Web design must be planned and constructed in such a way it sends a message that the designer knew what he/she was doing when the site was created. The site must exude confidence (Lynch & Horton, 2001). This means links must actually work, titles match content, and links match titles.
When users stumble on links, whether they are internal or external, that do not work, it indicates to users that the site has possibly been abandoned or that management of the content is nonexistent. In a medium that is constantly changing, it is not a message that a designer wants to send to those who visit his/her site.
Of course there are other concerns besides links. The materials and information on a website must be accurate. The site must look attractive, remain functional, and look like it has gone through a number of drafts that make it look crisp, neat, and worthy of perusing.