Broken links are a challenge that most websites encounter sooner or later. They can have bigger consequences than you might think.
Therefore, it is important to understand why they occur and how to best handle them if you want to ensure a user-friendly experience on your website.
What are broken links?
Broken links are hyperlinks on a website that no longer lead to the intended page. Instead, they typically send one to an error page with 404 error. It can be both internal links and outbound links.
Internal broken links
Internal broken links are links on your website that point to other pages within the same domain, but which no longer work/exist. This can happen if a page has been deleted, moved without a proper redirect, or if there is an error in the URL.
External broken links
External broken links are links that point from your website to a page on another domain that no longer exists. This could be due to changes in the URL, the page being deleted, or server issues.
Why do broken links occur?
Broken links occur when content is deleted or moved without proper redirection. It can also happen due to typos in URLs or changes in page structure. External links can be broken if the page you are linking to is changed or removed by another webmaster.
Why are broken links a problem?
Broken links are a problem because they create a poor user experience for both visitors and search engines. When visitors click on a link to an error page, it creates frustration and can cause them to leave the website. For search engines, broken links mean that crawl budget is wasted on dead pages, which signals that the website is poorly maintained.
How do broken links affect SEO?
When search engines like Google encounter dead links, they waste your crawl budget. It can prevent important pages from being indexed in Google. It also weakens the link value that normally transfers authority between your pages.
Therefore, it is important to detect and fix broken links so that neither your SEO strategy nor the website’s usability is harmed.
What types of broken links are there?
Internal broken links (pointing to pages on your own domain, but not working)
External broken links (pointing to other domains but not working)
404 Not Found (page does not exist)
410 Gone (page has been permanently removed)
5xx server error (server failure)
DNS/host not found (domain cannot be resolved)
Timeout/connection lost
SSL/HTTPS error (expired certificate, mixed content blocking)
Redirect chains/loops that end in errors
Soft 404 (200 OK, but empty/irrelevant content)
Broken anchor links (#section not found)
Broken asset links (images, PDF, JS, CSS)
URL errors (typo, case, trailing slash, encoding)
Relative links (links that point incorrectly after structural changes/movement/migration)
Mailto:/tel: (links with incorrect format)
How do you find broken links?
You can find broken links manually by going through your website or with the help of a broken link checker. We recommend that you go with the latter. A broken link checker is a tool that helps you identify and find broken links on a website.
Tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog or Ahrefs are obvious choices as they automatically scan and report dead links.
How to fix broken links
Find the errors
Run a crawl with an SEO tool like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, or Ahrefs to identify 404/410/5xx and “soft 404”. Then export to CSV.Enrich the list
Add columns: Source page, broken URL, status code, link type (internal/external), anchor text, traffic/conversion, backlinks. This makes prioritization easy.Prioritize
Fix broken links first on pages with high traffic/conversion, in navigation/footer, and URLs with strong backlinks. This is where you lose the most link juice and crawl budget.Choose solution by type
Internal 404 due to relocation: 301 redirect to best match (not just the front page).
Internal typos/HTTP→HTTPS/trailing slash: Correct the URL in CMS/templates.
Pages permanently removed without replacement: 410 (and remove internal links).
External 404: Update to new valid URL or remove/replace the source.
Broken anchor links (#section): Correct the ID of the target page or the link fragment.
Implement redirects correctly
Use 301 (not 302 redirect) and avoid redirect chains/loops. Create pattern redirects for major URL changes (e.g. /blog/* → /knowledge/*).Update internal references
Correct links in navigation, templates, breadcrumbs, related modules, and internal CTAs so that new visits don’t hit redirects.Update technical signals
Ensure correct canonicals/hreflang, update XML sitemap and resubmit to Search Console for faster indexing in Google.Retest and QA
Crawl again. Everything should respond with 200 OK, and redirect chains should be no more than one hop. Also check the mobile version.Monitoring
Keep an eye on 404 logs, Search Console reports, and analytics events. Schedule a monthly mini-audit.Prevent in the future
Introduce “redirect checklist” when moving/deleting pages, use link checker in CI/deployment, and train editors in proper internal link building.
