Broken backlinks: how to detect and repair them to boost your SEO?
In the world of SEO, every link counts. And among them, backlinks play a fundamental role in your site's visibility on search engines.
But what happens when these links become obsolete, lead to 404 pages or simply no longer work? You’re dealing with broken backlinks, a problem all too often overlooked, but which can have a real impact on your SEO.
A quick reminder: what is a backlink?
A backlink is a hypertext link from an external website that points to one of your pages.
Example: if an article published on a marketing blog links to a page on your site presenting your graphic design services, you benefit from a backlink.
Search engines, especially Google, use backlinks as a criterion of authority. The more quality links your site receives from reputable domains, the more reliable and relevant it is perceived to be.
What is a broken backlink?
A broken backlink is an incoming link that no longer leads to a functional page on your site. The result: the user lands on a 404 error page, and Google considers this a bad signal.
Why does this happen?
- You have deleted a page without redirection.
- The URL has been modified after a redesign without updating the old links.
- The link has been mistyped on the third-party site (typo in the URL).
- Your server has encountered a temporary problem.
Example: your https://www.votresite.fr/conseils-referencement article has been renamed https://www.votresite.fr/seo-conseils. Result: a broken backlink.
How to find broken backlinks?
The good news is that there are a number of tools available to identify these faulty links.
- Google Search Console: “Coverage” section, check for 404 errors.
- Ahrefs: Site Explorer > Backlinks > Broken.
- SE Ranking: broken backlinks in the backlink checker.
- Broken Link Checker: Free tool for checking dead links.
SE Ranking’s backlink checker
Here’s a screenshot of the SEO SE Ranking tool’s backlink checker.
How to repair broken backlinks?
Redirect old pages (301 redirect)
If the page has been deleted but has an equivalent, use a 301 redirect.
Example: redirect “/conseils-referencement” to “/seo-conseils”.
Recreate deleted page
If the deleted page received a lot of links, it may be a good idea to recreate it with updated content.
Contact referral sites
If the link is incorrect, contact the source site and suggest the correct URL.
Hello, I would like to inform you that a link to our site on your [URL] page seems to be broken. The correct URL is: [new URL]. Thank you very much for the correction!
Take advantage of other people’s broken backlinks!
Analyze your competitors’ broken backlinks, propose equivalent content, then contact the referring sites to suggest your link.
This is the broken link building strategy, highly effective in SEO.
Not sure where to start?
AntheDesign can help you audit and optimize your backlinks; contact us!
In a nutshell
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| Find | Use Ahrefs, SE Ranking, GSC to spot broken backlinks |
| ️Separate | 301 redirection, content recreation, site contact |
| Optimize | Use your competitors’ broken backlinks to your advantage |
A broken backlink is not inevitable!
It may seem trivial, but a broken backlink can be costly in terms of SEO authority and user experience. Fortunately, with the right tools and a little strategy, you can turn them into SEO opportunities.