How to Fix Broken Links and Improve Your SEO

• 5 min read
#seo #internal-linking #broken-links

Introduction

Broken links are silent SEO killers that damage both user experience and search rankings. When visitors encounter a 404 error, they’re likely to leave your site frustrated. Search engines notice this too, and broken links can negatively impact your site’s crawlability and authority.

In this guide, we’ll explore why broken links matter, how to find them efficiently, and the best practices for fixing them to maintain a healthy, SEO-friendly website.

Impact on User Experience

Nothing frustrates users more than clicking a link and landing on a “Page Not Found” error. Broken links create dead ends in your site’s navigation, forcing visitors to backtrack or abandon your site entirely. This poor user experience leads to:

  • Higher bounce rates
  • Lower time on site
  • Reduced conversions
  • Damaged brand credibility

Impact on SEO

Search engines use links to discover and crawl your website. When crawlers encounter broken links, they waste precious crawl budget following dead ends instead of indexing your valuable content. This affects your SEO in several ways:

  • Wasted Crawl Budget: Google allocates limited resources to crawl your site. Broken links waste this budget.
  • Lost Link Equity: Internal links pass authority between pages. Broken links interrupt this flow.
  • Poor User Signals: High bounce rates from 404 pages send negative signals to search engines.
  • Reduced Discoverability: New content linked only through broken paths may never get indexed.

Understanding why links break helps prevent future issues:

  1. Page Deletions: Content removed without setting up redirects
  2. URL Changes: Restructuring your site without updating internal links
  3. Typos: Manual typing errors when creating links
  4. Domain Changes: Moving to a new domain without proper redirects
  5. External Links: Third-party sites going offline or changing URLs
  6. CMS Migrations: Links breaking during platform migrations

Using redCacti, you can automatically detect all broken links across your website in minutes. Here’s how:

Automated Crawling

redCacti’s crawler systematically checks every page on your site, following all internal and external links to identify:

  • 404 Not Found errors
  • 500 Server errors
  • Redirect chains
  • Timeout issues
  • Mixed content warnings

Real-Time Monitoring

Set up continuous monitoring to catch broken links as soon as they appear:

  • Schedule regular crawls (daily, weekly, or monthly)
  • Receive instant notifications when broken links are detected
  • Track link health trends over time
  • Monitor both internal and external links

Detailed Reports

Get comprehensive reports that show:

  • Source Page: Where the broken link appears
  • Broken URL: The link that’s not working
  • Error Type: 404, 500, timeout, etc.
  • Anchor Text: The clickable text used for the link
  • Link Count: How many times the broken link appears

1. Prioritize High-Impact Pages

Not all broken links are equally important. Focus on:

  • High-Traffic Pages: Pages that receive the most visitors
  • Conversion Pages: Landing pages, product pages, checkout flows
  • Navigation Links: Broken links in menus, headers, and footers
  • External Backlinks: Pages that other sites link to

2. Implement 301 Redirects

When you’ve deleted or moved a page, always set up 301 redirects:

# Nginx example
location /old-page {
  return 301 /new-page;
}
# Apache .htaccess example
Redirect 301 /old-page https://yourdomain.com/new-page

Find all internal references to the old URL and update them to point directly to the new location. This avoids redirect chains and provides a better user experience.

For broken external links, you have two options:

  • Update the link: Find the correct current URL for the external resource
  • Remove the link: If the external content is no longer available, remove the link or reference

5. Create Custom 404 Pages

While you work on fixing broken links, ensure your 404 pages are helpful:

  • Include site navigation
  • Add a search box
  • Suggest popular content
  • Provide contact information
  • Use friendly, helpful copy

Make link validation part of your content workflow:

  • Check all links before publishing new content
  • Use browser extensions to validate links during editing
  • Implement pre-publish link checks in your CMS

Regular Site Audits

Schedule regular comprehensive audits:

  • Monthly full-site crawls
  • Quarterly deep link analysis
  • Annual site structure reviews

External links break more frequently than internal ones:

  • Regularly check high-value external links
  • Consider using link archiving services for critical references
  • Update or remove outdated external resources

Maintain URL Structure

When redesigning your site:

  • Keep URL structures consistent when possible
  • Plan redirects before making changes
  • Document all URL changes
  • Test redirect chains before going live

Conclusion

Broken links are more than minor inconveniences—they directly impact your site’s SEO performance and user experience. By implementing a systematic approach to finding and fixing broken links, you can:

  • Improve search engine rankings
  • Enhance user experience
  • Maximize crawl budget efficiency
  • Preserve link equity throughout your site
  • Maintain professional credibility

Start detecting broken links today with redCacti. Our automated crawler finds and reports all broken links across your site, helping you maintain a healthy, SEO-friendly website without manual checking.

Sign up for free and run your first site audit in minutes.

redCacti Team

The team behind redCacti - helping websites improve their SEO through better internal linking.

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