Core SEO

Broken Link

Niraj Raut 2 min read Core SEO

💡 Think of it like this: Imagine Google is a postman who can only deliver to certain streets. Broken Link determines which streets the postman is allowed to visit — and how often.

Quick Facts: Broken Link
Category	Technical SEO
Difficulty Level	Intermediate
Affects	Crawlability, Indexing, Site Speed
Tools to Measure	Screaming Frog, Google Search Console, Ahrefs
Related Terms	Dead Link, Crawl Budget, Technical Seo

How Broken Link Works

A broken link is a hyperlink that no longer points to a live, accessible destination. When a user or search engine crawler follows a broken link, they are met with a 404 (Not Found) error or similar error response. Broken links can occur because the destination page was deleted, the URL was changed without a redirect, or the external site no longer exists.

Why Broken Link Matters for SEO

Broken links create problems on two fronts. First, they deliver a poor user experience — frustrating visitors who expect to find relevant content. Second, they waste crawl budget. When Googlebot crawls your site and encounters multiple 404 errors, it spends crawl budget on dead ends rather than discovering your valuable content. For large sites, this can meaningfully slow down indexation of new pages. If you’re unsure how Broken Link is impacting your site, working with an experienced SEO consultant can help you identify the problem and fix it efficiently.

Common Broken Link Mistakes

In my audits as an SEO Expert Nepal, I use Screaming Frog and Ahrefs to identify all broken links. The fix depends on type:

Do’s and Don’ts: Broken Link

✅ Do This	❌ Don’t Do This
✅ Set canonical tags on duplicate and near-duplicate pages	❌ Leave both HTTP and HTTPS versions accessible without redirects
✅ Test your robots.txt before deploying to prevent blocking key pages	❌ Block JavaScript or CSS files in robots.txt — it breaks Google’s rendering
✅ Monitor Core Web Vitals monthly and fix regressions quickly	❌ Ignore page speed issues — slow pages lose rankings and conversions

← Back to SEO Glossary

TL;DR: A hyperlink that leads to a non-existent page (typically returning a 404 error), creating a…

If you remember one thing — focus on how Broken Link affects your users first, then optimise for search engines second.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Broken Link?

An important SEO concept that affects how search engines discover, evaluate, and rank your website

Why does Broken Link matter for SEO?

Broken Link directly influences how search engines understand and rank your pages. Websites that get this right tend to see stronger organic visibility, better crawl efficiency, and more consistent traffic growth over time.

How do I improve Broken Link on my website?

Start by auditing your current setup using tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, or Ahrefs. Identify the gaps, prioritise by impact, and apply fixes methodically. Working with an experienced SEO consultant can help you cut through complexity and see results faster.

Niraj Raut

SEO Consultant & Strategist

SEO consultant helping service businesses in Nepal and beyond grow through organic search. I write about technical SEO, content strategy, and building durable search presence without the fluff.

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