When managing a website, one of the most overlooked threats to user experience and SEO is the presence of broken links. These are links that no longer lead anywhere, often returning a 404 error page or redirecting to irrelevant or non-existent content. While they may seem minor, broken links can seriously damage your website’s credibility, performance, and search engine rankings if left unresolved.
Whether you’re a small business owner, a blogger, or a digital marketer, understanding how to detect and fix broken links is essential for maintaining a healthy and trustworthy website. This guide walks you through everything you need to know.
What Are Broken Links?
A broken link (also known as a dead link) is a hyperlink that points to a page or resource that is no longer available. This could happen because the page was deleted, the URL was changed without a redirect, or the external website simply shut down.
There are two main types:
- Internal broken links: Links on your site that point to other pages within your domain but no longer work.
- External broken links: Links on your site that point to other websites that have moved or deleted the target page.
When users click on these links, they’re met with error messages like “404 Page Not Found,” which disrupts their experience and erodes trust.
Why Broken Links Are Bad for SEO
Search engines like Google want to serve users the best possible experience. Broken links send a signal that your site may be outdated, poorly maintained, or unreliable.
Here’s how they impact your SEO:
- Reduced crawl efficiency: Search engine bots waste resources crawling dead pages, which can affect how often your important pages are indexed.
- Lower page authority: If valuable backlinks point to pages that no longer exist, the link equity is lost—along with the SEO value.
- Negative user signals: High bounce rates and short dwell times caused by broken links can suggest poor user experience, indirectly affecting rankings.
- Poor accessibility: Broken links can prevent users from accessing related or deeper content, reducing engagement and conversion opportunities.
Maintaining a clean, error-free link structure is a basic yet powerful aspect of good SEO hygiene.
Common Causes of Broken Links
Broken links can appear for a number of reasons:
- Deleting or moving pages without implementing proper redirects
- Changing permalink structures or URL slugs
- Linking to third-party websites that have shut down or moved content
- Typos or formatting errors in the hyperlink
- Site migrations or CMS updates that break paths
- Expired domains or removed resources (like PDFs or images)
Even if you manage your site carefully, external links and occasional content changes can still introduce broken links over time, making regular audits essential.
How to Find Broken Links on Your Website
You can’t fix broken links if you don’t know they exist. Here are several tools to help you detect them:
- Google Search Console – Use the “Coverage” and “Page Indexing” reports to identify crawl errors and broken internal URLs.
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider – Crawl your site and easily filter out 404s and broken links.
- Ahrefs Site Audit – Highlights both internal and external broken links in a user-friendly dashboard.
- Broken Link Checker (WordPress plugin) – Automatically scans your posts and pages for broken links.
- Dead Link Checker or Dr. Link Check – Online tools that provide quick scans for smaller websites.
Conducting a full link audit every few months is a best practice, especially after making structural changes to your website.
How to Fix Broken Links
Once you’ve identified broken links, here’s how to resolve them:
1. Update the Link
If the target page still exists under a new URL, update your link to point to the correct destination.
2. Implement 301 Redirects
If a page was moved or replaced, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. This preserves link equity and ensures users land on the right content.
3. Replace External Dead Links
If you’ve linked to an external page that no longer exists, look for a similar or updated resource. If none exist, consider removing the link entirely or rewriting the section to avoid broken references.
4. Use Custom 404 Pages
Even if some broken links slip through, a well-designed 404 page can soften the impact. Add helpful links or a search bar so visitors can continue exploring your site rather than leaving immediately.
How to Prevent Broken Links in the Future
While some broken links are inevitable, you can minimize the issue by following these best practices:
- Avoid hardcoding URLs—use relative paths where possible.
- Implement redirects immediately after moving or deleting content.
- Keep your CMS, plugins, and permalink structures stable.
- Monitor outbound links from blog comments or user-generated content.
- Schedule routine link audits every quarter using automated tools.
Building internal processes to review and maintain links saves time and preserves your site’s performance in the long run.
Final Thoughts: Healthy Links Build a Stronger Website
Broken links are more than just an annoyance—they’re a sign of poor site maintenance and a barrier to both search engines and users. By proactively finding and fixing dead links, you protect your SEO performance, enhance user trust, and create a smoother, more reliable experience for your visitors.