Broken links (also called dead links) are hyperlinks on a web page that point to a destination URL that no longer exists or returns an error - most commonly a 404 (Not Found) response. They occur when a page is deleted, moved, or its URL is changed without setting up a redirect. Broken links create a poor user experience by leading visitors to dead ends, and they signal to search engines that a site may be poorly maintained - wasting crawl budget and potentially diluting link equity.
Types of Broken Links
Broken links fall into two categories: internal broken links (links within your own site pointing to pages on the same domain that no longer exist) and external broken links (links on your site pointing to third-party URLs that have since been removed or changed). Internal broken links are the higher priority to fix because they directly affect crawlability and user navigation within your site. External broken links are your responsibility as a site owner to update or remove, even though the destination site caused the break. There's also a related opportunity: when other sites have broken links pointing to URLs similar to your content, you can pitch your content as a replacement - a technique called broken link building.
Why It Matters for SEO
Broken links affect both user experience and technical SEO health:
- Internal broken links interrupt crawl paths and can leave important pages undiscovered
- 404 pages don't accumulate link equity - links pointing to broken URLs waste their authority
- High volumes of broken links signal poor site maintenance to search engines
- 404 errors increase bounce rate and reduce time-on-site metrics
- Regular broken link audits using tools like Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, or Google Search Console help identify and fix issues proactively