A broken backlink is a hyperlink from an external website that points to a page on your site that no longer exists or has been moved without proper redirection. These defunct links can negatively impact your website’s SEO performance and user experience.

Broken Backlinks Purpose & Benefits

  • Identifying broken backlinks: Helps maintain link equity and preserve SEO value from external sources.
  • Fixing broken backlinks: Improves user experience by ensuring visitors land on relevant, existing pages.
  • Monitoring broken backlinks: Allows for timely detection and resolution of link issues, maintaining website health.

Examples of Broken Backlinks

  1. Implement regular website audits using tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console to identify broken backlinks.
  2. Set up 301 redirects to guide users and search engines from old, broken URLs to new, relevant pages on your site.
  3. Reach out to webmasters of referring sites to update their links to the correct URLs on your website.

Best Practices For Broken Backlinks

  • Regularly audit your website’s backlink profile to identify and address any broken links quickly.
  • Implement a custom 404 error page to guide users to relevant content when they encounter a broken link.
  • Prioritize fixing broken backlinks from high-authority websites to maximize SEO benefits.

Broken backlinks are detrimental to SEO and user experience, but with regular monitoring and proper fixing techniques, they can be effectively managed to maintain your website’s health and search engine rankings. Thankfully, our company offers a free SEO audit to help brands verify if backlinks are an issue. Contact us today to discuss your web necessities.