The Broken Links tool from NicheIQ automatically detects website and page errors that occurred in the last 7 days. This tool helps users identify and resolve issues that negatively impact traffic and revenue. By understanding the nature of these errors and their frequency, users can take corrective actions to improve the user experience on their websites.
Broken links, also known as pages with error statuses, are identified by HTTP status codes. These codes indicate the result of a web request, with each code starting with a digit that categorizes the type of response:
- 1xx series: Informational (e.g., 100 Continue)
- 2xx series: Successful (e.g., 200 OK)
- 3xx series: Redirection (e.g., 301 Moved Permanently)
- 4xx series: Client Errors (e.g., 404 Not Found)
- 5xx series: Server Errors (e.g., 503 Service Unavailable)
![](https://support-osticket.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/article_uploads/8cdyU5n3eH8tTooY7-ba1ELsxRw%3D_sth5P6biFH4HORGlSdS9aQ%3D%3D?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIARCESARAIVCO4OYXG%2F20240907%2Fus-west-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240907T235252Z&X-Amz-Expires=900&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEA8aCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJGMEQCID0EI2JNZvmoT%2BiJ6Z4FDr10lyGUiJQlPtfQYgJbPQb%2BAiBnIbp7AGvyW1uWuC4IPFqZ9HJgozjrUEsebIvGnU9QWSq7BQg4EAAaDDA3MzMyMDY2MzA1NyIMr%2Fz1aXlX5DlpCywaKpgFlH3OxlhU%2Bfo06zQ9rxxOzyoGyaUgBHtpUWle6THFi7e059XGgzOPelNuyDrgMhVn7GbYSeYQI099wngoeGuHlH10OXeP9a7gMYrYfwucZ%2FL5cEZEvFR5ILdvv8yI6I%2F6M4IQ2rVxt1yqeZ3jJs7r7xZ80d597tntaXlSxXzlTunLcogKF%2Fd26O7ZHg%2FVKzvGUAU0B3HzhUVBoQILT9SePuRFBMX%2BtX6qvLwCdNo0mDK5EdfB3UpdaL2ixDIilOnZcB6wVlkUrR24%2BgOyAi1ZfrgcPViEgOnl%2FlvJ5Kr0zBpr78pBZuuR9iKlEGzaH5DITVcFgD4oMSMNaWcLpcL0xWt%2FP46xCMM5DS%2B5fGxL50l3jSJX2ic5gIGCVZpKD058338%2FE%2FqUbOPxL239lionMcQJM%2Fl36Qge%2Ff2mfeMPnbfzl1spoSUTzT1bg36CMdoS%2FFtFNXOd%2Bbe6r9bqqdvxKH7dAk7uce9DXoTTVaLd%2BXkjQBmcPfVTqaM28OiOWELa74E5Y5ithzzMwbIObi%2BE4rDeOICWhVwxIOevkbgTKqPfgzBbA0eFs2HEzLOHhs9cL74Ht4pcaa5Wn7QJABfhtlFARBy4rxoLMYWsEXoyWU0JqdSQ3ix64DNWwOEAAvD2N0Ov6d16SiwFTpD52NLVYXlXObR5pcUQt86Xc4Ly8cMET%2B2%2Br3qZ48o%2BW26F%2FSyU9kUuh8TGQa7NbaLAJsSvVjv8xrps906ex%2F%2B9XP9iPMMSEiYrub25OSsweWSVbSS86HS6Ef1DJEshydF%2BpeYf81mUbRnq4l4TzvdsNZNQXJOAp1ZQyvlqQXdVQfMOeLfSV1ZWMqszwkcJWm8mPSO2d1FslIl6jQK9hw57wXW8PkaOizR7BYHstjDXsPO2BjqyAec1nIdOiDbxds1HFH0Mrf8NI%2B0Q%2BdaIE5IBs3xp0PO8Mpw3Rd9DHp%2FV8L67qE%2Ficd0LP8f0DLwfPxmmUc1TiTEJoBX7jMzb4ICCNc8kVB2l9bK3FmBJrfPeJyWR6XUFhFkFzh9RjRWwVlobf%2F8VQtpFEe1Ehdpm6mt3iBF7o0Fmsymklg38I8N2NS9uEIBY%2BadIldDN9N7YYhATe1mfMOvUb1fGyN5%2BBuFn2LOoPn2HBJQ%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-id=GetObject&X-Amz-Signature=2ed606dbd2ad233737ed0240d33f70518b31155adc2775b7939bca16c9d1f014)
NicheIQ's data collection process pulls information from pageviews to identify server errors and broken links. This automatic SEO audit provides a sampling of high, medium, and low importance errors detected within the last 7 days. Understanding and addressing these errors is crucial for maintaining a positive user experience and ensuring the website's content ranks well in search engines.
![](https://support-osticket.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/article_uploads/WaikguP9GPSmQiCevhlzOX2wzGo%3D_ct-F-f3g32%2BpR74RpWJRIw%3D%3D?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIARCESARAIVCO4OYXG%2F20240907%2Fus-west-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240907T235252Z&X-Amz-Expires=900&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEA8aCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJGMEQCID0EI2JNZvmoT%2BiJ6Z4FDr10lyGUiJQlPtfQYgJbPQb%2BAiBnIbp7AGvyW1uWuC4IPFqZ9HJgozjrUEsebIvGnU9QWSq7BQg4EAAaDDA3MzMyMDY2MzA1NyIMr%2Fz1aXlX5DlpCywaKpgFlH3OxlhU%2Bfo06zQ9rxxOzyoGyaUgBHtpUWle6THFi7e059XGgzOPelNuyDrgMhVn7GbYSeYQI099wngoeGuHlH10OXeP9a7gMYrYfwucZ%2FL5cEZEvFR5ILdvv8yI6I%2F6M4IQ2rVxt1yqeZ3jJs7r7xZ80d597tntaXlSxXzlTunLcogKF%2Fd26O7ZHg%2FVKzvGUAU0B3HzhUVBoQILT9SePuRFBMX%2BtX6qvLwCdNo0mDK5EdfB3UpdaL2ixDIilOnZcB6wVlkUrR24%2BgOyAi1ZfrgcPViEgOnl%2FlvJ5Kr0zBpr78pBZuuR9iKlEGzaH5DITVcFgD4oMSMNaWcLpcL0xWt%2FP46xCMM5DS%2B5fGxL50l3jSJX2ic5gIGCVZpKD058338%2FE%2FqUbOPxL239lionMcQJM%2Fl36Qge%2Ff2mfeMPnbfzl1spoSUTzT1bg36CMdoS%2FFtFNXOd%2Bbe6r9bqqdvxKH7dAk7uce9DXoTTVaLd%2BXkjQBmcPfVTqaM28OiOWELa74E5Y5ithzzMwbIObi%2BE4rDeOICWhVwxIOevkbgTKqPfgzBbA0eFs2HEzLOHhs9cL74Ht4pcaa5Wn7QJABfhtlFARBy4rxoLMYWsEXoyWU0JqdSQ3ix64DNWwOEAAvD2N0Ov6d16SiwFTpD52NLVYXlXObR5pcUQt86Xc4Ly8cMET%2B2%2Br3qZ48o%2BW26F%2FSyU9kUuh8TGQa7NbaLAJsSvVjv8xrps906ex%2F%2B9XP9iPMMSEiYrub25OSsweWSVbSS86HS6Ef1DJEshydF%2BpeYf81mUbRnq4l4TzvdsNZNQXJOAp1ZQyvlqQXdVQfMOeLfSV1ZWMqszwkcJWm8mPSO2d1FslIl6jQK9hw57wXW8PkaOizR7BYHstjDXsPO2BjqyAec1nIdOiDbxds1HFH0Mrf8NI%2B0Q%2BdaIE5IBs3xp0PO8Mpw3Rd9DHp%2FV8L67qE%2Ficd0LP8f0DLwfPxmmUc1TiTEJoBX7jMzb4ICCNc8kVB2l9bK3FmBJrfPeJyWR6XUFhFkFzh9RjRWwVlobf%2F8VQtpFEe1Ehdpm6mt3iBF7o0Fmsymklg38I8N2NS9uEIBY%2BadIldDN9N7YYhATe1mfMOvUb1fGyN5%2BBuFn2LOoPn2HBJQ%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-id=GetObject&X-Amz-Signature=dad223d155627da6569f4bb7bca99ea3cdffc2f3ae9964e0ed98bce0df697170)
4xx-level errors occur when the requested page no longer exists on the site. Common causes include unavailable pages, unauthorized user credentials, invalid request parameters, and unsupported request methods. Consequences of 4xx errors include reduced organic traffic, removal from search indexes, lower search engine rankings, and decreased visitor trust.
5xx-level errors indicate server problems that prevent pages from loading. These errors can be caused by coding errors, unauthorized file permissions, insufficient storage or memory, and server issues such as timeouts, maintenance, or overload. The impact of 5xx errors includes decreased traffic, negative user experiences, lower search engine rankings, and potential Google deindexation. However, these consequences are reversible once the site is back online.
The Broken Links tool provides an overview of detected errors, including the total number of errors, types of errors, and their frequency. The dashboard displays total errors by status code type, an interactive line graph for date-specific counts, and a list of URLs with sortable data for successes, client errors, server errors, total errors, and success percentages.
Users can leverage the Broken Links tool to track errors, identify trends, and prioritize fixes. Strategies for resolving 4xx errors include checking for typos in URLs, verifying links to the respective page, clearing cookies and cache, refreshing the page, and searching for new URLs. For 5xx errors, users should retry requests at a later time and check their hosting service.
By addressing broken links and server errors, users can significantly improve their websites' performance, traffic, and user satisfaction.