What Is Broken Link?
A broken link is a website link that no longer leads to a real page. When someone clicks it, they see an error page, often a 404 error, instead of useful content.
Definition
A broken link is a URL on a web page that does not load the target page because the page was removed, the address changed, or the link was typed wrong.
Why Broken Link Matters
Broken links are important to fix because they:
- Frustrate visitors and make your site feel low quality
- Can lower trust in your brand or business
- Waste crawl budget when search engines try to visit dead pages
- Can hurt SEO if many internal links are broken
Keeping links working makes your site easier to use and easier to understand for search engines.
How Broken Link Works
When a user clicks a link, the browser asks the server for that URL. If the server cannot find the page, it sends back an error code such as 404 not found. The browser then shows an error page instead of the content. That is a broken link in action.
Broken Link vs Related Terms
- Broken link vs dead link These are the same thing, a link that does not work.
- Broken link vs redirect A redirect sends users from an old URL to a new one. A broken link does not lead anywhere useful, it shows an error.
- Broken link vs soft 404 A soft 404 is when a page looks like an error page but still returns a 200 OK code. A classic broken link returns a real error code like 404 or 410.
Example of Broken Link
Imagine your online store had a product page at:
https://example.com/shoes/red-sneakers
You remove the product and delete the page but forget to update links on your homepage. Now, when people click the old product link, they see a 404 not found page. That link on your homepage is a broken link.
FAQs
How do I find broken links on my site
You can use tools like Google Search Console, website crawlers, or broken link checker tools. They scan your pages and list all links that return error codes.
How do I fix a broken link
You can update the link to the correct URL, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to a new page, or remove the link if there is no replacement page.
Do a few broken links hurt SEO
A few broken links are normal, but many broken internal links can create a bad user experience and make it harder for search engines to crawl your site. It is best to fix them regularly.
