Link from a non existing page- is it bad?
-
If Google Webmaster tools is showing a link to my site and when checked, that page doesn't exist (404 error), does that mean anything? Is it bad?
-
That's a good idea Iain. Thanks! Though link is pointing to homepage so can't redirect.
-
I agree with Edward here.
However for bonus SEO points if you 301 redirect the page where the external link is pointing to, to a relevant page, you'll take full advantage of that links power.
Iain - Reload Media
-
I support, there is nothing you need to worry about. Google will automatically take that link out once it recrawls the page.
-
Please don't take the above advice. I think the responder misunderstood your situation. If the externally linking page is broken, there's not much you can do. It will fall out of Google eventually.
-
If the page is indexed I would remove it. This should help: https://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=59819
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Internal Links - First Link Rule Confusion
Hello All - I would like to create a guide for my team of rules for internal links and I could use some help. My understanding is that Google only counts the first link to a page, so any crafted keyword text links within the content do not count if the page in question is linked to from the main navigation. Is this correct? For example, if the menu or drop down menu in main site nav (which exists on all pages of the site) includes a link to a particular section that will be the only one that ever counts since the menu is on every page? Example: let's say a website selling cat toys includes a drop down menu on the homepage with links to "holiday cat toys". Does this mean that no other text links in content on the site will support that page from an SEO perspective since the link is in the main nav and will always be the first one counted? In the past we have added text links in the content on the homepage to important pages on the site. It seems to work, though now I'm questing these tactics based on the first link rule. I would appreciate some advice, clarification, thoughts, etc. Thanks!
Link Building | | JBMediaGroup0 -
I have well over 110 identical backlinks of widely varying quality - is it worth taking the page they're linking to down?
The site on which I'm working has been experiencing a month-to-month decline since the Panda and Penguin updates - I didn't get an unnatural links notification, but have clearly fallen off the face of Google with many of the more important rankings. After running a scan on my backlinks, I found over 110 identical backlinks (it looks like the same medical definition and my website is listed in the endnotes as a source - just the URL, not anchor text), some from reputable websites with high pageranks and others that look very 'spammy.' We've redesigned the architecture of the site, so the actual link itself has a 301 redirect on it, but I'm just wondering exactly how much of a liability is it to have these links out there? I'm guessing it's an all or nothing kind of thing given the identical content on each page - on one hand, I'm pretty frantic to get to the root of the Google penalties and get back in their good graces. On the other hand, I don't want to kill the site completely by going after a set of valuable links. Has anyone dealt with this before?
Link Building | | travis-taylor0 -
How much time does it take for the links to be forwarded to redirected link?
Hi there,
Link Building | | MoeezLodhi
Thank you for taking out some time for this question; I have changed the permalinks last week for a website.. I forgot to redirect old permalinks to the new one.. So I did 301 redirection, it has been 4-5 days since I did that but the links are not forwarded to the new Permalink so far.
How much time should I wait for the links to be forwarded to the new permalinks? Secondly, I am sure I have done the 301 redirect correctly, as when I go to the old url / permalink it directs me to the new permalink. So I am sure 301 is done correctly. Do I need to submit the sitemap again?0 -
Adding a link section - good or bad?
Hi all, I am currently thinking about adding a link section to my site. In 2010 I released a new version of the site, where one of the main differences to the old site was that a link section was left out. Now i see in webmaster tools that a lot of old links are still indexed but has a 500 error. My question is: 1. Will my site in general benefit from having a link sections with relevant links for the users - in terms of SEO? 2. Will my site benefit from creating a link section and having all the old link section URLs in google redirected to the new section? Best regards, Rasmus
Link Building | | rasmusbang0 -
How do I link specific keywords to a specific URL on my landing page? i.e.-Cloud Computing
Example keyword Cloud Computing California. How do I link this keyword on SeoMoz to a specific URL on my landing page?
Link Building | | SteelsmithGroup970 -
Recommended number of links on a single page to a different domain?
Hello fine SEOMOZ people, I have looked around and hope I have not missed an answer to this. The big picture: I know that when multiple links on a page point to the same external page, only the first link is considered for ranking purposes (at least for moz rank). What about multiple links on a page to (different) pages on the same external domain? The task: Using a client's network of sites to help build links (and advertise features) to the site they need optimised. The emphasis is on the usefulness of the info the the respective site's user but I am using the opportunity to create some meaningful anchor text links.The target site is feature rich and I could conceivavbly link to all the key site features (top level pages). However, my SEO spidey senses flagged the possibility that a few links on a page to the target domain (though to different pages on that domain), may carry more weight than many links on the page. I am talking about whether I can go ahead and put 10-15 links on a page to the key site features or whether I am (significantly) better off just selecting 2-5 key target feature pages and using other domains to link to the other features. Caveat: I think I am aware of all the peripheral concerns - not duplicating the page on other sites, varying the anchor text, not implementing the links all at once etc, etc.. Am I overthinking this?
Link Building | | LoweProfero-AU0 -
Local Search Citation Building - 2 links on 1 page?
I have the opportunity to display information about a business on a handfull of high PR web pages (with relevant content, not directory listings). I'd like to use these listings to build local search citations and homepage authority/rank for chosen anchortext. The format allows name, address, phone number, email & url plus a description of the business (short paragraph that can contain a link) - see below. Should I link from the homepage url and body anchor text? Will search engines ignore the anchor text used in the 2nd link? Example Limited, 123 Example Road, London N12 3AA United Kingdom Tel: 020 712 3456 Email: ** hello@example.com** **Web: www.example.com ** A unique service offering special widgets to customers in the London area
Link Building | | Tman30