How can site owners prevent link rot from occurring, particularly when managing large amounts of content?

Preventing link rot and keeping external links updated is definitely a challenge, especially on larger content-heavy websites. But there are some key strategies you can employ to stay on top of it:

One of the most important things is to regularly audit and monitor your internal links for anything that's broken. Using crawler tools like Screaming Frog or online link checkers can automate this process and alert you to fix issues. Set up monitoring systems so you get notified when new broken internal links pop up over time.

You'll also want processes to monitor those external links you have across your site content. There are tools like Linkinator or Broken Link Checker that can scan for dead or redirected external links and provide reports. This allows you to identify and update those whenever needed.

When initially linking out, prioritize using canonical source URLs that are authoritative and less likely to move or get removed. Avoid linking to temporary session-based URLs that tend to break more easily. For pages that do get removed, consider linking to an archived version from the Wayback Machine when possible.

If you notice an external link has been updated with a new URL, implement a redirect on your end to seamlessly send users and crawlers to the new location without a dead link.

Leverage your CMS if you're on something like WordPress - there are plugins that can help identify and manage broken links within your WordPress content.

For important external sites, you frequently link to, and establish communication channels with the site owners to receive advance notice if that linked content ever gets moved or updated.

Just make it a regular habit to review and update existing website content periodically. That gives you opportunities to catch and fix any broken links on those older pages.

Consistent auditing, monitoring, utilizing the right tools, and making link maintenance an integral part of your workflow are the best ways to get ahead of link rot, especially as your site grows.