How to Find and Fix Broken Links (Step-by-Step)
Every site collects broken links over time — deleted pages, moved resources, expired domains. Here is a practical routine to find them, decide what to do with each one and stop new ones appearing.
A broken link is a hyperlink that leads to a page that no longer works — it returns an error such as 404 Not Found, 410 Gone or a 5xx server error, or its domain no longer exists. To fix one, update it to the correct URL, redirect the dead URL (if it is on your site), replace it with an equivalent resource or remove it.
Key takeaways: broken internal links hurt users and crawl efficiency more than external ones · redirect dead URLs that have backlinks · update links that redirect · scan key pages regularly with the Broken Link Checker.
Why links break ("link rot")
- A page was deleted or its slug changed without a redirect.
- A site migration changed URL structures.
- An external site reorganised, moved to a new domain or shut down.
- A domain expired and now shows a parking page or nothing.
- Typos in hand-written links (
htps://, missing slashes).
Research on the web repeatedly finds that a large share of links on older pages no longer work. Link rot is constant, so checking must be routine, not a one-off.
How broken links affect SEO
- User experience — a dead end makes visitors leave.
- Crawl budget — crawlers waste requests on URLs that go nowhere.
- Lost link equity — internal links to 404s stop passing value to your real pages; backlinks to deleted pages pass nothing.
- Quality signals — a page full of dead references looks neglected.
A handful of broken outbound links will not trigger a penalty, but fixing them is one of the easiest wins in technical SEO.
Step 1: Find broken links
- Start with your most important pages: home, top landing pages, category pages and your most-visited articles.
- Paste each into the Broken Link Checker. It scans up to 100 links per page in parallel and groups them into broken, redirecting and working.
- Check Google Search Console → Pages → "Not found (404)" for URLs Google found broken across the whole site, and the Links report for backlinks pointing at them.
- For a list of URLs (for example from a sitemap), use the Bulk HTTP Status Code Checker.
Step 2: Decide what to do with each link
| Situation | Fix |
|---|---|
| Internal link to a page that moved | Update the link to the new URL |
| Internal page deleted, but it has backlinks | 301 redirect it to the closest relevant page |
| Internal page deleted, no value | Remove the links; let the URL return 404/410 |
| External resource moved | Find the new URL and update the link |
| External resource gone | Replace with an equivalent source, or remove the link |
| Link redirects (3xx) | Not broken — but update it to the final URL |
| 403 or 429 result | Often bot protection; open it in a browser to confirm |
Step 3: Recover old content when needed
If an external source disappeared and you want to know what it said, look it up with the Wayback Machine Checker — you may find the new home of the content, or decide to cite the archived version.
Step 4: Prevent new broken links
- Never change a URL without a 301 redirect (generate rules with the Htaccess Redirect Generator).
- Use stable, descriptive slugs that do not include dates you will want to change.
- Link to authoritative sources that tend to keep URLs stable.
- Re-scan key pages every quarter and after every redesign or migration.
Bonus: broken link building
When you find a dead external resource that many sites link to, create a better replacement and let those sites know. It is one of the most welcome forms of outreach, because you are helping site owners fix a problem.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check my website for broken links?
Scan your important pages with a broken link checker and review the "Not found (404)" report in Google Search Console.
Do broken links hurt SEO?
A few broken outbound links will not cause a penalty, but many broken internal links waste crawl budget, block link equity and hurt user experience.
Should I redirect every 404?
No. Redirect URLs that have backlinks or traffic to the most relevant live page. Let worthless URLs return 404 or 410.
Is a redirecting link a broken link?
No, but updating it to the final URL saves a redirect hop for every visitor and crawler.
How often should I check for broken links?
Check key pages at least quarterly and after every redesign, migration or large content update.
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