify redirect chains and loops, or upload a list of URLs to audit in a site migration.\" List mode is the one to use before a rebuild goes live: paste every old URL and confirm each lands where the redirect map says."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Per its [pricing page](https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/pricing/), the tool is free up to 500 URLs. A licence costs £199 / $279 / €245 per licence per year for one to four licences as of October 2026, with lower per-licence prices in volume tiers. Licences are per user."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Ahrefs and Semrush site audits"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Ahrefs renamed its free product: Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is now [Ahrefs Free](https://ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools). It covers unlimited verified sites, with Site Audit at \"5,000 crawl credits per verified project per month\". Credits are spent only on HTML pages returning 200, so \"broken URLs, redirects or any non-HTML resources aren't counted\". Site Audit checks \"170+\" issues, and Ahrefs lists \"Broken links data for internal and external links\" among the extras over Search Console."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"On [Ahrefs' pricing page](https://ahrefs.com/pricing) as of October 2026, Lite is $129/mo, but the Site Explorer \"Broken backlinks\", \"Broken links\" and \"Outgoing links\" reports are listed under Standard ($249/mo) and up. Ahrefs also runs a no-signup [Broken Link Checker](https://ahrefs.com/broken-link-checker) for a domain's inbound and outbound links; the vendor says its index holds \"493 B\" pages."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Semrush's [current plans](https://www.semrush.com/prices/) start with a Free tier of \"10 reports per day\" and an \"SEO\" plan at $139/mo monthly that includes Site Audit. Semrush is now owned by Adobe: [Semrush's customer FAQ](https://www.semrush.com/news/455963-faq-for-customers-adobe-acquires-semrush/) dated April 28, 2026 says \"the transaction has closed\", after the [acquisition announcement](https://news.adobe.com/news/2025/11/adobe-to-acquire-semrush). If you are weighing a suite, it helps to see [how a mass tort funnel compares with a general SEO agency](/rankings-io-alternative)."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Free online broken link checkers"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Online checkers crawl your site from their servers, so nothing is installed. [brokenlinkcheck.com](https://www.brokenlinkcheck.com/) is one of these online crawlers, not a browser extension. Its free version \"has a 3000-page limit\" with no cap on links per page, tests internal and outbound URLs and highlights the failing tag."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"[Dead Link Checker](https://www.deadlinkchecker.com/) checks a whole site or a single page free; multi-site and scheduled checks need a free account, and subscription prices are not on its homepage. [Dr. Link Check](https://www.drlinkcheck.com/pricing) has a Lite tier at $0 (2 sites, 1,500 links each) and Standard at $13/mo as of October 2026. Its own sizing guide estimates a \"Website of a local law firm\" at \"1,000 links\", which is a vendor estimate."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The [W3C Link Checker](https://validator.w3.org/checklink) checks \"links, anchors and referenced objects\", useful when jump links to `#section` fragments break. [SortSite](https://www.powermapper.com/products/sortsite/) pairs link checks with accessibility tests and offers a 10-page online demo and a 30-day trial."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Browser extensions for one page at a time"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Extensions are for spot checks: open a page, run the extension, see every link on that page colored by status. [Check My Links](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/check-my-links/aajoalonednamcpodaeocebfgldhcpbe) is the common choice; its current Chrome Web Store listing showed about 90,000 users in October 2026. Older guides link to a retired listing ID that now opens an empty page, so use the current one."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A separate \"[Broken Link Checker](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/broken-link-checker/bjcoimpfplliplknnmgbffboiihamekf)\" extension flags 404s and 301, 307 and 308 redirects in all frames, but its last update was February 23, 2023. Test it before relying on it."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"WordPress plugins"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"On WordPress, a plugin can scan content from inside the admin. The WPMU DEV [Broken Link Checker](https://wordpress.org/plugins/broken-link-checker/) offers cloud or local scanning of posts, pages, comments and custom fields with email alerts; its listing shows \"500,000+\" active installations. [Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO](https://wordpress.org/plugins/broken-link-checker-seo/) \"scans up to 250 internal links every month at no cost\", and paid plans add external links."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"[Redirection](https://wordpress.org/plugins/redirection/) is the companion: it can \"keep track of 404 errors\" and create redirects automatically when permalinks change. Treat each vendor's speed and SEO claims as marketing, and remember a plugin scans only what WordPress stores, not your ad URLs or booking tools."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Developer checks: DevTools, curl and CI"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The Network tab in browser developer tools shows the status code of every request a page makes, which catches broken images, scripts and form endpoints that a link crawler may skip. Reload with the tab open and sort by status."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"From a terminal, `curl -I https://example.com/page` returns the response headers and status code without downloading the page. Add `-L` to follow redirects and print each hop, as in `curl -IL https://example.com/old-page`, which shows a redirect chain in a few lines."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For long URL lists, Google's [site-move documentation](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes) recommends \"command line tools or scripts to test large numbers of URLs.\" Development teams often add a link check to their build or deployment pipeline so a release fails when it introduces a broken internal link. If your site is built in code, ask your developer whether that check exists."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Analytics, server logs and off-site profiles"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Analytics finds the broken links real visitors hit. If your 404 page has a distinct title, a GA4 report filtered on that page title, with the page referrer added, shows which pages sent people to dead URLs. The referrer is the page you need to edit."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Server or hosting logs record every 404 request, including bots and links from other sites. They are noisy but complete, and they show inbound links your crawler cannot see."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Then audit the links that live off your site but belong to you:"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":["Google Business Profile website and booking links","Legal directory and state bar profiles","Social bios and pinned posts","Press releases and guest articles","Vanity URLs and QR codes on TV, radio, billboards and print"]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Campaign URLs carry UTM parameters; keep a sheet of every tagged URL and test it, as described in [measuring PPC success](/measure-ppc-success-personal-injury). Finally, give staff and visitors a simple way to report a broken link, such as a line on the 404 page and an internal email alias."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"How to fix a broken link: the decision tree"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For each broken link, update it if you know the right URL, redirect it if the old URL has value, restore the page if it should exist, remove the link if nothing replaces it, and return a 410 if you retired the content on purpose."},{"type":"image","src":"/images/blog-content/link-not-working/06-fix-decision-tree.jpg","alt":"Decision tree for fixing a broken link: update, 301 redirect, restore, remove the link, or return 410","caption":"Pick the fix by asking whether a correct URL exists and whether the old URL still has value."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Two questions drive every branch: does a correct destination exist, and does the old URL still carry value (traffic, backlinks, printed references)? The answers decide whether you edit a link, add a redirect or let the URL return an error."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Restore versus redirect is the judgment call. Restore the page when people still need that exact content, such as a practice-area page you removed by mistake or an FAQ that clients reference. Redirect when a newer page now covers the same intent better. If you are unsure, check what the old URL ranked for and what the linking pages say about it; the destination should answer the same question."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Update, redirect, restore, remove or return 410"},{"type":"table","header":["Situation","Best fix","Why","Source"],"rows":[["Typo in your own link","Edit the link","No redirect needed","Common practice"],["Page moved","301 to new URL","Keeps visitors and signals","[Page indexing help](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203?hl=en)"],["Deleted, close replacement","301 to replacement","Same intent","Site-move doc"],["Deleted, no replacement, has backlinks","Restore or 301 to nearest match","Links still send visits","Site-move doc"],["Retired on purpose","Return 404 or 410","Correct signal","RFC 9110"],["External page gone","Replace or unlink","You can't fix theirs","See below"],["Misspelled inbound link","301 the misspelling","Captures the traffic","[Google, 2011](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2011/05/do-404s-hurt-my-site)"],["Dozens of old URLs, no equivalents","Let them 404","No mass home redirect","Site-move doc"]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Two rows need a note. Google's 2011 post gives the misspelling case directly: you \"could 301 redirect the misspelled URL to the correct URL and capture the intended traffic from that link.\" And Google's [site-move doc](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes) warns: \"Don't redirect many old URLs to one irrelevant single URL destination, such as the home page of the new site,\" which \"might be treated as a soft 404 error.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A redirect is a safety net, not the fix for your own links. After adding a 301, update every internal link to point straight at the final URL. The same doc advises redirecting to the final destination directly and keeping any chain \"ideally no more than 3 and fewer than 5\", because chains add latency and some user agents don't support long ones."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Fixing broken outbound links and citations"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A broken outbound link points at a page you don't control, so the only fixes are on your side. Work through them in order:"},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":["Find the new location. Search the publisher's site for the title, or check its archive or press section.","Check the [Wayback Machine](https://web.archive.org/), which lets you \"Search the history of more than 1 trillion web pages.\" Link the archived copy if the original is gone.","Replace it with an equivalent source, preferably a primary one.","If nothing works, remove the link and keep the text, or rewrite the claim."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Legal content needs more care, because a citation that no longer shows the cited material can weaken the argument it supports. [Perma.cc](https://perma.cc/about), \"developed and maintained by the Harvard Law School Library\", creates archived links meant \"that will never break\"; courts and academic institutions can register free, while law firms use a paid subscription with no public price. The U.S. Supreme Court keeps its own [archive of online sources cited in opinions](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/cited_urls/), capturing them as PDFs."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"My recommendation is to archive an important source when you cite it, using Save Page Now or Perma.cc, rather than hunting for it years later."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Reclaiming broken backlinks"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A broken backlink is a link from another site to a URL on yours that no longer works. Find them with Ahrefs Free for verified sites or the paid Site Explorer reports described above, then check your server logs and the Page indexing 404 list for URLs with outside referrers."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The fix is usually on your side: 301 the dead URL to the closest equivalent page, or recreate the page if the topic still belongs on your site. That captures the visits without asking anyone for anything. Reach out only when a redirect is impossible, such as a link to a third-party domain you no longer own, or when the linking site would be better served by the correct URL."},{"type":"quote","text":"**Subject:** Broken link on [their page title]  Hi [name], your page [their page URL] links to our article at [dead URL], which has moved. The current version is at [correct URL]. Updating the link will send your readers to the right page. Thanks for citing us, and let me know if anything else would help."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"\"Broken link building\" is a different tactic: finding dead links on other sites and offering your own page as a replacement to earn new links. It is outreach for growth, not repair, and it belongs in a link-building plan rather than a maintenance checklist."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"The fix-first priority order"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"When an audit returns hundreds of broken links, fix them by impact, not by list order. This is my recommended method, not a Google rule: score each broken link from 0 to 3 on four factors, add the scores, and work down from the highest total."},{"type":"table","header":["Factor","0","3"],"rows":[["Conversion impact","Informational page","Form, booking, `tel:`, ad destination"],["Traffic","No visits","Regular visits"],["Link value","No backlinks","Several backlinks"],["Reach","One page","Sitewide template link"]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A broken booking link in the site header scores high on conversion and reach at once. A dead citation in a 2019 blog post with no visits may score zero, and Google's [Page indexing help](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203?hl=en) says \"404 responses are not necessarily a problem, if the page has been removed without any replacement.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"In practice the scores usually produce this order:"},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":["Ad destinations and conversion paths (forms, booking, `tel:`, e-sign).","Sitewide navigation and footer links.","URLs with backlinks from other sites.","Pages with search traffic.","Internal links inside content.","Old outbound citations."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Ad destinations come first because Google disapproves ads whose pages return errors to AdsBot, which stops spend from turning into leads at all. Backlinked URLs come third because a 301 recovers traffic another site is already sending, the case Google's 2011 post describes. Tie this order to your [lead conversion rates](/mass-tort-lead-conversion-rates) so the fixes that protect signed cases get done first."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Two worked examples show how the scoring plays out. A dead \"Book a consultation\" link in the main menu scores 3 for conversion, 3 for reach, 2 or 3 for traffic and perhaps 0 for link value: a total near 9, so it is fixed the same day. A 404ing practice-area URL with several backlinks, no menu link and modest search visits might score 1, 1, 3 and 0: a total of 5, fixed this week with a 301. An outbound citation in an old post scores near zero and waits for the quarterly pass."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Record the score and the fix in the same sheet your audit exported. That turns the list into a work queue with owners and dates, and it gives you a before-and-after record for the next audit."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Most of these fixes end in a redirect, and redirects bring their own failure modes: the wrong status code, chains, loops and requests that change method between hops."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Redirects done right: types, syntax and chains"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Use a permanent redirect (301 or 308) when a page has moved for good and a temporary one (302 or 307) when it will come back. Point every redirect straight at the final URL, and use 307 or 308 wherever forms, payment pages or webhooks send POST requests, because older codes let the client switch the request to GET."},{"type":"image","src":"/images/blog-content/link-not-working/07-redirect-chain-trap.jpg","alt":"Diagram comparing a redirect chain with a direct redirect and showing how a POST request can become a GET after a 301","caption":"Point redirects straight at the final URL, and use 307 or 308 where forms and webhooks send POST requests."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A redirect is the most common repair for a broken link, and also the most common way to create a new one. The rules below come from the HTTP specification and from Google's own documentation, so they hold whether your site runs on Apache, NGINX, a JavaScript framework or WordPress."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"301 vs 302 vs 307 vs 308"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The status code tells browsers, crawlers and other software two things: whether the move is permanent, and whether the request method may change. [RFC 9110](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110.html#section-15.4.2) defines 301 as a \"new permanent URI\" and 302 as a resource that \"resides temporarily under a different URI.\" For both, it warns that \"a user agent MAY change the request method from POST to GET for the subsequent request.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The newer codes close that gap. Under [RFC 9110 §15.4.8](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110.html#section-15.4.8), a 307 means \"the user agent MUST NOT change the request method\", and 308 is the permanent equivalent. The RFC also notes that 308 \"is much younger (June 2014) than its sibling codes and thus might not be recognized everywhere.\" Very old clients are rare, but if you serve unusual integrations, test them."},{"type":"table","header":["Type","Permanent?","Keeps POST method?","Google treats it as","Use for"],"rows":[["301","Yes","Not guaranteed","Strong signal","Moved pages (GET only)"],["302","No","Not guaranteed","Weak signal","Short-term moves"],["303","No","No, becomes GET","Temporary","After a form post"],["307","No","Yes","Same as 302","Temporary, forms and APIs"],["308","Yes","Yes","Same as 301","Permanent, forms and APIs"],["Meta refresh 0s","Yes","No","Permanent","When server access is missing"],["JavaScript redirect","Yes","No","Permanent, if rendered","Last resort"]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Google's [status-code documentation](https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/troubleshooting/http-status-codes) calls a 301 \"a strong signal that the redirect target should be processed\" and a 302 \"a weak signal.\" It treats 307 as \"Equivalent to 302\" and 308 as \"Equivalent to 301\", but adds that \"they're semantically different\" and you should pick the one that fits so other clients benefit. Google's [redirects guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/301-redirects) says permanent redirects \"Show the new redirect target in search results\" while temporary ones \"Show the source page.\" It also advises: \"Only use JavaScript redirects if you can't do server-side or meta refresh redirects\", because if rendering fails \"Google might never see it.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Caching matters too. Vercel's [redirects documentation](https://vercel.com/docs/routing/redirects) states that 301 and 308 responses are cached while 302 and 307 are not. A cached permanent redirect sticks in browsers, so a wrong 301 is harder to undo than a wrong 302. When you are unsure whether a move is final, start temporary and switch later."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Redirect syntax for Apache, NGINX, Next.js and WordPress"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Every platform can send a clean server-side redirect; the main mistakes are forgetting to say \"permanent\" and redirecting to a URL that itself redirects. These are the patterns from each project's documentation, using example.com:"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":["Apache, mod_alias: `Redirect permanent \"/old\" \"https://example.com/new\"`","Apache, temporary: `Redirect temp \"/two-old\" \"https://example.com/two-new\"`","Apache, removed page: `Redirect gone \"/retired-page\"` (no target URL)","Apache, mod_rewrite: `RewriteRule \"^/service$\" \"/about/service\" [R=301]`","NGINX: `location = /service { return 301 $scheme://example.com/about/service }`","Next.js, in `next.config.js`: an object with `source: '/old'`, `destination: '/new'`, `permanent: true`","PHP: `header('HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently'); header('Location: https://www.example.com/newurl'); exit();`"]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The Apache and NGINX lines, the mod_rewrite rule and the PHP header come from Google's redirects guide. The [Apache mod_alias documentation](https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/mod/mod_alias.html) adds two details people miss: `temp` (302) \"is the default\", so a bare `Redirect \"/old\" \"https://example.com/new\"` sends a temporary redirect, and for `gone` (410) \"the URL argument should be omitted.\" The old path is case-sensitive and must begin with a slash."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For NGINX, the [`return` directive](https://nginx.org/en/docs/http/ngx_http_rewrite_module.html#return) handles 301, 302, 303, 307 and 308. Version history matters on old servers: 307 \"was not treated as a redirect until versions 1.1.16 and 1.0.13\", and 308 \"was not treated as a redirect until version 1.13.0.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"[Next.js redirects](https://nextjs.org/docs/app/api-reference/config/next-config-js/redirects) send 308 when `permanent: true` and 307 when `false`. The framework chose those codes because \"many browsers changed the request method of the redirect to GET\" with 301 and 302. Redirects are \"checked before the filesystem\", so a redirect rule will shadow a page or `/public` file at the same path."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"On Vercel, as of October 2026, [configuration redirects](https://vercel.com/docs/routing/redirects/configuration-redirects) allow up to 2,048 entries and 4,096 characters for source and destination. [Bulk redirects](https://vercel.com/docs/routing/redirects/bulk-redirects) are on Pro and Enterprise plans, with 1,000 included on Pro and \"$50/month per additional 25,000\"; confirm current pricing with Vercel. On WordPress, the free [Redirection plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/redirection/) manages 301s, can \"keep track of 404 errors\", and can create a redirect automatically when a permalink changes."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"After any change, check the raw response with `curl -I https://example.com/old` and confirm a single hop to a URL that returns 200 (the developer checks in the methods section above cover this in more depth)."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Chains, loops and the webhook trap"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A chain is a redirect that lands on another redirect; a loop is a chain that never ends. Google's [site-move guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes) says to redirect to the final destination directly and, if you cannot, keep chains \"ideally no more than 3 and fewer than 5\", because chaining \"adds latency for users, and not all user agents and browsers support long redirect chains.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Different clients give up at different points. Google's crawlers follow \"up to 10 redirect hops\" by default, per the status-code documentation. Chrome's network stack sets the limit at 20 in the [Chromium source](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/chromium/chromium/main/net/url_request/url_request.h), after which the visitor sees `ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS`. Google Chrome Help says that error means \"the page has tried to redirect you too many times\" and suggests deleting cookies, which helps only when the loop is cookie-driven. A true server loop needs a server fix."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Search Console groups these failures under \"Redirect error\", which the [Page indexing report help](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203?hl=en) splits into four cases: \"A redirect chain that was too long\", \"A redirect loop\", \"A redirect URL that eventually exceeded the max URL length\", and \"A bad or empty URL in the redirect chain.\" Typical loop causes are an HTTPS rule and a www rule that each undo the other, a CMS setting that fights a server rule, and a CDN that redirects to an origin that redirects back."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The quieter trap is the POST request. A browser following a link sends GET, so a redirected page looks fine when you click it. Forms, payment callbacks and webhooks send POST, and a 301 or 302 lets the client switch to GET and drop the body. Nothing shows an error page. The data simply never arrives."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Mass Tort Marketing Agency hit this in August 2026: a booking webhook was still registered at the firm's old .net domain, which redirected to the live site in two hops. Webhook senders do not replay a POST body across redirects, so booking events were very likely dropped until the webhook was pointed at the final URL. The lesson is simple. Register webhooks, form actions and API callbacks at final, non-redirecting URLs, and re-check every one after a domain or URL change."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Redirect maps for migrations and rebrands"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A redirect map is a spreadsheet that pairs every old URL with its new home before launch day, so nothing is left to guess. Build it from a full crawl of the old site, your sitemap, Search Console's indexed pages and your top linked pages, then test every row after launch."},{"type":"table","header":["Old URL","New URL","Status","Reason","Tested"],"rows":[["`/practice/old-tort`","`/torts/new-tort-hub`","301","Content merged into hub","200 in one hop"],["`/contact-us.html`","`/contact`","301","CMS change","200 in one hop"],["`/promo/2024-review`","none","410","Offer ended","410 returned"]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Map one-to-one wherever a matching page exists. Google warns: \"Don't redirect many old URLs to one irrelevant single URL destination, such as the home page of the new site\", which \"might be treated as a soft 404 error.\" Sending several old pages to one new page is fine when their content was actually consolidated there."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Expect the old URLs to linger. Google's redirects guide says that after a domain move \"it's very likely that Google will continue to occasionally show the old URLs in the results, even though the new URLs are already indexed. This is normal\". Use Search Console's Change of Address tool only for domain or subdomain moves; it is not needed for HTTP to HTTPS, www changes or path moves on the same domain."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Keep old domains registered and redirecting for as long as links to them exist anywhere. Mass Tort Marketing Agency's former .net domain still returns a 301 to its current site for that reason. If a law firm website rebuild is on your calendar, make the redirect map a launch requirement in the statement of work for your [law firm web design](/services/web-design) partner, with a named person signing off the \"Tested\" column."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Custom 404 pages and verifying every fix"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A good 404 page returns a real 404 status code and helps the visitor continue to the right page. A fix is finished only when you have re-tested the final URL yourself and asked Google to re-check it."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"A 404 page that still helps the visitor"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The status code is for software and the page content is for people, and you can serve both. Google's 2011 post, [\"Do 404 errors hurt my site?\"](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2011/05/do-404s-hurt-my-site), says it prefers a removed page that \"returns a proper 404 or 410 response code (rather than a soft 404)\", and that \"You can return a 404 response code while serving whatever content you want.\" What you must avoid is a friendly page that returns 200, or a script that bounces every unknown URL to the home page, which the same post lists as a soft-404 pattern."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For a law firm site, the 404 page should give a lost visitor the shortest path to a conversation:"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":["A one-line apology and a plain statement that the page moved or no longer exists","A site search box","Links to the top practice areas and active tort pages","The office phone number as a working `tel:` link, formatted like `tel:+1-201-555-0123`","A free case review link that opens the intake form","No automatic redirect or countdown to the home page"]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Treat the 404 page as one of your [tort-specific landing pages](/services/web-design): branded, fast, mobile-friendly and tested on a phone. Track visits to it in analytics, because the referring pages in that report show you which links to repair first."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Validate, re-crawl and re-test"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A repair can fail silently: a redirect lands on another redirect, a cache serves the old page, or Google keeps the error until it re-crawls. Work through this checklist after every batch of fixes:"},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":["Re-crawl the affected pages with the same tool that found the errors, and confirm each now returns 200, a single redirect, or an intended 410.","In Search Console's Page indexing report, open the issue and click \"Validate fix\" once. Google's help says \"Do not click Validate fix again until validation has succeeded or failed\", and that validation \"typically takes up to about two weeks, but in some cases can take much longer\".","Run the [URL Inspection tool](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289?hl=en) on the final URL, not the old one. Google's documents disagree on whether the inspection tools follow redirects, so test the destination directly.","If many URLs changed, re-submit your sitemap with accurate `<lastmod>` dates. Google says \"your best choice is to submit a sitemap\" for many new or updated pages.","Re-test every Google Ads final URL that pointed at a changed page. If an ad was disapproved under [Destination not working](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/16428019?hl=en), fix the page, then file an appeal as that policy page describes.","Click every conversion link on a real phone, on mobile data, outside your office Wi-Fi: forms, booking, `tel:` and e-sign links."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Note the date of each fix in a shared log. When the same URL breaks again, the log tells you which change caused it."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"A link maintenance plan for law firm websites"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Check conversion links weekly and after every site, ad or vendor change; crawl the whole site monthly or quarterly depending on its size and how often it changes; and give one named person ownership of the results. Most broken links on firm sites come from changes nobody re-tested, so the plan is built around change, not the calendar alone."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"The 12-point conversion-link audit"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"These are the links that turn a visitor into a signed client. Each check takes a minute or two, and none needs a paid tool. I recommend running the full list weekly for any firm buying paid traffic, and after every change to the site, the intake stack or the ad accounts."},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":["The homepage case-review button opens the intake form on desktop and phone.","Every intake form submits, shows a confirmation, and the lead reaches the intake team.","The booking link opens the correct calendar and event, not a personal or retired one.","Each `tel:` link dials the tracked number that matches the page and campaign.","The e-sign link opens and completes on both an iPhone and an Android phone.","Every Google Ads final URL returns 200 for each ad group, without extra redirects.","Each Meta ad URL lands on a page matching the ad's offer and tort.","The Google Business Profile website, booking and appointment links all resolve.","Directory, bar association and review-site profile URLs point to live pages.","The newsletter unsubscribe link works and records the opt-out.","Privacy, [consent and disclaimer links](/mass-tort-marketing-compliance) on every landing page resolve; see [the mass tort launch playbook](/resources/mass-tort-launch-checklist).","Webhooks, form actions and API callbacks point to final URLs, not redirects."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Log each result with the date and the person who checked. A failed check goes to the top of the fix-first order described earlier."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Cadence and ownership"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The right rhythm depends on how much your site changes. The rankings.io guide, [5 Methods for Finding Broken Links](https://rankings.io/blog/finding-broken-links/), recommends checking \"quarterly\" for smaller sites and \"monthly or even bi-weekly\" for larger ones. In my view, firms running paid campaigns should add the weekly conversion-link checks above, because a broken ad destination costs money every day it stays live."},{"type":"table","header":["Check","How often","Owner","Tool"],"rows":[["12-point conversion audit","Weekly and after changes","Marketing lead","Phone and browser"],["Full-site crawl","Monthly or quarterly","Agency or web developer","Desktop crawler"],["Page indexing review","Monthly","SEO owner","Search Console"],["Ad destination check","Weekly","PPC manager","Google Ads policy view"],["Listing and directory links","Quarterly","Office manager","Manual check"]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Ownership fails when the firm assumes the agency checks links and the agency assumes the developer does. My recommendation is to write the split into each contract: who runs each check, who fixes what they find, and a response time (for example, conversion-path breaks fixed the same business day). Fold the crawl into your broader [technical SEO audit checklist for law firms](/blogs/mass-tort-law-firm-seo) so links are reviewed alongside indexing and speed."},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Retiring mass tort pages without dead ends"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Tort campaigns end, criteria change and settlement windows close, and every retired page needs a planned exit. Work in this order:"},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":["Pause or edit the ads that point at the page first, so no paid click lands on a changed page.","If a tort hub or a successor tort fits the visitor's need, 301 the page there.","If nothing replaces it, return 410 with a helpful page. RFC 9110 calls 410 \"common for limited-time, promotional services\".","Update internal links, navigation and email templates that point to the old URL.","Remove the URL from your XML sitemap and re-submit it."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Planned retirements like this are part of how Mass Tort Marketing Agency runs [mass tort SEO](/services/mass-tort-seo) and paid campaigns. If you would like a second set of eyes on your intake links, redirects and landing pages before the next campaign launches, [tell us what you need](/get-started)."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Sources and methodology"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"This guide was researched in October 2026, and every source was accessed on 2026-10-22. Each specific number, rule, price or date comes from a primary source: IETF RFCs, Google Search Central and Search Console help, Chrome Help, Microsoft and Apple support, Google Ads policy pages, the FTC, Pew Research Center, the Harvard Law Review Forum, Perma.cc, the Supreme Court, and vendor pricing and product pages."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Prices are stated as of October 2026 with their currency; confirm them with each vendor before you buy. Vendor claims about their own tools and studies are attributed to the vendor. Where Google's own documents conflict, as they do on whether the URL Inspection tool follows redirects, the guide says so and recommends testing the final URL directly. No original crawl data on law-firm websites was collected or used, so the guide makes no claim about how common broken links are on firm sites. Android and in-app browser steps are described generically because menu labels vary by maker, version and app. For terms used here, see our [legal marketing glossary](/glossary)."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Key primary sources:"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":["[RFC 9110, HTTP Semantics](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110.html), IETF, June 2022","[RFC 3986, URI Generic Syntax](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986.html), IETF, January 2005","[How HTTP Status Codes Affect Google's Crawlers](https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/troubleshooting/http-status-codes), Google, last updated 2026-02-04","[Redirects and Google Search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/301-redirects), Google, last updated 2026-04-14","[Site Moves and Migrations](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes), Google, last updated 2026-08-20","[Do 404 errors hurt my site?](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2011/05/do-404s-hurt-my-site), Google Search Central Blog, May 2, 2011","[Page indexing report](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203?hl=en), Search Console Help","[Fix connection and loading errors in Chrome](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/6098869?hl=en), Google Chrome Help","[Links are disabled in Outlook for Windows email messages](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/links-are-disabled-in-outlook-for-windows-email-messages), Microsoft Support","[Destination not working](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/16428019?hl=en), Google Ads policy help","[CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business), Federal Trade Commission","[When Online Content Disappears](https://www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/2024/05/17/when-online-content-disappears/), Pew Research Center, May 17, 2024","[Perma: Scoping and Addressing the Problem of Link and Reference Rot in Legal Citations](https://harvardlawreview.org/forum/vol-127/perma-scoping-and-addressing-the-problem-of-link-and-reference-rot-in-legal-citations/), Harvard Law Review Forum, March 17, 2014"]}],"faqs":[{"question":"What should I do if a link is not opening?","answer":"Start by finding out whose problem it is. Copy the link and open it in a private window, then on a different device or network. If it fails everywhere, the site or the link is broken, and you can only report it or look for an archived copy. If it works elsewhere, the fault is on your device: [Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/6098869?hl=en) suggests reloading, checking your connection, updating Chrome and trying Incognito mode."},{"question":"Why are my links suddenly not working?","answer":"When every link stops at once, something changed on your side: a browser update, a new extension, a VPN, a security tool or a changed default browser. When one link breaks, the site probably moved or removed the page. Google's Chrome guide lists causes from airplane mode and firewalls to \"Cookies, extensions, or memory usage\", so test with extensions off and in a private window before resetting anything."},{"question":"Why is my URL not working?","answer":"Check the address character by character. Missing letters, a space or line break pasted into the middle, a trailing bracket or period, and `http` versus `https` mistakes are the usual culprits. [RFC 3986](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986.html#appendix-C) says quotes, angle brackets and whitespace around a URL \"do not form part of the URI\", so remove them. If the address is correct, the page may have moved or the server may be down."},{"question":"How do I fix a link that won't work?","answer":"If you only visit the page, retype or re-copy the link, try another browser, and clear cookies for that site. If you own the page, find the right destination first. Update the link where it appears, add a 301 redirect if the page moved, or restore the page if it was deleted by mistake. Then test the final URL with a phone and with a crawler."},{"question":"Why won't a link open when I click on it?","answer":"A click that does nothing usually means something intercepted it: a pop-up blocker, an extension, a script error on the page, or a link built without a real address. Google's [link guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable) notes it can only reliably follow a standard link element that has an `href` address, and script-only links fail in some browsers too. Right-click and copy the link address to see whether one exists."},{"question":"Why are links not opening on my phone?","answer":"On a phone, links often open in the wrong app or an in-app browser that blocks them. On an iPhone, check Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Browser App, as [Apple describes](https://support.apple.com/en-us/121430). On Android, look for default-app or \"opening links\" settings, whose labels vary by maker. Also try mobile data instead of Wi-Fi, since public networks may require a sign-in first."},{"question":"Why is a link not working in Instagram or WhatsApp?","answer":"These apps open links in their own built-in browser, which can block downloads, sign-ins and some scripts. Neither app publishes detailed documentation on this behavior, so the practical fix is to use the menu in the in-app browser to open the page in Chrome or Safari. If a link pasted into a bio or message breaks, check for added spaces or punctuation."},{"question":"Why are links disabled in my Outlook email?","answer":"Outlook disables links in messages it treats as suspicious or junk. In new Outlook, [Microsoft says](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/links-are-disabled-in-outlook-for-windows-email-messages) to open Settings > Mail > Junk email and clear the option that blocks links from senders outside your Safe senders list. In classic Outlook, check whether the message is plain text or shows an InfoBar about disabled links. Only enable links from senders you trust."},{"question":"How do you fix a hyperlink in Word?","answer":"Right-click the link, choose the option to edit it, and check the address field rather than the display text, since the two often differ. Paste a fresh copy of the full URL, including `https://`, and remove any spaces or line breaks. If a document was converted to PDF, re-export it after fixing, because PDFs keep the link address the file had at export time."},{"question":"What does ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS mean?","answer":"It means the page sent your browser through so many redirects that it gave up. Chromium stops at 20 hops, per its [source code](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/chromium/chromium/main/net/url_request/url_request.h). As a visitor, delete that site's cookies, as Chrome Help suggests, then reload. If you own the site, look for two rules undoing each other, such as HTTPS and www rules, or a CMS setting fighting a server redirect."},{"question":"How can I check if a link is broken?","answer":"Open it in a private window and on a second device. If it shows an error page, a \"not found\" message or an unrelated page, it is broken. To check every link on one page, a browser extension such as [Check My Links](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/check-my-links/aajoalonednamcpodaeocebfgldhcpbe) highlights failing links in place. Developers can run `curl -I` on a URL to see its status code."},{"question":"How do I check a whole website for broken links?","answer":"Run a crawler. The [Screaming Frog SEO Spider](https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/pricing/) is free up to 500 URLs, with a paid licence for larger sites (prices as of October 2026). [Ahrefs Free](https://ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools), formerly Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, audits verified sites. Search Console's Page indexing report shows 404s on your own site but never lists broken links that point to other websites."},{"question":"Is there a free broken link checker?","answer":"Yes. [brokenlinkcheck.com](https://www.brokenlinkcheck.com/) says its free version has a 3,000-page limit with no cap on links per page. Ahrefs Free audits verified sites at no cost, Screaming Frog's crawler is free for up to 500 URLs, and Chrome extensions check one page at a time. For WordPress sites, the free Redirection plugin logs 404 errors as visitors hit them."},{"question":"What happens if a link is broken?","answer":"The visitor lands on an error page and usually leaves. If the link points inside your site, you lose that journey and possibly a lead. If other sites link to a missing page, their visitors hit a dead end too. Google's position is that a 404 on some URLs \"does not hurt you or count against you\", per its [2011 post](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2011/05/do-404s-hurt-my-site); the costs are lost visitors and conversions."},{"question":"What causes broken links on a website?","answer":"Most broken links come from change. Pages are moved, renamed or deleted without a redirect; a site migration or rebrand changes URL patterns; a CMS or plugin update alters permalinks. Others come from outside: a site you linked to removes its page, a domain expires, or a link shortener shuts down. Typos in hand-entered links and expired tracking or one-time links add the rest."},{"question":"Do broken links hurt SEO?","answer":"Not in the way many guides claim. Google says 404s on some URLs do \"not affect how your site's other URLs\" perform, according to its [2011 post](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2011/05/do-404s-hurt-my-site). The real SEO cost is narrower: a missing page with backlinks wastes those links until you redirect it, and broken internal links can hide pages from crawlers. The bigger costs are lost visitors and leads."},{"question":"What is the difference between a 404 and a 410?","answer":"A 404 means the server found nothing at that address and says nothing about whether that is permanent. A 410 means the page is gone on purpose and likely for good. [RFC 9110](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110.html#section-15.5.11) prefers 410 when the owner knows the removal is permanent. For Google, \"All 4xx errors, except 429, are treated the same\", so the choice is about clarity, not rankings."},{"question":"Is a broken link the same as a dead link?","answer":"In everyday use, yes. Both mean a link whose destination no longer loads. Researchers draw a finer line: the [Harvard Law Review Forum](https://harvardlawreview.org/forum/vol-127/perma-scoping-and-addressing-the-problem-of-link-and-reference-rot-in-legal-citations/) paper defines link rot as a URL \"no longer serving up any content at all\", and reference rot as a link that still works while the cited information has changed or vanished. Both matter when you cite sources."},{"question":"What is a soft 404?","answer":"A soft 404 is a page that tells people it does not exist but tells software it is fine, by returning a 200 status. Google says that if 2xx content \"suggests an error … an empty page or an error message\", Search Console reports a soft 404, per its [status-code documentation](https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/troubleshooting/http-status-codes). Fix it by returning a real 404 or 410, or by adding the missing content."},{"question":"Should I redirect every 404 to my homepage?","answer":"No. Google's [site-move guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes) says not to send many old URLs to \"one irrelevant single URL destination, such as the home page\", which \"might be treated as a soft 404 error.\" It also confuses visitors who expected a specific page. Redirect only to a page that truly replaces the old one, and let the rest return a helpful 404."},{"question":"How many redirects is too many?","answer":"Aim for one hop. Google advises keeping chains \"ideally no more than 3 and fewer than 5\" in its [site-move guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes). Google's crawlers follow up to 10 hops, and Chrome stops at 20 and shows `ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS`. Every extra hop adds delay for visitors, and forms or webhooks may lose their data at any 301 or 302 along the way."},{"question":"Can a broken link get my Google Ads disapproved?","answer":"Yes. Google Ads disapproves ads under \"Destination not working\" when a landing page returns an error such as 403, 404 or 500 to its AdsBot crawler, or when redirects fail, according to the [policy page](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/16428019?hl=en). Fix the page, test it, then appeal. Google says it warns \"at least 7 days\" before any account suspension under its destination policies."},{"question":"How do I fix a broken link to a source I cited?","answer":"Search the source site for the moved page, or contact the publisher. If the page is gone, look it up in the [Wayback Machine](https://web.archive.org/) and link the archived copy, saying so in your text. For new citations, archive the page when you cite it. Lawyers and courts often use [Perma.cc](https://perma.cc/about), built by the Harvard Law School Library, for links meant to last."},{"question":"How often should a law firm check its website for broken links?","answer":"Check conversion links (intake forms, booking, `tel:`, e-sign and ad landing pages) weekly and after every change. Crawl the whole site on a fixed schedule: the [rankings.io guide](https://rankings.io/blog/finding-broken-links/) suggests \"quarterly\" for smaller sites and \"monthly or even bi-weekly\" for larger ones. Assign one named owner, and re-test every fix on a phone before closing it."}],"related":["google-index","bard-powerport-lawsuit","best-law-firm-websites","law-firm-website-development"]}