Every website accumulates broken links over time. Pages get deleted, URLs change, external sites go offline. It's a natural part of how the web evolves. But if you're not actively finding and fixing these dead links, they could be quietly dragging down your search engine rankings.
What Is a Broken Link?
A broken link (also called a dead link) is a hyperlink that points to a page or resource that no longer exists or can't be reached. When a visitor clicks a broken link, they'll typically see an error page instead of the content they expected.
Not all broken links are the same, though. Understanding the different types helps you prioritise which ones to fix first:
- 404 Not Found — The most common type. The destination page has been deleted or moved without a redirect. These are the highest priority to fix.
- Connection Timeouts — The destination server doesn't respond. This could be a temporary issue, but persistent timeouts are just as bad as a 404 for your visitors.
- SSL Certificate Errors — The link points to an HTTPS page with an expired or invalid certificate. Browsers will warn visitors before letting them through, which almost always results in a bounce.
- Server Errors (5xx) — The destination server encountered an internal error. If these are on your own site, they need urgent attention.
How Broken Links Affect Your SEO
Search engines like Google use hundreds of ranking signals, and several of them are directly impacted by broken links on your site.
Wasted Crawl Budget
Search engines allocate a limited crawl budget to each website — the number of pages their bots will crawl in a given period. Every time Googlebot encounters a broken link and follows it to a dead page, that's a wasted crawl. On large sites with thousands of pages, excessive broken links can mean important pages don't get crawled and indexed as frequently as they should.
Lost Link Equity
Link equity (sometimes called "link juice") is the ranking value that flows from one page to another through hyperlinks. When a page links to a URL that returns a 404, that link equity effectively disappears. If you've earned valuable backlinks from other websites but those backlinks now point to broken pages on your site, you're losing the SEO benefit of every single one.
Poor User Experience
Google has made it clear that user experience is a ranking factor. When visitors hit dead links on your site, it signals to search engines that your site isn't well maintained. Visitors who encounter broken links are less likely to trust your content, less likely to stay on your site, and less likely to return.
Increased Bounce Rate
When a visitor clicks a link and lands on an error page, they'll almost certainly hit the back button — or leave your site entirely. High bounce rates tell search engines that visitors aren't finding what they're looking for, which can negatively influence your rankings over time.
How Often Should You Check?
The right frequency depends on your site's size and how often you update content. As a general rule:
- Small sites (under 50 pages) — Monthly checks are usually sufficient.
- Medium sites (50-500 pages) — Fortnightly checks help catch issues before they accumulate.
- Large sites (500+ pages) — Weekly automated checks are recommended, especially if you publish frequently or link to many external resources.
External links tend to break more often than internal ones, since you have no control over other websites. If your content links heavily to third-party resources, check more frequently.
How to Fix Broken Links
Once you've identified broken links using a tool like Broken Link Finder, you have three options for each one:
Set Up a Redirect
If the content has moved to a new URL, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. This preserves any link equity that was flowing to the original page and ensures visitors reach the right content. This is the best option when the content still exists somewhere.
Update the Link
If you know the correct destination, simply update the link to point to the right page. This is the cleanest solution and avoids redirect chains. Check your meta tags and canonical URLs at the same time to make sure everything is consistent.
Remove the Link
If the destination no longer exists and there's no suitable replacement, remove the link entirely. A piece of text with no link is better than a link that leads to a dead end.
Use Broken Link Finder to Stay on Top of It
The easiest way to find broken links is to scan your pages regularly with a dedicated tool. Broken Link Finder checks every link on a page, categorises them by status, and shows you exactly which ones need attention — for free.
For comprehensive site health monitoring, pair it with Site Speed Check to ensure your pages load quickly, and SSL Checker to verify your certificates are valid. Together, these tools cover the most critical technical SEO factors that affect your rankings.