Backlinks are one of the strongest signals search engines use to rank websites.
But there’s a problem many site owners overlook.
Not all backlinks continue working forever.
In fact, research from Ahrefs found that 66.5% of links to sites in the last nine years are dead, meaning they point to pages that no longer exist or return errors.
This phenomenon is known as link rot, and it creates what SEO professionals call broken backlinks.
When valuable links stop working, websites lose authority, traffic, and ranking power.
The good news?
Broken backlinks are not just a problem. They are also an SEO opportunity.
In this guide, we’ll explain what broken backlinks are, how to find broken backlinks, and how to fix broken backlinks so you can recover lost authority and even build new, powerful backlinks.
Broken backlinks are links from other websites that point to pages on your site that no longer exist or return errors, such as 404 pages.
These usually happen when:
For example, if a blog once linked to your article but that page was later removed, the link becomes broken.
From an SEO perspective, broken backlinks are important because they represent lost link authority.
Instead of passing ranking power to your website, the link now leads to an error page.
Understanding what broken backlinks are is the first step toward improving your broken backlinks SEO strategy.
Broken backlinks can negatively impact your site in several ways.
First, they cause loss of link equity. Even if the backlink comes from a highly trusted source, the authority is wasted if the destination page is gone.
Second, they create a poor user experience. Visitors clicking those links end up on error pages instead of useful content.
Third, search engines may interpret excessive broken links as a sign of poor site maintenance.
This becomes even more serious when the broken links originally came from relevant backlinks or powerful backlinks.
In other words, your website could be losing valuable ranking signals without you realizing it.
Before fixing anything, you need to know how to find broken backlinks.
There are several reliable methods to identify them.
The easiest way to check broken backlinks is through professional SEO tools.
Some of the best tools for finding broken backlinks in 2025 include:
These platforms scan your website and backlink profile to detect pages that return errors.
They can also show you which external websites are linking to those broken pages.
Another strategy is to find broken backlinks on competitor websites.
Sometimes websites link to outdated resources or deleted pages on other sites.
If you create similar content and reach out to those site owners, you may be able to replace the broken link with your own resource.
This technique is commonly used in editorial link-building campaigns.
In some cases, you can manually verify links by checking HTTP status codes.
If a page returns a 404 or 410 error, the backlink pointing to it is broken.
While this method works, it is much slower than using automated tools.
Once you identify them, the next step is fixing broken backlinks.
There are several ways to solve the problem.
Redirect Broken Pages
One of the simplest methods is to create a 301 redirect.
This redirects visitors and search engines from the broken page to a relevant working page on your site.
By doing this, you recover much of the link authority from those backlinks.
If the page previously received powerful backlinks, restoring it may be the best option.
Recreating the content allows the link to work again and preserves its SEO value.
Sometimes the original content cannot be restored.
In that case, you can contact the website linking to you and suggest a different resource.
If the replacement content is relevant, the site owner may update the link.
This approach helps you maintain relevant backlinks and strengthen your backlink profile.
Broken backlinks can also be used for link-building opportunities.
This strategy is known as broken link building.
The process works like this:
If your content provides value, the site may replace the broken link with yours.
This approach often results in editorial links, which are among the most valuable backlinks in SEO.
While comment backlinks still exist in many communities, editorial placements generally carry far more authority.
Several tools can help automate the process of finding broken backlinks.
Some of the most reliable options include:
Using these tools regularly helps ensure you never miss important broken links.
Broken backlinks are often seen as an SEO problem.
But in reality, they are also a hidden opportunity.
When you find broken backlinks and fix them, you can recover lost authority, improve user experience, and strengthen your backlink profile.
More importantly, broken link analysis can reveal opportunities to earn relevant backlinks, powerful backlinks, and editorial links from authoritative websites.
In SEO, small technical fixes often lead to big ranking improvements.
And fixing broken backlinks is one of the most overlooked opportunities available.
Your customers are searching. Make sure they find you first. Let’s build a strategy that actually moves the needle—more visibility, more traffic, more revenue.