A broken link is a hyperlink that points to a page, file, or resource that no longer loads correctly, typically returning a 404 Not Found, 410 Gone, server error, or an invalid destination.
For SEO, broken links matter because they interrupt crawling, waste link equity, and create a poor user experience. On a site like Check a websites seo, identifying broken internal and external links is a core part of any technical SEO review because even a small number of dead URLs can weaken site quality signals and reduce trust for both users and search engines.
Why Broken Links Matter for SEO
- Crawl efficiency: Search engines spend time requesting dead URLs instead of useful pages.
- Internal link equity loss: Authority passed through internal links stops when the destination is broken.
- User frustration: Visitors who click a dead link are more likely to leave the site.
- Maintenance signal: A site with many broken links can appear neglected or outdated.
- Conversion impact: Broken links on service, pricing, or contact paths can directly reduce leads.
Common Causes
- A page was deleted without adding a redirect.
- A URL slug was changed during a site migration or CMS update.
- An external site removed or moved the linked page.
- Typos were added to the link path.
- Image, PDF, JavaScript, or CSS asset URLs were changed.
Example in a Technical SEO Audit
If Check a websites seo scans a client website and finds that a blog post links to /seo-audit-checklist-2023 but that page was replaced by /seo-audit-checklist without a redirect, that original link is broken. The fix is usually to update the link or add a 301 redirect.
Broken:
https://example.com/seo-audit-checklist-2023 → 404
Fixed:
301 redirect → https://example.com/seo-audit-checklist
How to Fix Broken Links
- Update the link to the correct live URL.
- Add a 301 redirect if the content moved permanently.
- Restore the deleted page if it still has SEO or user value.
- Remove the link if no relevant replacement exists.
- Re-scan the site regularly with an SEO auditing tool to catch new issues early.
In short, a broken link is a failed connection between one URL and another, and fixing it is a basic but high-impact step in technical SEO, site health monitoring, and website quality control.