Broken Image Link: Causes, Identification and Fixes

A broken image refers to an image on a webpage that fails to load correctly and displays instead as an empty box or a placeholder icon (commonly known as the broken image icon).
In essence, a broken image is simply a link that directs users to a 404 error or an incomplete image icon. These underloaded images and 404 pages are not only visually unappealing but also cause frustration and adversely affect user experience, conversion rates, and the website's overall aesthetic.

According to various studies, broken images are a common issue on websites. It has been reported that:

• Research indicates that around 50% of websites contain broken links and images.
• As online content continues to grow, this percentage is likely to increase.
• Approximately 20% of web pages have at least one broken image.
• Broken link images can increase the bounce rate by up to 50%, as users often leave the site when they encounter this issue.
• Websites with frequently broken images may experience a decline in their search engine rankings as search engines prioritize user experience.

Image broken links usually arise when the link address becomes invalid, which occurs when the image file has been deleted, moved, or renamed.

The three most common causes are:

• Moved or Deleted Images: The image file has been moved to a different location or deleted from the server. The image file is no longer located at the specified location in your <IMG SRC=> tag
• Incorrect URL: The image source URL is incorrect or misspelled. I.e., the image file name has been changed from what is specified in your <IMG SRC=> tag.
• Corruption of the image file: An image file may become corrupted or damaged due to improper uploading or saving, making it unreadable by browsers.

Other reasons for unloaded image:

• File Path Issues: The file path is not specified correctly, especially in relative paths.
• Case Sensitivity: Differences in case sensitivity between the URL and the file name on the server can cause issues.
• Permission Issues: The server may not have the correct permissions to access the image file.
• A broken image cache: Cached images stored in the browser might be outdated or corrupted, preventing them from displaying correctly.
• Slow or limited data transfer: Slow internet speeds or data transfer restrictions can prevent images from loading fully.
• JavaScript is not executing in the browser, preventing image rendering: Some images rely on JavaScript for rendering, and if the script fails to perform, the images will not load.
• Browser settings that block images: User settings in the browser might be configured to block images from displaying.
• Images being blocked by antivirus software or an external application on the user's device: Security software or other applications may block images they deem suspicious or harmful.

Broken images can significantly impact your website's SEO and overall user experience.
Search engines index images, so with proper content organization (image names, surrounding text, alt tags), you can achieve many clicks from search engines (so-called image traffic). Therefore, the accessibility of images is a crucial factor that can impact the number of visitors to your website.

Here's a detailed look at how broken link images affect your site:

1. User Experience
Broken images disrupt a webpage's visual appeal, leading to a poor user experience. When they encounter missing or broken images, users may perceive the website as unprofessional or poorly maintained. This negative impression can lead to increased bounce rates, where users quickly leave the site, reducing the chances of engagement and conversions.

2. Crawlability and Indexing
Search engines like Google use web crawlers to index content on websites. Broken images can interfere with this process. If a crawler encounters multiple broken images, it may interpret the site as having poor maintenance or quality issues, affecting indexing the site. Proper indexing is crucial for search engines to understand and rank your site appropriately.
If numerous images are broken, search bots may reduce the frequency of visits to the website. This can result in essential information or content being excluded from search indices, leading to a decline in traffic.

3. Page Load Speed
While broken images save bandwidth, they can slow page load times. This occurs because the browser attempts to load the image repeatedly until it times out. Slow page load times are detrimental to SEO, as search engines prioritize fast-loading websites in their rankings. Additionally, users are less likely to stay on a slow-loading page, further impacting engagement metrics.

4. Alt Text and Image Relevance
Images should include descriptive alt text, which helps search engines understand the content and context of the images. Broken images mean missed opportunities for utilizing alt text effectively. Alt text contributes to SEO by providing additional keywords and context for search engines, enhancing the relevance of your content.

5. Impact on Ranking Signals
Search engines consider various ranking signals when determining the relevance and authority of a website. User engagement metrics, such as time spent on the page and bounce rate, are crucial signals. Broken images negatively impact these metrics by driving users away, signaling to search engines that the site may not provide valuable content or a good user experience.

6. Link Equity Loss
If your images are linked from other websites, broken images can result in lost link equity. Link equity, or link juice, refers to the value passed from one site to another through hyperlinks. When an image fails to load, the link equity from external sites pointing to your images is lost, potentially harming your site's authority and search engine rankings.

7. Technical SEO Issues
From a technical SEO perspective, broken images generate 404 errors, which are considered negative by search engines. Multiple 404 errors can trigger site-wide issues that affect the site's overall SEO health. Ensuring all images are correctly linked and accessible helps maintain a clean, error-free website, which is favorable for search engine crawlers.

Broken images can significantly hinder your SEO efforts by affecting user experience, crawlability, page load speed, and ranking signals.

Finding broken images on a website can be done using several methods:

1. Manual Check: Browse your website and inspect each page for broken images.
If you encounter a broken image on a webpage, you can manually identify it by inspecting the source code without a special checker.

• Inspect the Image URL:

o Right-click on the broken image and select "Inspect" or "Inspect Element" from the context menu.
o In the Elements panel, locate the <IMG SRC= > tag to view the image URL.

• Verify the Image Path:

o Copy the image URL from the <IMG SRC= > tag and paste it into a text editor like Notepad.
o Compare the copied URL with the actual file path in your document manager to ensure they match.

This method is effective for single unloaded images. However, you can use specialized tools, such as the Atomseo Broken Links Checker, that automatically detect broken links and images to identify multiple missing images on a website.

2. Browser Developer Tools: Right-click on a webpage, select "Inspect" or "Inspect Element," and navigate to the "Console" tab to see any errors related to image loading.

3. Automated Tools: Use tools like Atomseo Broken Links Checker, Screaming Frog SEO Spider, or SEMrush to scan your website and identify broken image links. Google Search Console allows web admins to check their website's indexing status, measure search traffic, and address issues affecting site visibility, such as broken links and images.

To fix broken images on your website, it's crucial to either remove or update them with the correct path, file name, and type. If the issue is on the client's side, it's out of your control, and users need to address it themselves.

Common Technical Issues and Fixes for Missing Images:

1.    Misplaced or Deleted Images:
       Frequently occurring on larger sites, especially those with multiple editors, misplaced or deleted images can be resolved by ensuring the image is in the correct folder and matches the URL specified.

2.    Incorrect URL Path:
       Editors may accidentally use their local path for the image, containing terms like My Documents or Desktop, or use backslashes \ instead of forward slashes /. The solution is to use the server or CDN path.

3.    Filename or Extension Errors:
       Re-uploaded images can break due to minor typos. Confusions between hyphens "-" and underscores "_" or wrong extensions like jpg instead of jpeg are common. Correct the filename or extension and update the image source code. Make sure the file names match the server's case sensitivity requirements.

4.    Relative vs. Absolute URLs:
       Broken images may result from using a relative URL instead of an absolute one, which includes the domain name. Absolute URLs ensure the image link remains valid even if the page is accessed from another domain. Also, ensure images are served with the correct protocol to avoid mixed content issues.

5.    Hotlinking Issues:
       Linking to images hosted on another site (hotlinking) can cause broken links if the external site removes the image. To avoid this problem, it is best to host images on your own server.

6.    File Permission Restrictions:
       Sometimes, images may not display due to restrictive file permissions. This can occur if new images are uploaded with incorrect permissions. Adjust file permissions and re-upload the images as needed.

7.    Browser Settings Blocking Images:
       Browsers typically allow all essential functions for proper webpage rendering. However, broken images might occur due to restrictive browser settings. In Chrome, for instance, check Settings > Privacy and Security > Site settings and ensure that Sites can show images and use Javascript enabled.

8. Adjust Permissions:
Ensure the server has the correct permissions to access the image files.

Besides, ensure that image URLs use the correct protocol: mixed content problems can arise if images continue to be served via HTTP while the entire website has switched to HTTPS.

• Regular Audits: Perform regular website audits to catch and fix broken images promptly. For this task, we suggest using the Atomseo Broken Links Checker, which efficiently scans your site for broken links and images. You can check up to 1,500 links daily for free.

• Use CDN: Employ a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to manage image hosting and reduce the risk of broken links.

• Backup Images: Maintain a backup of all your images to restore any that may be accidentally deleted or moved quickly.

• Responsive Images: Ensure your images are responsive and correctly loaded across different devices and screen sizes.

By understanding the causes and solutions for broken images, you can maintain a professional and seamless user experience on your website. Utilizing automated tools and following best practices will help you effectively manage and fix broken image links, improving your site's functionality and appearance.

Atomseo Broken Links Checker identifies all known errors and broken links on a website. Navigate to the page with Checker, enter the URL of the site you want to check, and click "Check site."

An error report is generated and available for download in .xlsx format (button "Download Broken Links Report").

In the report, you can filter the errors by Content Type, specifically selecting Image. The image can be in any format: jpg, jpeg, png, webp, svg etc.

Regularly auditing your site for broken images and promptly fixing them is essential for maintaining SEO health, providing a seamless user experience, and preserving the site's visual appeal. To facilitate this, use the convenient Atomseo Broken Links Checker tool. It quickly identifies all broken links and images, allowing you to address issues promptly. Additionally, you can check up to 1,500 links per day for free. Try it now!