How to Repair Broken Backlinks With Tools

66.5% of links to websites over the last nine years are dead. That means when you're dealing with broken backlinks, you're tackling a problem that affects most sites online. When a page returns a 404 error, it breaks the flow of valuable link equity to your site, negatively affecting your SEO performance. 

Even worse, 44% of users are likely to share a bad online experience, such as encountering broken links, which can damage both your reputation and user trust. Broken links decrease your site quality, create more crawl errors, and waste link authority that could otherwise boost your rankings. 

The more broken links you have, the bigger the hit to your potential SEO rankings. Therefore, find broken backlinks before they damage your search rankings. This blog covers how to repair broken backlinks using both free and paid tools that make the process straightforward.

What Are Broken Backlinks and Why Do They Matter

Broken backlinks happen when other websites link to pages on your site that no longer exist. Usually, this results in a 404 error page. These are hyperlinks that once pointed to valid content but now lead nowhere, creating dead ends for both users and search engines. Unlike broken outgoing links that you can directly fix, broken backlinks require a different approach since they exist on external websites.

Types of Broken Backlinks

Here are the main types of broken backlinks:

• 404 Errors (Page Not Found): The most common type, occurring when the linked page has been deleted or moved without redirection

• Broken Redirects: Links that point to redirect chains that eventually fail or create loops

• Server Errors (5xx): Links pointing to pages experiencing server-side issues

• DNS Issues: Problems with the domain name system resolution, making pages inaccessible

• Bad URLs: Links containing typos or errors in the URL structure

How Broken Backlinks Affect SEO and User Experience

It's necessary to repair broken backlinks, as they impact your site's performance in several ways: 

5 Tips To Find Broken Backlinks Using Tools

Finding and repairing broken backlinks starts with knowing where they exist. Several tools can help you locate these problem links quickly and accurately.

1. Using Google Search Console to detect 404s

Google Search Console gives you a direct view of what Google sees when crawling your site. Navigate to "Indexing" > "Pages" in the left-hand menu, then click on "Not Found (404)" to see pages returning 404 errors.

This report shows you exactly which URLs Google tried to crawl but couldn't find. You'll get a clear picture of which pages need your attention first.

2. Finding broken backlinks with Semrush

Semrush offers two methods to identify broken links:

• Method 1: Backlink Analytics:  Enter your competitor's domain, go to the indexed pages report, and filter by "Broken Pages" error. Focus on 404 error codes, since these indicate truly broken links.

• Method 2: Site Audit: This identifies over 140 technical issues, including broken links. You can set up regular site checks and search for "broken" in the Issues tab to find internal links that need fixing.

3. Use Ahrefs to identify broken inbound links

Ahrefs maintains the industry's largest live backlinks database, updated every 15 minutes. Their broken backlinks report shows you referring pages that link to 404 pages on your site, complete with anchor text.

You can sort and filter these broken links to prioritize fixes based on importance. Ahrefs also shows your most linked-to dead pages, helping you reclaim valuable link equity by fixing or redirecting them.

4. Use Google Analytics to locate and repair broken pages

Google Analytics can identify broken links through custom explorations. Create a new exploration with "Page title," "Page location," and "Page referrer" as dimensions, and "Event count" as a metric.

Filter by your site's 404 error page title (usually "Page Unavailable"). The resulting table shows broken page URLs along with referring pages, making it clear where fixes are needed.

5. Free browser extensions for quick checks

Chrome extensions offer convenient on-the-go link checking:

• Check My Links: Crawls web pages and highlights broken links directly as you browse, showing valid and broken links with different colors.

• Broken Link Checker: Scans pages for invalid links and provides downloadable reports for easy tracking.

7 Tips to Fix Broken Backlinks 

Once you've identified broken backlinks, fixing them becomes your next priority. A systematic approach ensures you reclaim valuable link equity and maintain search rankings.

1. Update the link if the page still exists

First step to fix broken backlinks is to check if the content still exists but moved to a different URL on your site. This happens during site reorganizations or content updates. Simply locate the current version and update internal references. This straightforward fix preserves link value without requiring additional steps.

2. Use 301 redirects for moved or deleted pages

For permanently moved or deleted pages, implement 301 redirects to point visitors and search engines to relevant replacement content. This approach passes approximately 90-99% of link equity to the destination page.

When choosing redirect targets, prioritize relevance over convenience. Redirecting everything to your homepage diminishes user experience and dilutes SEO benefits. Focus on pages with high authority when implementing redirects.

3. Contact the referring site to repair broken backlinks

You can reach out directly to webmasters when external sites link incorrectly to your content. Craft a polite email that:

• Identifies the specific broken link and its location 

• Explains why fixing benefits both sites

• Provides the correct URL 

• Expresses appreciation for their help

4. Recreate missing content if needed

To repair broken backlinks, recreate deleted content that attracts valuable backlinks. This works well when the original page receives traffic from reputable websites. Using tools like Wayback Machine, you can view archived versions of removed pages and develop improved replacements that fulfil the same user intent.

5. Set up scheduled audits with SEO tools

Rather than manually checking for broken links, set up automated audits to run at regular intervals. Semrush allows you to schedule Site Audits to run daily or weekly, with reports automatically emailed upon completion. 

For most websites, weekly checks work well, although larger sites might benefit from daily monitoring to quickly identify and resolve new broken links. Several other tools offer automated scheduling capabilities:

•  Ahrefs and SEMrush provide alerts for new, lost, or altered backlinks

• Screaming Frog can be configured for monthly or quarterly full-site scans

• ContentKing offers 24/7 monitoring with real-time alerts when links break

6. Track backlink health over time

Monitoring your backlink profile's health helps you identify patterns and prevent recurring issues. Conduct link audits every three to six months to verify all links remain functional. This practice allows you to:

1. Record historical data for identifying trends in link growth or loss

2. Track the success of your link-building campaigns over time

3. Demonstrate SEO progress to stakeholders or clients

7. Encourage users to report broken links

Despite thorough automated checks, some broken links inevitably slip through. Therefore, create a custom 404 error page that includes a contact form or email address where users can report broken links they encounter. 

It improves user experience by acknowledging the problem while simultaneously creating an additional monitoring system through user feedback. Some sites implement a link validation review queue, where users can flag problematic links for review. This community-based approach distributes the workload while repairing broken backlinks.

Conclusion

Dead links waste valuable link equity and hurt your search rankings. The solution is straightforward: repair broken backlinks with a regular SEO maintenance routine. Search engines see broken links as signs of poor site maintenance, so staying on top of this issue protects your hard-earned authority. 

Google Search Console, Semrush, Ahrefs, and browser extensions quickly identify problematic links. Once you've identified them, you can implement 301 redirects, recreate valuable content, or reach out to referring sites. Also, set up scheduled audits, automated monitoring, and user feedback systems to catch issues before they damage your rankings. 

Your backlink profile represents years of earned authority and trust. Protecting this valuable asset through regular maintenance keeps your site competitive and maintains your search visibility.

FAQ

Can broken links be fixed?

Yes, you can repair broken backlinks by updating them to the correct URLs or restoring the missing content. Regular link checks help prevent such issues.

How to fix a broken file link?

To repair broken backlinks, first check if the file still exists at the specified location. If it has been moved or deleted, either restore it or upload it again. Make sure the file name, extension, and path are correct. Then, update the link in your document or website to reflect the correct location. 

How to fix 404 broken links?

Fix 404 errors by updating the URL, setting up redirects, or restoring the deleted page. Always verify the correct destination before linking.