How to Find and Fix Broken Links on Your Website

Broken links are the silent killers of SEO. They frustrate visitors, waste your crawl budget, and send negative signals to Google about your site quality. Studies show that 40% of websites have broken internal links. Here is how to find and fix them quickly using free tools.

What Are Broken Links?

A broken link (also called a dead link) is a hyperlink that points to a page that no longer exists, resulting in a 404 error. They occur when a linked page is deleted, moved to a different URL without a redirect, has a typo in the URL, or when an external website you link to goes offline.

There are two types: internal broken links (links within your own site pointing to your own missing pages) and external broken links (links on your site pointing to other websites that no longer work). Both types need attention.

Why Broken Links Hurt Your SEO

• Wasted crawl budget: Google allocates a limited crawl budget to each site. Every time Googlebot hits a 404, it wastes part of that budget.
• Lost link equity: If other websites link to a page that returns a 404, you lose all the SEO value those backlinks provide.
• Poor user experience: Visitors who hit dead ends are more likely to leave your site immediately, increasing bounce rate.
• Trust signals: Multiple broken links make your site look unmaintained and unprofessional to both users and search engines.

How to Find Broken Links (Free Tools)

Here are the best free methods to discover broken links on your site:

1. SERPlyft SEO Audit: Our free audit tool scans your pages and identifies broken internal and external links as part of a comprehensive SEO check.

2. Google Search Console: Under "Pages" report, filter by "Not found (404)" to see all pages returning 404 errors that Google has discovered.

3. Screaming Frog (Free): Crawls up to 500 URLs and identifies all broken links with their response codes.

4. Chrome Extension - Check My Links: Highlights all broken links on the current page in red. Great for manual page-by-page checking.

5. Dead Link Checker: Free online tool at deadlinkchecker.com that scans your entire website for dead links.

How to Fix Broken Links

Once you have found broken links, here are your options for fixing them:

Option 1: Set Up 301 Redirects (Best for moved pages)

If the page has moved to a new URL, set up a 301 permanent redirect from the old URL to the new one. This preserves the link equity from any backlinks and ensures visitors and search engines find the correct page.

Option 2: Update the Link (Best for typos)

If the link simply has a typo or points to an outdated URL, update it to point to the correct page. This is the simplest fix for internal links where you have access to the source page.

Option 3: Recreate the Content (Best for valuable pages)

If the deleted page had backlinks or traffic, consider recreating the content at the original URL. This recovers any lost link equity and traffic.

Option 4: Remove the Link (Last resort)

If the linked resource is permanently gone and there is no suitable replacement, simply remove the broken link from your content. Replace it with a link to a relevant existing resource if possible.

Preventing Broken Links

• Always redirect when changing URLs: Never delete or move a page without setting up a 301 redirect.
• Schedule regular audits: Run a broken link check at least monthly to catch new issues.
• Use relative URLs for internal links: When possible, use relative paths rather than absolute URLs for internal links.
• Create a custom 404 page: When users do hit a broken link, a helpful 404 page with navigation options minimizes frustration.
• Check external links: Periodically verify that external websites you link to are still active.