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Broken links are silent ranking killers. Google follows a dead end, your crawl budget takes the hit, and visitors land on a 404. Fixing them is one of the fastest technical SEO wins you can get.
What Are Broken Links and Why Do They Matter
A broken link is any hyperlink returning a 404 or failed HTTP status code. Pages get deleted, URLs change, external sites go offline. Without a regular audit, broken links stack up quietly.
They waste crawl budget, disrupt link equity flow, and signal to Google that your site is poorly maintained. Extems flags broken link cleanup as a high-priority fix for new clients because it is low effort with real impact.
How to Find Broken Links
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is the industry standard. Run a crawl, filter by Response Codes, and sort for 4xx errors. Ahrefs Site Audit does the same at scale and catches broken external links too.
Also check Google Search Console > Coverage > Not Found (404). These are confirmed crawl failures straight from Google's index.
How to Fix Broken Internal Links
Update the URL if the page moved. Go to the source page and point the link to the correct destination.
Set up a 301 redirect if the old URL has backlinks or traffic history. It preserves link equity and keeps visitors landing somewhere useful. Your web development setup determines where redirects live, whether that's .htaccess, server config, or a WordPress plugin.
Delete the link if no replacement exists. A missing link beats a broken one.
How to Fix Broken External Links
You cannot fix the destination, only your side of it. Find an equivalent authoritative source and swap the link. If no good replacement exists, remove it. For older research content, archive.org sometimes has a cached version worth linking to directly.
How to Prevent Broken Links Going Forward
Run monthly crawls with Screaming Frog or Ahrefs. Monitor Google Search Console for 404 spikes. And before any site migration, build a redirect map first. It is the step most businesses skip and the source of the most damaging broken link issues. The Extems web development team includes redirect mapping as standard on every migration.
When to Get Professional Help
If your site has hundreds of broken links or a complex URL structure, a manual fix is not scalable. Extems SEO services include full technical audits covering broken links, redirect chains, and crawl errors. Get in touch and we can run a quick site health check.
FAQ Section
How do broken links affect SEO?
They waste crawl budget, disrupt link equity, and signal poor site maintenance to Google, which can hurt rankings over time.
How often should I check for broken links?
Monthly for active sites. At a minimum, run an audit quarterly and after any major site change.
What is the difference between a 404 and a 301?
A 404 means the page was not found with no forwarding address. A 301 permanently redirects to a new URL, preserving link equity.
Do I need a developer to fix broken links?
Not always. WordPress makes it easy without code. For complex issues or site-wide redirects, working with an experienced SEO and web development agency saves time and avoids mistakes.
Ready to build an SEO strategy for your business? ExTems works with small businesses to drive real, measurable organic growth. See Our SEO Services
David Razvan
David Razvan
Creative content writer crafting engaging blogs, articles, and social media content across niches. Flexible, deadline-driven, and always improving with feedback and trends.
