How do broken links impact a website's SEO performance?

Broken links can significantly impact a website's SEO performance by creating a poor user experience. When visitors encounter broken links, they are unable to access the content they were expecting, leading to frustration and a negative impression of the website. This can result in higher bounce rates, as users may leave the site quickly if they find that links lead to non-existent pages.

Additionally, search engines consider user experience as a ranking factor. A website filled with broken links may be perceived as untrustworthy or poorly maintained, which can lead to lower rankings in search engine results. Therefore, maintaining a website with a high number of working links is crucial for both user satisfaction and optimizing the site for search engines.

In contrast, the other options suggest benefits that broken links do not provide, such as enhancing user experience or indicating a well-maintained site, which are not accurate representations of how broken links truly function in the context of SEO.