A broken link points to a page or resource that no longer exists, returning a 404 error. Broken links frustrate visitors, waste crawl budget and can signal a poorly maintained site. Regular link checking keeps them under control.
Links break when pages are moved or deleted, or when external sites you reference disappear. Broken internal links hurt user experience and SEO; broken external links reduce credibility. Both are easy to find and fix with monitoring.
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For business owners
Every broken link is a dead end for a customer and a small dent in your credibility — it makes a site feel neglected. Broken links in navigation or key funnels can directly cost sales. Finding and fixing them is simple maintenance that keeps the experience smooth and preserves the trust visitors place in you.
How it works (technical)
Broken links usually surface as HTTP 404 (Not Found) or sometimes 410 (Gone). Internal broken links waste crawl budget and orphan content; external ones rot over time as other sites change. A crawler that follows every link and records non-200 responses is the standard way to detect them. Fix by correcting the URL, restoring the page, or redirecting the old URL to a relevant live page.
Real-world example
A restaurant renamed its menu page and dozens of internal links plus a popular external blog reference broke. Visitors hit 404s from Google results. Adding 301 redirects from the old URL to the new menu recovered both the user experience and the inbound link value.
Why it matters
Broken links degrade UX, waste crawl budget and erode trust. Monitoring for them is a core hygiene check that keeps a site healthy over time.
How to fix it
Crawl your site regularly to find links returning 404/410.
Fix typos and update moved URLs in internal links.
Redirect deleted pages (301) to the closest relevant live page.
Update or remove dead external links.
Set up ongoing monitoring so new breakages are caught early.
Best practices
Add a 301 redirect whenever you move or delete a page.
Re-check links after migrations and redesigns.
Use a helpful custom 404 page for the ones you cannot prevent.
Common mistakes
Deleting pages without redirecting their old URLs.
Ignoring broken external references that make content look outdated.
Only checking once instead of monitoring continuously.
Frequently asked questions
Do broken links hurt SEO?
Broken internal links waste crawl budget and harm user experience, both of which can indirectly affect rankings. Fixing them is always worthwhile.
Put this into practice
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