Running an Australian business, not-for-profit, or healthcare organisation requires a firm grasp of building an efficient system. You have to pour your passion into processes that deliver real results. To attract customers, consider improving your online presence and search engine rankings.
The top result for a search in Google gets 3.8 times as many hits as the second through tenth results. You know what matters most about getting up to the top? It’s backlinks. Other reputable websites linking directly to your NFP services and using targeted keywords that people search for online.
If you want to increase the online rank, authority, and visibility of your brand, you need a solid backlink strategy. It just so happens that we at Web 105 have discovered one often-overlooked method: using broken links to build backlinks.
What Do Broken Links Have to Do with Your Page Rank?
Say you’re exploring a local veterinary clinic. They have a blog post about how to get your cat to feel less anxious around other pets. When you click on that link, it leads to a broken result. These are instances where the page was accidentally deleted or a new website structure changed the webpage address. Instead of the information needed, you end up with a “404 error,” meaning a broken link.
While that broken link is bad for the website you’re targeting, it’s an opportunity for building your rank. There is a way to fix that link and increase your website’s traffic. The trick is knowing where to look first.
Where to Find Relevant Broken Links
The trick to finding good broken links is to use your keywords. Get out the list of 5-10 top keywords and write them down. If you’re running a mobile dog grooming van in Hobart, you might have keywords like:
- Dog grooming in Hobart
- Hobart mobile grooming
- Dog grooming near me
- Affordable pet grooming
Now, you have a starting point. You’ll need a free online tool like https://www.deadlinkchecker.com/. That is what you’ll plug into a website to see if there are any broken links.
All you do now is plug in your keyword search term into Google, copy any relevant result links to webpages, and run them through the broken link checker. When you encounter a broken link, create a new list with the website’s email or contact form at the top.
All that is left to do is contact the website, let them know about the broken link, and offer a new blog post or webpage hosted on your NFP’s site that they can point to instead. They benefit from a fixed error, while you gain a boost to your online reputation and authority.
What To Look for in Quality Broken Links
It’s important to note that not all broken links are equal. A “page not found” error on a low-ranking blog with very little visitation is not the same as something from a site that gets millions of hits per day. Here are some best practices to follow whenever you find a broken link:
- Check Authority: Make sure the page has high authority (ranks well) in a niche that fits your target audience. You wouldn’t search for broken links for a taco stand from a blog about building aerospace accessories.
- Check Wikipedia: There are endless broken links on Wikipedia (often called link rot) because websites get shut down or sources get cold. You may need a volunteer who understands the Wikipedia page structure, but you have plenty of opportunities for broken links in highly relevant topics from a leading authority.
- Try a Third-Party Site: If the target website, brand, or company you’re trying to convince to link to you is squeamish about directly linking to your NFP, try a trusted third-party platform like Medium or HubSpot. You create the content, they host it, and it includes a link back to your site.
- Look for Expired Domains: You can use a tool like https://www.expireddomains.net/ to find domains that are no longer in use. That means all those blog articles, pages, and links are now broken.
It all comes down to patience and having a clear strategy. A few 10-minute sessions a week can lead to multiple new backlinks that propel your page rank to higher results standing.
What Do You Replace Links With?
The overall goal is to redirect the existing link to point to your content. That means you need to have replacement content ready to go. You might have a marketing team in-house or partner with a freelance article writer. Either way, you want to get those links to point to items on your website.
However, you can also create new content around the broken links you find. In many cases, this can uncover new marketing topics and strategies you’ve never considered before.
Say you’re running an NFP to help veterans find housing. You find a broken link related to tiny home construction. Now you can create a new blog article about how building tiny home communities can directly improve veteran housing availability in Australia. You’ve just discovered an opportunity to merge your marketing efforts with establishing yourself as a new authority on a topic that others may have overlooked.
The most important thing to remember about broken link backlink building for SEO is that it involves a lot of trial and error. You shouldn’t expect to get a top-ranking link right off the bat (although that can happen). Take your time, refine your strategy, and you may be surprised at how well you grow in search engine results.
Final Thoughts
At Web 105, our professional website designers and developers encounter a wide range of unique strategies. Our clients love to find new and inventive ways to get to the top of Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo’s search engine pages. Improving your backlinks using a broken link strategy is a solid, proven way to help your NFP grow.
Of course, all that backlink SEO work is much better when you have a mobile-responsive, easy-to-navigate website waiting for visitors to experience. That is where we can help. Our team collaborates with Australian companies, government agencies, NFPs, and healthcare providers to build and improve websites, ensuring greater visitor engagement.
Reach out today and let’s have a conversation about how we can best help you!
FAQs
What is meant by a broken link?
A broken link refers to a website’s hyperlink pointing to a page that is no longer live or an address that is misspelled. Clicking on that link typically ends with a 404 page not found error.
Why are broken links bad?
Anything that diminishes the value of your visitor’s experience is detrimental to your website and brand. Removing broken links helps ensure people can find the information they need, which in turn improves Google search engine results.
What is a backlink in SEO?
A backlink refers to a website pointing to your landing page, blog post, or other online information. This is a vote worth checking out. The better the quality of the website linking to you, the higher your authority and trustworthiness.