Broken links on my small business website: how to find and fix them

What you can do

1. Why a dead menu link costs a call

   Open the site the way a customer would, on a phone. A plumber, a roofer, a painter, and a landscaper can use the same pass. Tap Services, Contact, or any other item in the menu. If the screen says 404, page not found, or that the page cannot be found, that customer does not see the jobs or the number that belonged on that page. Some people go back. Some people leave. The rest of the site can look unfinished, which is a trust problem. MDN says a 404 means the server cannot find the requested page, that links to a 404 page are often called broken or dead links, and that 404 errors can lead to a poor experience for visitors. MDN also says a 404 does not say whether the page is missing for a minute or for good. Google says that, in general, 404 errors will not impact your site's search performance, and that you can ignore them when you are sure the address should not exist. Google also says many 404 errors are not worth fixing, because they do not harm indexing or ranking. A menu item you still show is different from an old address nobody links to. A person taps it. This page does not say a 404 lowers a ranking, and it does not promise that fixing the link will bring more calls.

   Source: 404 Not Found (MDN); 404 (Page Not Found) errors (Search Console Help)

2. What a 404 and a soft 404 mean

   A 404 is a status code. MDN says the server cannot find the requested resource. Common causes on that page are a mistyped address, and a page that was moved or deleted without a redirect. Google's crawling notes say Google does not index a URL that returns a 4xx status, including 404, and that a URL already in the index is removed if it starts returning a 4xx status. A success code, 200, does not by itself put the page in Google. Google says a 2xx status does not guarantee indexing. A soft 404 is a different miss. Google says a soft 404 is a URL that tells the person the page does not exist, or that shows an empty page, while also returning 200. People can think the page is working, and then they see an error. Google says those pages are excluded from Search. Search Console shows a soft 404 in the Page indexing report when Google decides the page is an error from its content. Google says to return a real 404, or 410, when the page is gone and nothing similar replaces it. If the page moved, or there is a clear replacement, Google says to return a 301 so the person and Google are sent to the new address. A 301, MDN says, means the resource has permanently moved to the address in the Location header, and a browser will request that address on its own. Google says a permanent redirect, including a 301, shows the new page in search results, and that Google follows it and treats it as a strong signal to process the target. Google says not to create a fake page, not to redirect a missing page to the homepage, and not to block 404s in robots.txt. Google calls those soft 404s. Use a 301 only when you know the page that should replace the old one. If nothing replaces it, take the item out of the menu and let the old address stay a real 404.

   Source: 404 Not Found (MDN); 301 Moved Permanently (MDN); How HTTP status codes affect Google's crawlers; Troubleshoot Google Search crawling errors, including soft 404s; Redirects and Google Search; 404 (Page Not Found) errors (Search Console Help)

3. A 10 minute self check

   Set aside about 10 minutes. Use a phone first, then a computer. On the phone, open the site the way a customer would. Tap every item in the menu, including items tucked under another item. Tap every button that should open a page, such as a services button or a contact button. Write down the words on any screen that fails, and the full address in the bar, including https and the path. Repeat the same taps on a computer. A menu that is short on a phone can show more items on a wide screen, and the other way around. If you have a Google Business Profile, open it and tap the website link. It should open your site, not a page not found screen. Google says you enter the full address, including http:// or https://, under Edit profile, then Save. This page does not create the profile, and it does not sign in for you. If that website link opens a Facebook page, use the guide on a Facebook page without a website. If you already use Search Console, open the Page indexing report. Google calls it that. It lists pages Google knows about, including Not found (404) and Soft 404. Google says a site with fewer than 500 pages probably does not need that report to start, and that a site: search is the simpler look. In Google, search site: immediately followed by your domain, with no space, as in the examples on Google's help page. Google also says the Page indexing report is not how you check one specific address. For one address, use the URL Inspection tool. The report lists 404 addresses from the past month, so it does not keep every old miss forever. Google says a 404 is not necessarily a problem when the page was removed and nothing replaces it. Google recommends fixing 404s you link to yourself, or that you list in a sitemap. If the page moved, Google says to use a redirect to the new page. The free checker on this site reads one public page and reports the response status. It logs the website address and the score, not personal data. It does not tap the menu. A normal status on the homepage does not prove Services opens.

   Source: Edit your Business Profile (Google Business Profile Help); Page indexing report (Search Console Help); 404 (Page Not Found) errors (Search Console Help)

   On this site: Is a Facebook page enough without a website; Free website checker

4. Common causes

   Four causes show up often, and they are not the same job. A renamed or deleted page: the menu still points at an address that no longer exists. MDN lists a moved or deleted page without a redirect as a common cause of a 404. On WordPress, changing the slug changes the last part of the address. On Wix, changing the slug makes the old address show a 404 unless a 301 sends people to the new one. A move from one site builder to another: the new site often uses different addresses. WordPress.org says 404s on pretty permalinks can show up after a site migration or a server move. Wix says that if you moved a site to Wix and you cannot match the old addresses, create 301 redirects for those pages. Squarespace says to use a 301 when you imported content and the addresses changed. An expired plan or an expired domain: the menu can be fine while the address on the truck no longer opens the site. Wix says that if a plan expires, the site can still be viewed, the address reverts to the free Wix URL, and ads appear. Wix also says a personal domain needs a suitable plan assigned in order to stay connected, and it tells you to check whether the domain itself expired. Squarespace says a paid site that expires shows a Website Expired message on your domains, and a trial that expires is no longer public. GoDaddy says that if you turn auto-renew off, you can keep using a Websites + Marketing site until the subscription ends, and that the site is then deleted. A typo: MDN and Google both list a mistyped address, or a mistyped link, as a way to land on a page that was never there. Google says a common misspelling can be worth a redirect. Read the menu address character by character before you rebuild the page.

   Source: 404 Not Found (MDN); Common WordPress errors, including permalink 404s (WordPress.org); Set up a 301 redirect for a page (Wix Help); What happens when a Wix plan expires (Wix Help); Unable to view your live site (Wix Help); URL mappings (Squarespace Help); What to do with expired subscriptions (Squarespace Help); Delete a website from my GoDaddy account (GoDaddy Help); 404 (Page Not Found) errors (Search Console Help)

5. Fix it on WordPress

   WordPress.org says WordPress 5.9 was the last version that included the Appearance Menus screen for every site by default. On WordPress 6.0 and later, a block theme manages the menu with the Navigation block. The Appearance Menus screen can still be there on a classic or hybrid theme, or when a plugin turns it on. On a Navigation block, select the menu item, open the Content tab, and under Link to select the page or type the address. You can also delete that menu item. On Appearance, then Menus, expand the bad item and remove it, or add the real page from the Pages list and save the menu. If you renamed the page, WordPress.org says you change the slug from the page sidebar, or with Quick Edit on the Pages screen. A menu item that still stores the old address will miss. Point it at the page, or type the new address. If you deleted the page, WordPress.org says Move to trash keeps it for 30 days by default, and then the page is permanently deleted. Open Pages. If the page is still listed, it is not gone. If it is only in the trash and those 30 days have not passed, put it back. If you do not see a control you understand, ask the person who edits the site. If the 30 days have passed, write the page again and add it to the menu. If many inner pages say not found after a move, and the homepage still loads, WordPress.org says pretty permalink 404s can happen on shared hosting or after a migration or a server move, when mod_rewrite is off. WordPress.org says to reset your permalinks through Settings, then Permalinks. If the pages still fail and you do not edit server files, ask the host to turn mod_rewrite on. Do not edit the .htaccess file while you are guessing. If one old address should permanently send people to a replacement page, Google says to use a 301. GoDaddy's WordPress help documents one way to add that on a WordPress site. Sign in, open Plugins, then Add New, search for Redirection, choose Install Now, then Activate. Open Tools, then Redirection, choose Start Setup, and when setup finishes choose Ready to begin. Under Add new redirection, enter the old address as the source URL and the new address as the destination URL, then choose Add Redirect. If you do not see Plugins, or you are not sure the host expects that plugin, leave the install to the person who edits the site. Do not paste a password into a plugin you do not recognize. Do not send every missing page to the homepage. Google says that can be a soft 404 when the page is gone and you did not mean to replace it.

   Source: Appearance Menus screen (WordPress.org); Navigation block (WordPress.org); Create pages, including the page address (WordPress.org); Page settings, including trash (WordPress.org); Common WordPress errors, including permalink 404s (WordPress.org); Set up a 301 redirect on a WordPress site (GoDaddy Help); 404 (Page Not Found) errors (Search Console Help)

6. Fix it on Wix

   Wix says that if you change a page's URL slug, the old address no longer works, and visitors see a 404, unless a 301 sends them to the new address. Wix says it creates that 301 automatically when you update the slug for an editor page, a Wix Stores product page, a Wix Stores category page, a Wix Bookings service, an Online Program, or a Wix Event. A Wix Blog page does not get an automatic 301. You add that one in the URL Redirect Manager. Wix says 301 redirects only work with a custom domain. They do not work from a free Wix address. To add one yourself, open SEO & GEO in the site dashboard, then Tools and settings, then URL Redirect Manager. Choose New Redirect, then Single redirect. The old URL is the path, such as the part that starts with a slash. For a page on your site, start typing the new slug and select it. For a page on another site, enter the full address. Save. Wix says a new redirect can take a few minutes. Then open the old address and confirm it lands on the new page. If the page should still exist, point the menu at that page, or put the page back. A redirect does not write the missing page. If the whole address on your cards fails, check the plan and the domain before you edit the menu. Wix says that if the plan expires, the site can still be viewed online, the address reverts to the free Wix URL, and ads appear. Wix says a personal domain needs a suitable plan assigned to stay connected. Check Premium Subscriptions, and check the domain on the Domains page. If you bought the domain somewhere else, ask that company whether the name expired. Wix lists a 404 among the errors to look for when you cannot view the live site. An unpublished site, an expired domain, and a plan that is not assigned are separate questions on that same page.

   Source: Set up a 301 redirect for a page (Wix Help); What happens when a Wix plan expires (Wix Help); Unable to view your live site (Wix Help)

7. Fix it on Squarespace

   Squarespace says a URL redirect forwards people from inactive pages to active pages. A 301 is the permanent kind. Squarespace says the old address can no longer exist, and the new one must exist. Delete the old page, disable it, or change its address before you rely on the redirect. Squarespace also says redirects only work when the page you redirect from has been deleted or disabled, and that you cannot redirect away from the homepage. To add one, open the Developer tools panel, click URL mappings, add one line, and click Save. The line has four parts: the old path, a hyphen immediately followed by a greater than sign, the new path, and 301. Squarespace shows that shape as /old-url -> /new-url 301. Keep the same capitalization as the real addresses. Squarespace says to use a 301 when you changed a page address in page settings, and when you imported content and the addresses changed. Squarespace also lists sending a deleted page to the homepage. Google says a redirect to the homepage, instead of a real 404, can be a soft 404 when you removed the page and did not mean to replace it with related content. Send people to the page that replaced it. If nothing replaced it, remove the menu item and leave the old address as a real not found. If the browser says Website Expired, that is the plan, not a typo in one menu item. Squarespace says a paid site that expires shows that message on any of your domains, and that you can reactivate it. A trial that expires is no longer public, and Squarespace marks the content for permanent deletion. Squarespace says you can extend a trial from the link in the extension email, upgrade to a paid plan, or delete the trial.

   Source: URL mappings (Squarespace Help); What to do with expired subscriptions (Squarespace Help); 404 (Page Not Found) errors (Search Console Help)

8. Fix it on GoDaddy

   On a Websites + Marketing site, GoDaddy says the menu is built from the pages and links under site navigation in the editor, and that the menu shows in the same place on every page. Go to your GoDaddy product page, expand Websites + Marketing, and select Manage next to the site. Select Edit Website. In the navigation panel, open Settings for the page that fails, then Page Settings. The page title is the name people see in the menu. Show in Navigation puts the page in the header menu. Footer puts a link at the bottom. If the page should not be in the menu, turn Show in Navigation off. GoDaddy says the edits save on their own. Use Preview, then publish, or the live site can still show the old menu. For a button, select the action button. GoDaddy says Link to, then Page, sends people to a page on the site, including a section on that page. Website URL sends them to an address you type. Phone is a different job: on a mobile device it can open the calling app. Publish after you change a button. If you only renamed the page, publish, then tap the menu item again on a phone. GoDaddy's page settings article covers the name and whether the page shows in the menu. It does not document a page to page 301 in that article. If an old address still needs to send people to a new page, and you do not see a redirect setting you understand, ask GoDaddy or the person who edits the site. If the site is WordPress hosted at GoDaddy, use the Redirection steps in the WordPress section. Those steps are GoDaddy's WordPress help, not the Websites + Marketing editor. If you turned auto-renew off, GoDaddy says you can keep using the site until the subscription ends, and that the site is then deleted. Unpublish is a different choice. GoDaddy says an unpublished site shows Coming Soon. That is not a single menu item failing. If the homepage is that Coming Soon page, use the guide on a site that still says coming soon. If the homepage itself will not load, use the guide on a site that is down.

   Source: Manage my website's navigation (GoDaddy Help); Change a page name and settings (GoDaddy Help); Edit action buttons on my website (GoDaddy Help); Set up a 301 redirect on a WordPress site (GoDaddy Help); Delete a website from my GoDaddy account (GoDaddy Help)

   On this site: My business website is down or showing an error; My website says coming soon or under construction

9. What you can fix, and when to get help

   You can do the 10 minute pass yourself. You can fix a menu item or a button when you can log in and the screen matches the help page for that builder. You can put a trashed WordPress page back while it is still there. You can add a 301 when the builder shows the redirect screen described above, and when you know the page that should replace the old one. Hand the rest over. That includes a login you do not have, a .htaccess file, a plugin you are not sure about, a plan or a domain you cannot renew from an account you control, and a homepage that is also not found. One change at a time, then tap that menu item again on a phone and on a computer. If the whole site is down, use the down guide first. A menu check cannot tell you anything until the homepage loads. If the pages no longer match the work you do, and there is no clean way to change them, a new site is a separate ask. The guide on an outdated website separates a wrong fact you can edit from a site that needs a rebuild.

   On this site: My business website is down or showing an error; Does an outdated website hurt your business

10. Check the page, or ask for help

    If the homepage loads, start with the free website checker. It reads one public page and reports HTTPS and the response status. It logs the website address and the score, not personal data. It does not tap your menu, and a normal status on the homepage does not prove a menu item opens. Website Quick Diagnostic is $19, paid once. An automated PDF within about 1 hour with your speed and mobile scores, the top 5 issues ranked, and a plain fix for each. The $19 is credited toward the $99 Checkup within 30 days. Website Checkup is $99, paid once: a ranked report of what to fix on your website first, covering speed, SEO, mobile, and AI search visibility, delivered within 2 business days. No login is needed. The report goes only to you. If the site is down and there is nothing to check, you get a refund. Those checks describe a page they can fetch. They do not repair a menu, add a redirect, or renew a plan. If you want a new site, ask on the start page.

    On this site: Free website checker; Website Quick Diagnostic; Website Checkup; Start a site quote

Check a page now

The free website checker reads one public URL. It reports HTTPS, a mobile viewport tag, and whether GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, and Google-Extended are blocked. It logs the website address and the score, not personal data.

The AI search readiness check is the free look for AI search. It reports whether OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, and PerplexityBot are blocked, and whether the words are in the server HTML. It logs the website address and the score, not personal data.

Website Checkup is $99, paid once. A ranked report of what to fix on your website first, covering speed, SEO, mobile, and AI search visibility, delivered within 2 business days. No login is needed. The report goes only to you.

FAQ

More guides

• Why your business is not showing up on Google

  A business can be missing from Google because the page is not in the index, because the words you searched are not the words a customer uses, or because the page is blocked. A page can also be in the index and still sit far down the results. The free check on this site reads the public page, and it does not look up a rank.

• How much a small business website audit costs

  You can check a public page for free. The checker on this site reads one URL, reports what it found, and logs the website address and the score, not personal data. If you want a report that ranks what to fix first, Website Checkup is $99, paid once, and it is delivered within 2 business days.

• How much does a small business website cost

  If you build it yourself, published US prices checked for this page start at $4 a month on WordPress.com when billed annually, $17.77 a month on Wix Light for a yearly plan, or $19 a month on Squarespace Basic billed annually ($228 for the year). If you hire an agency, Clutch says web design agencies typically charge $2,000 to $100,000, and that most reviewed projects cost less than $10,000. If Telep IO builds it, the founding offer is $500 to set up, then $50 a month. Limited to the first 3 Ohio businesses. The start page splits that setup into two payments and makes the first upkeep month free, which comes to $1,050 in the first year, then $50 a month.

• What website maintenance costs a small business

  Website maintenance is the work that keeps a live site reachable and current: hosting, domain renewal, SSL, backups, software and plugin updates, security, small content edits, uptime checks, and keeping a Google Business Profile matched to the site. You do not always need a monthly plan. You need one when you will not do that work, or when a fee is the only way the site stays hosted and edited. Other providers set their own prices. This page does not print those prices. The only prices stated here are the ones Telep IO publishes.

• How to hire a web designer for a small business

  Before you hire, ask who owns the domain and the site, what hosting costs, who edits it later, whether the page works on a phone, whether they will help with a Google Business Profile, and when you will see a first look. Walk away if you will not own the domain, if the contract locks you in, if there is no portfolio you can open, or if the monthly fee does not say what it covers. Other people set their own prices. Ranges vary. The only build price stated here is the one Telep IO publishes.

• How to get your website back from a web designer

  Start with the domain. The registrar is the company that holds the registration. The registrant is the person or business the record lists as the holder. ICANN's free lookup shows the registrar and the contact data that registrar publishes. A hidden name, or a privacy service, is not proof that you own the name. If a former designer, a relative, or an agency stopped answering, write down the lookup, then ask that registrar about the account or a transfer. If the designer refuses, talk to a lawyer. This page is not legal advice.

• My business website is down or showing an error

  First check whether the site fails for everyone, or only on your phone and your network. Then match the words on the screen to the usual cause, and contact the person who can fix that cause. This page is general information. It is not a guarantee that a step will bring the site back.

• Signs your business website needs a redesign

  Redo the site when it no longer matches the business, you cannot edit it, or a customer on a phone cannot read it and call. Many of the usual problems can be fixed without a full rebuild. Old hours, a missing call link, a page that is hard to read on a phone, and an address that is not on HTTPS are often edits. A new look does not, by itself, put the business on Google or on Maps.

• Does an outdated website hurt your business

  A visitor can miss you when the phone number is wrong, the hours are wrong, the form does not send, the page does not fit a phone, or the browser warns about the connection. An old year in the footer is a reminder to check those facts. Google says content is rated by quality, regardless of age, and that a trivial change to look fresh has no additional value. This page is general information. It is not a guarantee that fixing the page will rank higher or bring more calls.

• Wix vs Squarespace vs hiring a web designer

  A DIY builder can be the right call when you will finish the page, you will own the domain, and a customer on a phone can tap to call, see the towns you serve, and open your Google Business Profile. Hire when you will not keep the page current, when the number cannot be tapped, or when the domain and the site would sit in an account you do not control. Wix, Squarespace, and the GoDaddy website builder are typical monthly subscription plans. This page does not print their prices. Other designers set their own prices. The founding offer is $500 to set up and $50 a month, limited to the first 3 Ohio businesses. Hosting and ordinary upkeep are included. You see a demo of your own site before you pay.

• How to check if your website works on phones

  Open the site on a phone you already own and try to call the business from the page. If you have to pinch and zoom, or you cannot find the number, the page is hard to use on a phone. A viewport tag tells the browser to use the screen width. It is a setup signal, not a grade of the layout.

• Why your small business website is slow

  A page feels slow when the main photo or the headline takes too long to appear, when a tap does nothing for a moment, or when the page jumps while it loads. You can test that for free with PageSpeed Insights. It runs a lab test called Lighthouse, and it can show real Chrome visits from the last 28 days when enough people have used the page. This page is general information. It is not a guarantee that a faster page will rank higher or bring more calls.

• Why your website contact form is not working

  Send one test from a phone, then look in the inbox, in spam, and in the list of messages the form saved. A missing lead can be the message sitting in spam, going to an old address, or never leaving the page. This page is general information. It is not a guarantee that every message will arrive, or that a fix will bring more calls.

• My website says coming soon or under construction

  A customer who opens the address and sees coming soon, under construction, a parked page, or a builder message that the site was not found does not see the jobs, the towns, or a phone number to tap. Someone who found the business on a Google listing, or who heard the name from a neighbor, can leave before they call. Google says a success code does not guarantee indexing. A placeholder with little content about the business can look like a page Google excludes from Search when Google treats it as a soft 404. A private or unpublished builder site can also stay out of search results. The builder help page says which setting does that. This page is general information. It is not a guarantee that publishing the real page will rank higher or bring more calls.

• My website was hacked and is showing spam

  A plumber, a roofer, a landscaper, or a contractor can open the site and find pages about gambling, pills, or a language the business does not use. Google results can show a spam title, or the words "This site may be hacked." The browser can say "Deceptive site ahead." The address can send people to another site. WordPress can show "There has been a critical error on this website." A warning scares the person who was about to call. Google says hacked content is placed on a site without permission, and that it tries to keep that content out of search results. Google also says sites that violate its spam policies may rank lower or not appear in results at all. Hacked content is one of those policies. This page is general information. It is not a guarantee that cleaning the site will remove a warning, rank higher, or bring more calls. Treat it as general guidance. If you are not sure which files are the real site, hire help or ask the host.

• Can ChatGPT and other AI tools find your business

  An AI tool can mention your business when it has public information to use, or when a person typed the facts in. A robots.txt file can ask specific crawlers to stay off the site. That file is a request, not a record of what a tool has already saved. Blocking one crawler does not block every AI product.

• Is a Facebook page enough without a website

  A Facebook page is not a website you control. Google's guidelines say the website on a Business Profile should represent the business, and they say not to use a page created on a social media site as that website. A site you control can name the work, the towns, and a phone number a person can tap.

• What a small business website should include

  A local site should say what you do, name the towns you actually serve, and put a phone number a person can tap. It should also load on a phone. That is not a promise of a ranking or a set number of calls.

• How to show up on Google Maps for your town

  Map results come from a Google Business Profile, which is separate from the website. Google says that when you add and verify a Business Profile, customers can find the business on Search and Maps, and that only verified businesses can show their info there. A website does not create the profile. This page does not create it for you.

• How to get more Google reviews

  Ask a real customer after the job is done, and give them a direct review link from your Google Business Profile. Google lets you share that link, or a QR code, in a text or email, on a receipt, and at the counter. Do not pay for a review, do not offer a discount for one, and do not ask only the people who already said they are happy.

• How to get more calls from a trade website

  A website does not promise a set number of calls. For an HVAC company, a plumber, or a landscaper, the page can make the call easy: the number is tappable, the jobs are named, and the towns are the ones you drive. If those facts are buried, the person on the phone has to hunt.