Check for Broken Links on Website
Checking for broken links on a website means crawling pages to find URLs that return errors or no longer lead to the intended destination.
Key takeaways
- Broken links degrade user experience and crawl efficiency.
- Use dedicated tools to crawl your entire site, not just a few pages.
- Fix internal broken links first; external links can be replaced or removed.
- Regular checks (monthly or quarterly) prevent link equity loss.
- Combine broken link checks with a full SEO audit for best results.
Broken links are common on any website, but regular checks keep your site healthy for users and search engines.
Example: Finding a Broken Link in 3 Steps
- You have a blog post linking to an old resource page that now returns a 404 error.
- Use Screaming Frog to crawl your site: go to Mode > Spider, enter your domain, and start crawl.
- After crawl, filter Response Codes for Client Error (4XX). You'll see the broken link URL.
- Fix: Update the link to the correct URL, add a 301 redirect, or remove the link if no replacement exists.
Quick Start: How to Check for Broken Links
- Choose a tool: Semrush Site Audit, Screaming Frog, or Google Search Console.
- Run a full crawl of your website (or a specific section).
- Look for broken internal links: in Semrush, go to Issues tab and search for “broken.” In Screaming Frog, filter Response Codes for 4XX.
- Look for broken external links: same tools, but filter for external URLs with 4XX responses.
- Check Google Search Console under Indexing > Pages for “Not found (404)” errors.
- Fix each broken link: update the URL, add a 301 redirect, or remove the link.
How to Judge If a Broken Link Needs Fixing
- Internal broken link: Always fix. It blocks crawlers and hurts user navigation.
- External broken link: Replace with a working alternative if the resource is valuable; otherwise, remove it.
- High-traffic page: Prioritize broken links on pages with significant traffic or backlinks.
- Link equity: If the broken link passes link equity (e.g., from a high-authority page), set up a 301 redirect to a relevant page.
Common Mistakes When Checking for Broken Links
- Only checking the homepage or a few pages instead of crawling the full site.
- Ignoring internal broken links while focusing only on external links.
- Using Search Console alone and missing broken links that no longer appear in index reports.
- Fixing links without checking whether a 301 redirect or content replacement is the better solution.
Next step
FAQ
What is a broken link?
A broken link is a hyperlink that no longer leads to its intended destination because the target page was deleted, moved, or is inaccessible.
How do I find broken links on my website?
Use tools like Semrush Site Audit, Screaming Frog, Google Search Console, or W3C Link Checker to crawl your site and identify broken URLs.
Should I fix internal or external broken links first?
Fix internal broken links first, as they directly affect your site's crawlability and user experience. External broken links can be replaced or removed.
Related topics
Sources
- Google Search Console Help — Primary source for indexing and crawl error reporting in Search Console.
- Google Search Central — Authoritative guidance on crawling, indexing, and handling broken or moved URLs.
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider Documentation — Clear, practical instructions for finding broken links in a site crawl.
- W3C Link Checker — Established standard tool for validating links on a page or recursively.
Reviewed by Lucía Marín, Founding editor.