Broken Links Are Killing Your SEO: How to Find and Fix Them Easily
You can publish high-quality content.
You can build strong backlinks.
You can optimize keywords perfectly.
But if your website is filled with broken links, your SEO performance will silently suffer.
Broken links are one of the most overlooked technical SEO problems. They damage user experience, waste crawl budget, and reduce trust signals that search engines rely on.
If you are serious about improving your website’s rankings and authority, this guide will show you exactly how to find and fix broken links easily.
What Are Broken Links?
A broken link is a hyperlink that leads to a page that no longer exists or cannot be accessed.
Instead of loading useful content, users see errors such as:
- 404 Page Not Found
- 410 Gone
- Server errors
When this happens repeatedly across your website, it signals poor maintenance and weak technical SEO.
Search engines like Google interpret excessive broken links as a sign of low-quality site management.
Why Broken Links Are Bad for SEO
Broken links do more damage than most website owners realise.
#1. Poor User Experience
Visitors expect seamless navigation. When they click a link and hit an error page, frustration increases. High bounce rates follow.
Search engines monitor engagement signals. If users leave quickly, rankings drop.
#2. Wasted Crawl Budget
Search engines allocate limited crawl resources to every website. When bots crawl broken URLs, they waste valuable time that could have been used to index new content.
This slows down ranking potential.
#3. Loss of Link Equity
Internal links distribute authority across your website. If a link points to a dead page, that authority disappears.
Over time, this weakens your overall site structure.
#4. Damaged Credibility
A website filled with broken links appears outdated and unreliable. This affects:
- Reader trust
- Brand perception
- Conversion rates
SEO is not just about rankings. It is about credibility.
How to Find Broken Links on Your Website
The good news is that finding broken links is simple when you use the right tools.
Method 1: Use a Broken Link Checker Tool
The fastest method is using a dedicated Broken Link Checker.
On TechBizTools, you can:
- Enter your website URL
- Scan your entire site
- Identify 404 and error pages
- Export affected URLs
This allows you to detect broken:
- Internal links
- External links
- Image links
- Resource links
Instead of manually checking every page, the tool does it in minutes.
Method 2: Use Google Search Console
Inside Google Search Console, navigate to:
Indexing → Pages
Look for:
- Not Found (404)
- Server Errors
- Crawled but Not Indexed
This helps identify broken pages discovered by Google.
However, it does not always detect every internal link issue. That is why combining it with a site-wide scan is more effective.
Method 3: Manual Check for Small Websites
If your site is small (under 20 pages), you can manually:
- Click through navigation menus
- Test internal blog links
- Check footer and sidebar links
But this method becomes inefficient as your website grows.
How to Fix Broken Links Easily
Once identified, fixing them is straightforward.
#1. Update the Link to the Correct URL
Sometimes a page exists but the URL changed.
Simply:
- Replace the old link
- Update it to the correct version
This is the easiest fix.
#2. Redirect Deleted Pages (301 Redirect)
If a page was removed permanently but has backlinks or traffic, create a 301 redirect to a relevant page.
This preserves link equity and authority.
Example:
Old page → Redirect → Updated guide
This prevents SEO value loss.
#3. Restore the Deleted Page
If the content was accidentally removed and still valuable, restore it.
This is especially important for pages with:
- Backlinks
- High traffic
- Keyword rankings
#4. Remove the Link Completely
If the link is no longer relevant, simply remove it from your content.
Avoid linking to outdated external resources.
#5. Replace Broken External Links
External resources often disappear over time.
Instead of linking to dead pages:
- Find updated alternatives
- Replace with active, authoritative sources
This maintains content quality.
Advanced Strategy: Broken Link Building
Broken links are not only a problem. They can also be an opportunity.
Here is how:
- Find broken links on competitor websites
- Identify what content was originally linked
- Create a better version of that content
- Reach out to websites linking to the broken resource
- Suggest your updated content as a replacement
This strategy builds high-quality backlinks and increases your Domain Authority.
How Often Should You Check for Broken Links?
Best practice:
- Monthly for active websites
- After website redesign
- After migrating URLs
- After deleting content
Broken links accumulate over time, especially on content-heavy blogs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid these errors:
❌ Ignoring 404 errors
❌ Redirecting all broken links to the homepage
❌ Using temporary (302) redirects for permanent fixes
❌ Deleting pages without checking backlink value
❌ Failing to update internal links after URL changes
SEO problems often grow from small technical neglect.
The SEO Benefits of Fixing Broken Links
Once you fix broken links, you will notice:
- Better crawl efficiency
- Improved user engagement
- Stronger internal link structure
- Preserved link equity
- Higher trust signals
Technical SEO improvements often deliver faster ranking improvements than publishing new content.
Complete Broken Link Fixing Checklist
Use this quick checklist:
- Scan your website with a Broken Link Checker
- Export all error URLs
- Categorise them (internal, external, images)
- Decide whether to update, redirect, restore, or remove
- Test changes
- Re-scan the site
- Monitor in Google Search Console
Repeat monthly.
Final Thoughts
Broken links may seem small, but they create major SEO damage over time.
They:
- Frustrate users
- Waste crawl budget
- Reduce authority
- Signal poor maintenance
If you are investing time and effort into content and backlinks, do not allow broken links to quietly sabotage your results.
Run your website through the TechBizTools Broken Link Checker today.
Fix the errors.
Strengthen your structure.
Protect your SEO.
Because sometimes, ranking higher is not about doing more.
It is about fixing what is already broken.