In the fast-paced world of digital marketing and SEO, user experience is everything. One of the simplest yet most damaging issues a website can face is broken links. They disrupt navigation, frustrate visitors, and negatively impact your search engine rankings.
This guide will explain what broken links are, why they matter, and five effective methods to find and fix them, ensuring your website stays user-friendly and SEO-optimized.
What Are Broken Links and Why Do They Matter?
A broken link is a hyperlink that no longer works. This can happen for several reasons — the destination page has been deleted, the URL has changed, the server is down, or the link was incorrectly formatted.
Why they’re bad for your site:
User experience: Visitors click on a link expecting information, only to land on a 404 error page.
SEO impact: Search engines see broken links as a sign of poor site maintenance, which can harm your rankings.
Lost conversions: Broken links interrupt the customer journey, leading to lost sales or leads.
Maintaining a site free of broken links is a small but powerful part of a strong SEO strategy.
Method 1: Use Google Search Console
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free and reliable tool that helps you identify crawl errors, including broken links.
How to find broken links using GSC:
Log in to Google Search Console and select your property (website).
Go to the Index > Pages section.
Check for “Not Found (404)” errors.
Review the list of URLs and identify the pages or links that are broken.
How to fix them:
Update the link to point to the correct page.
If the page no longer exists, set up a 301 redirect to a relevant page.
This method is straightforward and works best if you already have GSC set up for your website.
Method 2: Use a Broken Link Checker Tool
Several tools can scan your entire site and detect broken links quickly. Popular choices include Ahrefs, Screaming Frog SEO Spider, and Broken Link Checker.
Steps to use a broken link checker:
Enter your website URL into the tool.
Let it crawl the site to find broken links (internal and external).
Export the list for review.
How to fix them:
Update incorrect URLs.
Remove outdated links.
Replace with new, relevant resources.
Using these tools is ideal for larger websites where manually checking every link is impossible.
Method 3: Manually Check High-Traffic Pages
While tools are great, sometimes a manual check can uncover issues automated crawlers miss. This is especially important for key landing pages and blog posts with high traffic.
Steps to do this:
Identify top-performing pages from Google Analytics.
Click through all links on these pages.
Note any that lead to a 404 page or irrelevant destination.
How to fix them:
Replace with accurate, updated links.
Use internal linking to guide users to relevant, working pages on your own site.
This method is time-consuming but ensures your most valuable pages offer the best user experience.
Method 4: Monitor Backlinks to Your Site
Sometimes, the broken link problem isn’t on your site — it’s on other sites linking to you. If another site points to a page that no longer exists on your domain, you lose valuable referral traffic and SEO authority.
How to find broken backlinks:
Use Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Majestic to see all external sites linking to your domain.
Filter for “broken” or “lost” backlinks.
How to fix them:
Contact the site owner and provide them with the correct link.
Create a 301 redirect from the old page to a relevant new page.
This not only fixes the broken link but also preserves your SEO equity from those backlinks.
Method 5: Set Up Regular Link Audits
Broken links are inevitable over time, especially if your site grows or external resources change. The best way to stay ahead of the problem is to set up regular link audits.
How to do this effectively:
Schedule a site crawl once every month or quarter using tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb.
Keep a log of fixed links to track recurring issues.
Assign responsibility to a team member or your SEO agency to maintain link health.
Benefits of regular audits:
Keeps your site clean and user-friendly.
Prevents sudden SEO drops due to poor link health.
Improves brand trust and professionalism.
Conclusion
Broken links may seem like a small issue, but they can have a big impact on both SEO and user experience. By using tools like Google Search Console, performing manual checks, monitoring backlinks, and scheduling regular audits, you can ensure your website remains error-free and user-friendly.
Maintaining link health is a sign of professionalism and care for your audience — both of which search engines reward with better rankings.