How to Find and Fix Broken Links on Your Website

Broken links — the ones that lead to a “404 Not Found” page — quietly damage your website. They frustrate visitors, waste your SEO value, and make a site feel neglected. The good news is that finding and fixing them is straightforward once you know the tools.

How to find broken links

• Free online checkers — tools like the W3C Link Checker or Dr. Link Check crawl your site and list every broken link.
• Google Search Console — its coverage and page reports flag URLs returning errors.
• WordPress plugins — broken-link-checker plugins scan your content and highlight bad links in your dashboard.

How to fix them

Once you have your list, each broken link falls into one of a few fixes:

1. Typo in the link? Correct the URL.
2. Page moved? Point the link to the new address.
3. Page deleted? Either link to a relevant alternative, or set up a redirect.
4. External site gone? Remove the link or replace it with a working source.

Redirect old URLs instead of leaving 404s

If you have removed or renamed pages, a 301 redirect sends visitors (and search engines) to the right place and preserves SEO value. Meanwhile, give lost visitors a helpful custom 404 page so a dead end still points them onward.

Make it a habit

Links break over time as pages move and external sites change. A quick check every few months keeps your site tidy and trustworthy.

Frequently asked questions

Do broken links really hurt my SEO?

Yes — they waste crawl budget, break the flow of link value, and signal poor maintenance. Fixing them is a simple SEO win.

What is the difference between fixing and redirecting a link?

Fixing corrects the link itself. A redirect leaves old links intact but forwards anyone who follows them to the correct page — useful when you cannot edit every link.

How often should I check for broken links?

Every few months for most sites, or monthly for large, frequently updated ones.