What is a broken link?
A broken link (also called a dead link or a 404 link) is a hyperlink on a webpage that no longer leads anywhere useful. When a visitor — or a search engine robot — clicks or follows the link, instead of landing on the expected page, they get an error message instead.
The most famous error is the 404 Not Found page, but broken links can return a whole range of HTTP error codes. Any link that fails to deliver the intended content counts as broken.
Here's a simple side-by-side example. Imagine your blog post links to a product page that used to exist:
✓ https://example.com/products/blue-widget — Working (returns 200)
✗ https://example.com/products/red-widget-old — Broken (returns 404)
The first URL works. The second URL points to a page that was deleted or renamed, so anyone who follows it hits a dead end.
How links actually work
To understand why links break, it helps to understand how they work in the first place. When you click a hyperlink, your browser sends an HTTP request to a web server asking: "Please give me the content at this address." The server then responds with a numeric status code that tells the browser what happened.
| Status Code | Meaning | Is it broken? |
|---|---|---|
| 200 OK | Everything worked — page loaded successfully | No |
| 301 Moved | Page has permanently moved to a new URL | Technically a redirect, not broken — but should be updated |
| 302 Found | Temporary redirect to another URL | Should be reviewed |
| 403 Forbidden | Server refuses access (permissions issue) | Yes — visitor can't reach the page |
| 404 Not Found | Page doesn't exist on the server | Yes — the most common broken link |
| 500 Server Error | Something went wrong on the server | Yes — page is unreachable |
| Timeout | Server took too long to respond | Yes — effectively unreachable |
Any response other than a 2xx (success) code means the link has a problem. 4xx codes mean the page doesn't exist or isn't accessible. 5xx codes mean something went wrong on the server itself.
Types of broken links
Not all broken links are the same. Understanding which type you're dealing with helps you prioritise fixes.
1. Broken internal links
These are links within your own website that point to a page, image, or file that no longer exists on your server. For example, a blog post from 2020 that links to a product page you deleted in 2023. These are the most important to fix because they directly interrupt your visitors' journey through your own site, and they harm the way Google crawls your pages.
2. Broken external links
These are links on your pages that point to another website that has gone offline, moved their content, or deleted the page you were referencing. You have no control over third-party websites, which is why external links need regular monitoring. A well-researched article that links to a dozen dead sources looks outdated and unreliable.
3. Broken image links
When an <img> tag in your HTML points to an image file that doesn't exist, the image simply fails to load. Visitors see an empty box with a broken image icon. This is especially damaging for product pages, portfolio sites, and any content that relies heavily on visuals.
4. Broken resource links (CSS, JS, fonts)
Your website also loads stylesheets, JavaScript files, and web fonts via links in your HTML. If these files can't be found, your pages may render without styling (turning a beautiful site into a wall of unstyled text) or break interactive features entirely.
5. Redirect chains and redirect loops
A redirect itself isn't broken, but when a URL redirects to another URL which redirects to yet another URL — forming a long chain — it slows page loads, wastes crawl budget, and passes less SEO value along the chain. A redirect loop (A → B → A) means the page never loads at all.
Why do links break?
Links don't just randomly stop working. There are specific, predictable reasons links break — and once you know them, you can watch out for them.
http:// links throughout old pages suddenly become redirects or may break if the redirect isn't configured properly.How broken links hurt your SEO
Broken links are more than just an annoyance — they have real, measurable consequences for your website's performance in search engines. Here's how they damage your SEO:
Wasted crawl budget
Google's crawler (Googlebot) has a limited amount of time it allocates to crawling your site, called your crawl budget. Every time Googlebot follows a link and gets a 404 error, it wastes a portion of that budget on a dead end. For large sites, hundreds of broken links mean important, valuable pages might never get crawled at all.
Broken link equity (PageRank flow)
When one page links to another, it passes SEO authority — sometimes called PageRank or "link juice" — to the destination. A link pointing to a 404 page passes that authority into a void. It simply disappears. This is especially costly for internal links, where you're in full control and could be directing that authority to pages that actually exist.
Poor quality signals
Google evaluates the overall quality of websites, not just individual pages. A site riddled with broken links signals poor maintenance, outdated content, and a negative user experience. This can contribute to lower overall rankings, even for pages that themselves don't contain broken links.
"Every broken link on your website is a small signal to Google that your site isn't being maintained. Enough small signals, and you start to see the rankings reflect it."
Redirect chains dilute authority
Each redirect in a chain loses a small amount of PageRank. A direct link passes nearly all its authority; a link through two or three redirects passes noticeably less. Keeping internal links pointing directly to the final destination URL — not through a chain — is a small but consistent SEO win.
The user experience problem
Beyond SEO, broken links directly damage the experience of real human visitors — and human visitors are ultimately who your website exists to serve.
Broken links interrupt the user's flow through your website. They create frustration, erode trust, and — especially for e-commerce and service businesses — cost you real revenue. A site that works reliably communicates professionalism and care; a site full of dead ends communicates neglect.
How to find broken links
You can't fix what you haven't found. There are several ways to discover broken links, ranging from free manual methods to automated crawlers.
Method 1: Use an automated link checker (recommended)
The fastest and most thorough approach is to use a dedicated broken link checker tool. You enter your website's URL, and the tool automatically crawls every page on your site — following every link it finds — and reports back which ones return errors.
Our free tool at BrokenLinkChecker.org crawls up to 2,000 pages and checks internal links, external links, images, CSS, JavaScript files, and fonts all in one scan. Results stream in real time, and you can export the full report as a CSV.
Method 2: Google Search Console
Google's own Search Console reports on crawl errors it finds when Googlebot visits your site. Under Coverage, you'll see pages returning 404 and other errors. This is useful but has a delay — it only tells you about errors Google has already encountered.
Method 3: Browser extensions
Extensions like Check My Links (Chrome) can quickly scan the visible links on a single page you're viewing. This is useful for a spot-check but doesn't give you a complete picture of your whole site.
Method 4: Manual checking
Clicking through your site manually is thorough for small, simple websites but completely impractical for any site larger than a few dozen pages. It's also easy to miss links that are buried in old blog posts or navigation menus.
How to fix broken links
Once you have a list of broken links, fixing them is usually straightforward. The right fix depends on what kind of broken link it is and why it broke.
Fix 1: Update the link to the correct URL
If the content still exists but has moved to a new URL, simply edit the link in your HTML or CMS to point to the new address. This is the cleanest fix and is appropriate for internal links where you know where the content moved.
Fix 2: Set up a 301 redirect
If the original URL is being requested by many visitors or linked to from external sites, set up a permanent (301) redirect from the old URL to the new one. This preserves any SEO authority the old URL had accumulated and sends both users and Googlebot seamlessly to the right place.
Fix 3: Restore the deleted content
If a page was deleted accidentally or prematurely, restore it. This is the best option if the page had external backlinks pointing to it — you preserve all that link equity without needing any redirects.
Fix 4: Remove the link
If the content the link pointed to is genuinely gone with no equivalent replacement, the cleanest option is simply to remove the link from your page. An anchor tag pointing nowhere is worse than no link at all.
Fix 5: Replace with an alternative source
For broken external links, find an equivalent piece of content on another site and update the link. This maintains the value the link adds to your content without sending visitors to a dead end.
How to prevent broken links
Fixing broken links is reactive. The real goal is to build habits that prevent them from accumulating in the first place.
- Always set up 301 redirects when you delete or rename a page — this should be a non-negotiable part of your CMS workflow.
- Run a full scan before and after any site migration — URL structure changes are the #1 cause of mass broken link events.
- Scan your site monthly as a maintenance routine — external links especially can break at any time without warning.
- Use relative URLs for internal links where appropriate — they're less likely to break during domain migrations or HTTPS transitions.
- Link to stable, authoritative external sources — large organisations and government sites are far less likely to remove content than personal blogs.
- Don't ignore crawl errors in Google Search Console — each one is a broken link that Googlebot already found on your site.
- Don't delete pages without checking what links to them first — use your broken link checker to find all inbound links before removing content.
Quick-reference FAQ
Are broken links really bad for SEO?
Yes, but the severity depends on volume and type. A handful of broken external links on a large, active site is unlikely to cause significant harm on its own. But dozens of broken internal links — especially on pages that carry important content — can meaningfully damage your crawl efficiency and the authority flow between your pages.
Does Google penalise websites for having broken links?
Google doesn't issue a manual penalty specifically for broken links, but broken links contribute to a lower overall quality assessment of your site. The practical impact — wasted crawl budget, broken PageRank flow, poor user experience signals — all work against your rankings over time.
How is a broken link different from a redirect?
A redirect (301 or 302) takes the visitor to a different URL rather than returning an error. Redirects aren't broken in the sense that the visitor ends up somewhere — but unnecessary redirect chains should still be cleaned up for SEO efficiency.
Can a page be "broken" even if it returns a 200 OK?
Yes. A page can technically load (returning HTTP 200) but contain almost no content — what SEOs call thin content or an "empty page." Our checker flags pages with fewer than 200 characters of visible text, because Google treats these nearly as badly as 404 pages.
How often should I check for broken links?
For most websites: monthly is a good baseline. E-commerce stores, news sites, or any site that frequently adds or removes content should check weekly. Always run a scan after major changes like CMS migrations, URL restructures, or large content deletions.