A broken link is any hyperlink that leads to a page that does not exist or cannot be loaded, usually returning an HTTP status code 404 (Not Found) or 410 (Gone).
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01What it is and how it works
Broken links occur when the target URL no longer resolves to a valid page. The server returns an HTTP status code in the 4xx range, most commonly 404 (Not Found) or 410 (Gone). From a technical standpoint, the link itself is structurally correct — the anchor tag and href attribute are valid — but the destination has been removed, moved without a redirect, or the domain has expired. Search engines like Google discover broken links during crawling. Each broken link consumes crawl budget: the crawler requests the URL, receives an error, and moves on. That request could have been spent on a working page. For users, broken links create a poor experience: they expect content and get an error page, which often leads to higher bounce rates and lost trust. Internally, broken links can also break navigation flows and reduce the authority flow (link equity) that would otherwise pass to the target page.
A broken link is a dead link. Clicking it takes you to an error page instead of the page you expected. Search engines waste time crawling them, and visitors get frustrated.
02What to do about it
First, find all broken links on your site. Use Google Search Console's '404 errors' report under the 'Pages' section. It lists URLs that returned a 404 when Google tried to crawl them. Also run a site-wide crawl with tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs. Once you have the list, decide the best action for each broken link. If the content has moved permanently, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. If the content is gone and no replacement exists, let it return a 404 but remove internal links pointing to it. Update your sitemap to exclude the broken URL. For external broken links (links from other sites to yours), you cannot control them directly, but you can set up a custom 404 page that helps users find what they need. For links you control (internal links), fix the href to point to the correct page. If the page was deleted intentionally and no redirect is appropriate, ensure all internal links are removed or updated. Finally, set up regular monitoring to catch new broken links before they accumulate.
03How it is measured or noticed
Broken links are detected through crawling and user reports. Google Search Console provides a dedicated '404 errors' report that shows URLs Googlebot encountered with a 404 status. You can also see the referring page (the page that contained the broken link). Server log analysis reveals 404 responses and the user-agent that requested them. On-site crawling tools simulate a browser and report every link that returns a 4xx or 5xx status. Browser extensions like Check My Links can highlight broken links on a page during manual review. For users, broken links are noticed when they click and land on an error page. Analytics data may show a spike in exits on your 404 page. Additionally, site: search operators or third-party link checkers can surface broken links from external sources.
04Common mistakes
- Redirecting every broken link to the homepage instead of a relevant page. This confuses users and dilutes link equity.
- Ignoring broken links on external sites that point to your site. While you cannot fix them, you should monitor them and consider outreach to get them updated.
- Deleting a page without setting up a redirect when it has external backlinks. You lose link equity and create broken links for users.
- Not updating internal links after a URL change. Even if you set a redirect, internal links should point directly to the new URL to avoid redirect chains.
- Failing to check for broken links in PDFs, images, or other non-HTML resources. These also affect user experience and crawl budget.
- Using a soft 404 (a page that looks like a 404 but returns a 200 status) instead of a proper 404. This misleads search engines and can waste crawl budget.
05Limits
Not every broken link is a critical issue. A single broken link on a low-traffic page may have negligible impact. Broken links on pages that are blocked from indexing (e.g., noindex, disallowed by robots.txt) do not affect crawl budget because the crawler never reaches them. Also, broken links that point to external sites are not under your control; you can only fix the link on your end. Broken links are often confused with soft 404s — pages that return a 200 status but display a 'not found' message. Soft 404s are not true broken links but can be equally harmful. Additionally, redirect chains (multiple redirects before reaching the final page) are not broken links but can slow down crawling and user experience. Finally, a broken link that is part of a pagination or archive system may be intentional (e.g., a page that no longer exists in a series) — in such cases, a 404 is acceptable as long as navigation is clear.
06Worked example
A marketing blog had a popular article at /blog/old-guide. The article was rewritten and moved to /blog/new-guide. The old URL was deleted without a redirect. Over the next month, Google Search Console reported 47 404 errors for that URL. The blog's internal links still pointed to the old URL, and three external sites linked to it. The fix: a 301 redirect from /blog/old-guide to /blog/new-guide was added. All internal links were updated to point directly to /blog/new-guide. The external links were left as-is because the redirect preserved link equity. After the fix, the 404 errors stopped, and the new article began ranking for the same keywords.
Frequently asked questions
How is a broken link different from a redirect?
A broken link leads to a page that does not exist and returns a 404 or 410 error. A redirect, by contrast, automatically sends the user to a different, working URL. While a broken link is a problem, a redirect is a deliberate solution that preserves user experience and link equity.
Should I fix all broken links on my site?
It depends on the link's importance and context. Fixing broken internal links is usually critical because they harm navigation and crawl efficiency. Broken external links (links to other sites) matter less for your own SEO but can still frustrate users, so prioritize fixing those that are key to content or user experience.
How do I find broken links on my website?
You can use SEO crawling tools like Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, or Google Search Console to scan your site and identify broken links. These tools check each link's HTTP status and report any that return 404 or 410. Alternatively, you can monitor user reports or use browser extensions for quick checks.
Do broken links still hurt SEO in 2024?
Yes, broken links can still negatively affect SEO, though the impact is usually indirect. They waste crawl budget, prevent search engines from indexing linked content, and degrade user experience, which may lead to lower engagement and rankings. However, a few broken links on a large site are less harmful than many on a small one.
What happens if I ignore broken links on my site?
Ignoring broken links can lead to a poor user experience, as visitors encounter error pages instead of the content they expect. Over time, search engines may interpret repeated broken links as a sign of poor site maintenance, potentially lowering your crawl priority and rankings. You also lose the link equity that those links could have passed.
How quickly should I fix broken links after discovering them?
Fix critical broken links—such as those on high-traffic pages or key navigation paths—as soon as possible, ideally within a few days. Less important broken links can be scheduled for regular maintenance, but leaving them unresolved for months can compound negative effects. Use a priority system based on the link's location and traffic.
Asked out loud
spoken, not typedThe same term in the words somebody uses speaking to an assistant rather than typing into a box — written from the situation, which is why each one carries the situation it came from.
Broken links. Those are links on your site that point to pages that no longer exist or can't be loaded. You'll need to crawl your site to find exactly which URLs are broken and either update or remove them.
Broken links. The button's hyperlink probably points to a page that has been deleted or moved without a redirect. Check the link's destination and either restore the page or set up a proper redirect.
Broken links. They're links that used to work but now lead to dead pages because the target was removed or changed. You should replace them with working alternatives or remove them entirely to keep your content reliable.