How to Find and Fix Broken Links
Updated 28 October 2026
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To find broken links, crawl your site with a tool like Google Search Console or Screaming Frog. Then fix each one by restoring the missing page, redirecting it to the right address, or correcting the link that points to it. A broken link leads a visitor to a page that no longer loads, usually a 404 error. It will not directly lower your Google ranking, but it loses visitors and, when the dead page is a soft 404, wastes Google's crawling.
What is a broken link?
A broken link is a link that points to a page that no longer loads, so the visitor hits a dead end instead of content. The server answers with an error, most often a 404 "not found" response.
Broken links come in two kinds. An internal broken link points from one of your pages to another page on your own site that has moved or been deleted. An external broken link points to another website that has since removed the page.
The usual causes are ordinary site changes. A page is deleted, a URL is renamed during a redesign, a link is typed with a mistake, or an outside site reorganizes and your link to it rots.
In our experience, a site handed over with no care plan is where broken links pile up.
Old addresses change in a redesign and nothing redirects them. The links worked yesterday, so nobody thinks to check.
As an illustrative example (illustrative, not a client result), a KL shop renames its product URLs during a redesign.
Dozens of old links can then return a 404 until each one is redirected.
How do you find broken links?
You find broken links by scanning the whole site with a crawler, rather than clicking every link by hand. Two tools cover most Malaysian business sites, and both have a free option.
Google Search Console is the first place to look. Its Page indexing report lists a "Not found (404)" reason that shows the URLs Google tried to reach and could not. It reflects what Google actually sees, which is what matters for search.
A dedicated crawler goes wider. Screaming Frog is a desktop tool whose free version crawls up to 500 URLs and flags client errors like broken links and server errors. For a small site, 500 URLs is usually the whole thing.
For a very small site, clicking through the main pages by hand still works. Beyond a dozen or so pages, a crawler is faster and misses less.
How do you fix a broken link?
You fix a broken link by matching the fix to why the link broke, not by treating them all the same. The right move depends on whether the target page still exists somewhere.
| Cause | The fix |
|---|---|
| Page moved to a new address | Redirect the old URL to the new one |
| Page deleted, a close match exists | Redirect to the closest remaining page |
| Page deleted, no replacement | Update or remove the links pointing to it |
| Typo in the link | Correct the link |
| External page removed | Update the link, or drop it |
The most common fix is a permanent redirect. When a page has moved, redirecting its old address sends both visitors and search engines to the new one, and preserves any ranking the old page held.
When a page is gone for good with no replacement, do not redirect everything to the homepage. That confuses visitors, and Google says it might be treated as a soft 404. Instead, remove or update the internal links that point to the dead page, and let the URL return a clean 404.
External broken links need a different habit. You cannot fix another site's pages, so the fix is to update your link to a working source or remove it. These need rechecking over time, because outside sites change without telling you.
Do broken links hurt your SEO?
Broken links do not directly lower your ranking, but they still cost you in ways worth fixing. Google's John Mueller has said 404s are not a negative quality signal and that dead pages are "how the web is supposed to work". Search Engine Roundtable reported his comments on 2 January 2026.
What does happen is quieter. When a page returns a 404, Google's own guidance is that its indexing pipeline removes that URL from the index if it was previously indexed. The page then stops appearing in search. That is correct for a page you meant to delete, and a problem for one you did not.
Broken internal links also waste effort. Search engines follow them and hit dead ends. A clean 404 tells Google to stop recrawling that address. A soft 404, a "not found" page that still returns 200, keeps getting crawled and, as Google's crawl budget guide puts it, wastes your crawl budget. On a large site that can slow how fast your real pages get found.
The strongest reason is the visitor. Someone who clicks a link expecting an answer and lands on an error usually leaves. Fix broken links for the person, and the search benefit follows.
Frequently asked questions
Will broken links get my site penalized by Google?
No, broken links are not a penalty, because a 404 is a normal part of how the web works. Google's John Mueller has stated that 404s are not a negative quality signal, and Google's own 2011 post on 404s says they do not count against you. The real costs are lost visitors, soft 404s that waste crawling, and pages that quietly drop out of the index. Fix them for those reasons, not out of fear of a penalty that does not exist.
How often should I check for broken links?
Every month for most business sites, and always right after a redesign or a big content change. Broken links appear most when URLs move, so a launch or a restructure is the highest-risk moment. Folding a quick scan into your regular maintenance catches them before visitors do. A large or fast-changing site benefits from checking more often.
Should I redirect a deleted page or let it return a 404?
Redirect it if a close replacement exists, and let it return a clean 404 if it does not. A redirect to a relevant page preserves value and helps the visitor. Redirecting a deleted page to something unrelated, or dumping everything on the homepage, only frustrates people. When there is genuinely no replacement, a proper 404 is the honest answer, paired with removing the internal links to it.
What is the difference between a broken link and a 404 error?
A broken link is the link itself; a 404 is the server's response when that link is followed. The link is on a page and points somewhere. The 404 is what the missing destination returns. Fixing the broken link means either repairing the destination or changing where the link points, so the error stops happening.
Do broken links on other sites pointing to me matter?
They matter to visitors from those sites, but you cannot fix the links directly. If another site links to a page you have since moved or deleted, set up a redirect on your end. That inbound link then still lands somewhere useful, keeping the traffic and any value it carries. You control the destination, even when you do not control the link.
Keeping your links working as the site grows
Storming Solutions builds custom-coded websites and runs SEO, AEO, and GEO for Malaysian businesses from Kuala Lumpur. We treat broken-link checks as routine upkeep, because they are least costly to fix the week they appear and most annoying to find months later. A working link is a small thing that quietly protects trust.
Our honest view: broken links are rarely a crisis, but they are a reliable sign of a site nobody is maintaining. Fixing them is less about SEO and more about respect for the person who clicked.
Want your site checked for dead links and redirects handled properly? Ask us on WhatsApp or see how we maintain sites on our web development service page.