- A broken link points to a URL that answers with an error (404, 410, 5xx), a domain that no longer resolves, or no answer at all.
- There are three kinds: internal (your page to your page), outbound (your page to another site) and inbound (another site to a dead page on yours).
- Google says 404s on their own do not hurt the rest of your site, but broken internal links waste crawling, can cut pages off and frustrate visitors.
- Find them with a broken link checker for one page, a site audit for the whole site, and the Not found (404) list in Search Console.
- Fix them by updating the link, adding a 301 redirect for moved pages, removing links to dead sites, and returning a real 404 or 410 for pages that are gone.
What is a broken link?
A broken link is a link whose target does not return a working page: the server answers with an error, the domain no longer exists, or nothing answers at all. The common cases:
- 404 Not Found. The server is up but has no page at that address. The page was deleted or moved, or the link has a typo.
- 410 Gone. Like a 404, but the server says the page was removed on purpose.
- 5xx server errors. A 500, 502, 503 or similar means the server failed to answer. It may be temporary, so check again before you change the link.
- DNS failure or dead domain. The domain no longer resolves, usually because it expired or the site closed. No server answers at all.
- Timeout. The server takes too long to answer. Visitors and crawlers give up before a page loads.
A soft 404 is the opposite problem: the page says "not found" or is empty but the server answers 200 OK, so the error is hidden. Google's HTTP status guide asks you to return a real 404 or 410 for pages that do not exist. See the crawled - currently not indexed guide for how soft 404s show up in Search Console. To see the status code any URL returns, use the HTTP header checker.
Internal, outbound and inbound broken links
Who owns the link decides the fix: you can edit internal and outbound links directly, but for inbound links you fix the target on your own site.
- Internal broken links go from one page on your site to another page on your site that no longer works. They are fully in your control and the most important to fix, because they are how visitors and crawlers move around your site.
- Outbound broken links go from your page to another website that has moved or removed the page, or closed. Replace them with a working source or remove them.
- Inbound broken links are backlinks from other sites that point to a page on your site that no longer exists. A link to a dead page no longer passes its value to a working page. Fix it with a 301 redirect from the old address to the closest matching live page, so visitors land somewhere useful and the link points at a real page again. Redirecting everything to the home page is not a good match; Google may treat that as a soft 404.
Do broken links hurt SEO?
Google says 404 errors on their own do not harm how the rest of your site ranks, but broken internal links still cost you: they waste crawling, can leave pages cut off, and frustrate visitors.
A 404 for a page that really is gone is the correct answer, and every site has some. Google's HTTP status guide says pages that return a 4xx code are not indexed, and pages already indexed are dropped over time. That affects the missing page, not the pages around it. The same guide says Google treats all 4xx codes other than 429 the same way, so a 404 and a 410 lead to the same result.
The real costs come from the links themselves:
- Wasted crawling. Each broken internal link is a request Googlebot spends on an error instead of a real page. On a small site this rarely matters; on a large one, many dead links add up.
- Pages cut off. Google finds pages mainly by following links (see Google's link best practices). If the only links to a page are broken, or point at its old address, the live page can become an orphan. See how to find and fix orphan pages.
- Lost link value. Backlinks that point to a dead page stop helping your site until you redirect them.
- Frustrated visitors. A dead end makes a page less useful and sends people back to the search results.
How to find broken links
Check one page with a broken link checker, the whole site with a crawl, and the links search engines have found in Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
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Check one page at a time
Paste a page address into the free broken link checker. It opens every link on the page, internal and external, up to 250 different links, and lists the ones that are broken, redirect, or refuse automated checks, with the status code and anchor text for each. Links that answer 401, 403 or 429 are listed separately, because many sites block automated requests while working fine in a browser.
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Crawl the whole site
Run the free site audit to crawl your site and find broken links across every page it reaches, not just one.
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Read Search Console
In Google Search Console, open Indexing → Pages and look for the Not found (404) reason in the list of why pages are not indexed. Open a URL with URL Inspection to see which pages refer to it. The Page indexing report help explains each reason.
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Check Bing Webmaster Tools
In Bing Webmaster Tools, Site Explorer lists the URLs Bing knows on your site and lets you filter them by HTTP status, so you can see the ones that return errors. The full setup is in our Bing Webmaster Tools guide.
Search Console and Bing also show old URLs that other sites still link to. Those are your inbound broken links: the ones worth a redirect.
How to fix broken links
Fix the link at its source when you control it, redirect the old address when others link to it, and let truly gone pages return a real 404 or 410.
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Update internal links
Change each broken internal link to the page's current address. If the page has redirects, point the link straight at the final URL rather than through the redirect. The redirect checker shows every hop and the final address.
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301 redirect moved pages
When a page has moved or been merged, add a permanent 301 redirect from the old address to the closest matching live page. That catches inbound links and old bookmarks you cannot edit. Read 301 vs 302 redirects to choose the right type, then test the old URL with the redirect checker.
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Replace or remove dead outbound links
For a link to another site that now returns an error or no longer exists, find the page's new address or a working source that says the same thing. If there is none, remove the link.
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Return a real 404 or 410 for gone pages
If a page is gone and nothing replaces it, let it return 404 or 410, and remove your own links to it. Do not show a "not found" message with a 200 status, or redirect it to an unrelated page: both can be treated as soft 404s. Check the code with the HTTP header checker.
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Check again after a fix
Re-run the checker on the pages you changed. Broken links come back as other sites move pages, so check your most important pages again from time to time.
Problem, status code and fix at a glance
Match what the checker reports to the fix that suits it.
Broken links: status and fix
| Problem | Status code | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Internal link to a moved page | 404, or a 301 chain | Update link Point it at the page's current final URL. |
| Backlink to a page you moved or merged | 404 | 301 redirect Redirect the old URL to the closest matching page. |
| Page removed on purpose, no replacement | 404 or 410 | Keep the error Remove your own links to it. |
| "Not found" page that answers OK | 200 (soft 404) | Return 404 Send a real 404 or 410, or add real content. |
| Outbound link to a closed site | No answer (DNS failure) | Replace or remove Link a working source or remove the link. |
| Server error on the target | 5xx, or timeout | Recheck Test again later; fix the server if it is yours. |
| Site refuses automated checks | 401, 403 or 429 | Open in browser Often works fine; change only if it fails there too. |
Find the broken links on any pageTest every internal and external link on a page in one run, free.
Check a pageQuestions and answers
Broken links questions
Do broken links affect SEO?
Google says 404 errors on their own do not harm how the rest of your site ranks. Broken internal links still matter: they waste crawling, can leave pages without any working link, and frustrate visitors. Backlinks to dead pages also stop helping until you redirect them.
How do I find broken links on my website?
Check a single page with a free broken link checker, crawl the whole site with a site audit, and look at the Not found (404) reason in Search Console's Page indexing report. Bing Webmaster Tools' Site Explorer can also be filtered by HTTP status.
What is the difference between a 404 and a soft 404?
A 404 is the server correctly saying a page does not exist. A soft 404 is a page that looks missing or empty but answers 200 OK, so the error is hidden. Google asks you to return a real 404 or 410 for pages that are gone.
Should I redirect every 404 to my home page?
No. Redirect a dead URL only to a page that closely matches it. Sending unrelated URLs to the home page does not help visitors, and Google may treat those redirects as soft 404s. If nothing matches, let the URL return 404 or 410.
Is a 410 better than a 404?
Both say the page is not available. A 410 says it was removed on purpose. Google's HTTP status guide says it treats all 4xx codes other than 429 the same way, so either works for a page that is gone.
Sources
- HTTP status codes and network errors — Google Search Central, on how Google handles 4xx and 5xx codes, DNS errors and timeouts
- Soft 404 errors — Google Search Central, on soft 404s and returning a real 404 or 410
- Page indexing report — Search Console Help, on the Not found (404) reason and other indexing statuses
- Link best practices — Google Search Central, on how Google finds pages through crawlable links
