Fix Broken Images: Finding Broken Images and Assets
Missing images weaken content quality, UX and image SEO.
Missing images weaken content quality, UX and image SEO The error should never be assessed in isolation. What matters is which URL group is affected and whether it creates a crawling, indexing, snippet, performance or quality problem.
Check image address and delivered file together
A defective image can point to an old file path, but also result from access protection or a wrong content type. First, open the address actually requested by the browser. For responsive images, this can come from srcset and deviate from src; a working original therefore does not yet prove an intact mobile variant.
Example: Recognizing the Result
Illustrative example: An img element refers to an existing URL that now returns an HTML error page instead of an image. HTTP 200 alone therefore does not confirm a working image.
Limit cause and implement correction
After repair, check multiple screen widths and pixel densities. The response must contain a readable image file with a matching MIME type. If necessary, update generated preview images and CDN caches. An exchanged src does not repair a still erroneous address in the srcset or in a CSS background graphic.
What makes you recognize a suitable correction
Get the actually selected src/srcset URL, check content type and image decoding. Include CDN paths and upper case.
Classification and boundaries
When is this indication not a clear error?
A short-term network error should be confirmed by a controlled second retrieval before an entire media library is rebuilt.
Broken Images after CMS and Cause
Many audit messages can be resolved faster if they are grouped by system, page type and technical cause. CMS indentations are only linked where Broken Images has a clear cause or fixed route in the respective system.
For this error, there is currently no own CMS deepening, because the correction is usually not sufficiently system-specific. Take advantage of the general causes and checks on this page.
Frequent causes of this error
Related SEO Errors
Appropriate Seitenreport checks
This error should not be checked in isolation. The following tools and clusters help to narrow down the cause faster and to cleanly prioritize the affected URL groups.